New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-15
WHAT GERMANY MAY HAVE LOST
Has Her Material Progress Been Won at the Cost
Of Her Spiritual Life?

To the Editor OF The Tribune
Sir: 1t is truism that nations have lost over
Whemingly by devastating that one has lost
in stature another in world place but is there any
ration on earth. except the German people that ha
paid the price Of victory with the loss voluntarily
borne, OF It's own freedom, ana settled down soldly
to the rule of a conscript ordering autocracy?
The special stirring Of desire to speak to you
comes from iny Indignation at the attitude of such
nen as Eucken, Haeckel and the general professor
dom of Germany. How help being surprised
that men with such views of life as these should
have gone in and out among and not be detected
/. is true we do not ask friends they cross our
threshold what is their opinion about validity Of
contract, observing treaties, falsehood and other
really standardized points Of morals
Wing am thinking about is this: Can we give away
cur own liberty, sell cnes soul a lower conception
of life and retain the hold on the spiritual life ?
Does not accepting this loss of liberty check the
deep springing fountains of inner life? Has this
death in life Come 70 Prussia and those of her fol-
lowing? Must one think of Prussia as a country
whose religion is dead form, that Luheranism for
reason has not developed the higher powers as
Calynism has done. for instance?
Is it possible that the habits of intellectual life.
even in the valuable work Of Biblical criticism have
teen materialized? Can any fail to be impressed
with the difference of touch between the English
ard American scholars and the teaching of the cor
responding German group? The one seems to deal
with living realities which they long TO perfect and
strengthen; the other smacks of the laboratory and
it's methods.
Is it not possible that the fundamental explanation
Of the whole situation intellectual and ethical may
lie in the fact that Germany has lost with her lib
erty her spiritual life ard is satisfied with the things
Of the flesh alone? She has perfected her industrial
life until her products in the world markets. she
has carried to a lower depth than any other people
the world has seen the invention and manufact-
of weapons Of death and destruction consecrat-
ing all in weird ritual to the service Of ma
tional webeing.
In the Prussanized German, as we meet him at
home in Germany abroad, in the gentler civilza-
tons, is constantly impressed with his rougher
standard of manners Those of us who know Berlin
and the architecture Of the mOderns can better under
stand the wanton destruction of these glorious
French and Belgian cathedrals, churches university
ard library and the lovely old houses and see why
there is protest BY German lovers Of beauty
There has been for this generation no example set
OF beautiful buildings. Their modern edifces, the
modern constructions. like the sordd Krupp out
put, heavy, grsndiose, entirely lacking either the
dignity of Belgian architecture the airy vet firm
lines Of French work
As the Prussianized German looks at old Rheims
or Louvain there is rising and swelling of the
heart akin to devotion, such is felt by the man
of more sensitive and educated consciousness Love
Cor the beautiful together with respect for human
rights and international obligations has gone into
the furnace from which out the monstrous
product OF the death dealing cannon and gun.
A READER or THE TRIBUNE IN THE OLD DAYS
OF HORACE GREELEY.
Concord, Mass, Nov. ~ 1914.