New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-01
Gilbert K, Chesterton Declares the German APP
pears Incapable of the Thought of Reel
procity, or Give and Take.
LAUGHS IF HURTING, HOWLS IF HURT
Impossible English Author Asserts, for Northeast Teutons
to Imagine Another Man and They Should
Never Undertake Civlizing Missions
BY GILBERT X. CHESTERTON.
The Refusal of Reciprocity.

II.
The Refusal of Reciprocity.
In the last summary ! suggested that
barbarism, as we mean it, is not mere
ignorance or even mere cruelty. Ii has
more precise sense. and means mill
tant hostility to certain necessary
human ideas took the case OF the
vow or the contract which Prussian in
tellectualism would destroy. ! urged
that the Prussian is "A spiritual bar
barian, because he is not bound by his
own past. any more than man IN
dream He avows that when he prom
ised to respect "a frontier on Monday
he did not forssee what he calls 1.-THE
necessity" Of not respecting it on Tues
day. In short, he is like a child who
at the end of all reasonable explana-
tons and reminders Of admitted ar
rangements mas no answer except, But
| WdHt to-"
There is another idea in human ar
rangements so fundamental as 10 be
forgotten but now for the first time
denied II may be called the idea OF
reciprocity; or, i'm better English, of
give and take. The Prussian appears
TO be quite intellectually incapable of
this thought He cannot, think, con
ceive the idea that is the foundation OF
all comedy that in the eyes of the
other man he is only the other man.
And If we carry this clew through the
institutions of Prussanized Germany
we shall find how curiously his mind
has been limited in the matter. The
German differs from other patriots IN
the inability 10 understand patriotism
Other European peoples pity the Poles
or the Welsh for their violated borders,
but Germans only pity themselves:
They might take forcible possession or
the Severn or the Danube, Of the
Thames or the Tiber, of the Garry or
the Garonne -and they would still be
singing sadly about how fast and true
stands the watch on the Rhine and
what a shame it would be II any one
took their own little river away from
them. That is what | mean by not being
reciprocal; and you will find IL in all
that they do, As in all that is done by
savages.
Nothing viii Him Mutual.
Here again it rs very necessary TO
avoid confusing this soul OF the saw
age with mere savagery in the sense
of brutality or butchery, in which the
Greeks. the French and all the most
civilized nations have INDUCED IN
in hours Of abnormal panic or revenge.
Accusations Of cruelty are generally
mutual. But it is the point about the
Prussian that with him nothing IS
mutual The definition of the true
savage does not concern itself even
with how much he hurts strangers or
captives than do the other tribes OF
men. The definition Of the true savage
is that he laughs when he hurts you
and howls when you hurt HIN. rms
extraordinary inequality IN the NINA
is in every act and word that comes
from Berlin. For instance, no man OF
the world believes all he sees IN the
newspapers and no Journalist believes
a quarter OF IL. We should therefore
he quite ready i'm the ordinary way
20 take a great deal off the tales OF
German atrocities; 10 doubt this story
or deny that. But there is one thing
that we cannot doubt or deny the seal
and authority of the Emperor In the
jmperial proclamation, the fact that
certain "frightful" things have been
done is admitted, and JUSTIFIED on the
ground of their frighttulness. IL was
military necessity 20 terrlty the
peaceful populations with something
that was not civilized, 'omethlng that
was hardly human. Very well. lnat
is an Ineligible policy; add IN that
sense an Ineligible argument. An
army endangered by foreigners may
do the most frightful things. But then
we turn the next page OF the halser
public diary, and we find him writing
Ia the President of the I'm ted states
TO complain that the English are using
dun,-dum bullets and violating various
regulations OF the Hague Conference.
I PASS for the present the question or
whether there is a word OF truth III
these charges. ] am content 20 gaze
ranturously AZ the blinking eyes OF
The true. or positive, barbarian. sup
nose he would be quite puzzled II
we said that violat ne the Hague Coh-
ference was "a military necessary 70
ms. or that the rules OF the conference
were only "A scrap OF paper lie would
be quite panied If we said that DUN
dun bullets "by their very trightful-
ness" would be very useful TO keep
conquered Germans IN order. DO wnat
he will, he cannot get outside the idea
that he. because he is he and not YOU
is free 10 break the law; and also 70
appeal 10 the law. Il IS said that N
HTuSSldN OlllNtI0 p4hF o. a bN'''-
egspiel. or the war game. But IN
truth they could not play at any game,
for the essence of every game is that
H. rules are the same on both sides.
Land of Ope-Sided Duels.
BIT taking every German ins-;tu-
ton in turn. the case is the same; and
- is not a case Of mere bioodcned or
military bravado. The duel, Tor eX-
annie. can legitimately be called
barbsric thing, but the word IS here
Yeed IN ano.her sense. There are
duelr in Germany; but so here are IN
France, Italy, Belgium, STtn; iuceed
there arc duels wherever there sre
dentists. newspapers. Turkish ha'hs,
timetables and all the curses OF
civilization except IN England ana
corner OF Amcric.. You may hap7en
10 regard the duel as an historic relic
Of the more barbaric states on wnich
these modern states were built IL
might equally well be maintained That
the duel is everywhere ne sign OF
high civilization. being the sign OF
i's more delicate sense o. honor Us
more vulnerable vanity. or It's greater
dread Of social disrepute. hut when
over Of the two views yol take, YOU
must concede that the essence OF the
duel is an armed equality. ] snould
not therefore apply the word bar
baric. as / am using II, the duels
of German officers, or even TO the
broadsword combats that are conven,
,ioral among the German students:
do aot see why a young Prusslah