The Washington times., 1914-09-05
THE WARS HORRORS.

"For What We Have and Are"
was the monosyllabic caption and
opening stanza of Kipling's war
poem. One could wish that the rest
of the war poets might have felt the
inspiration to simplicity and Saxon
diction that marked the work Of
Kipling. Think of William Archer,
for instance, who names his versified
invective against the Kaiser '1cono-
clastes!"
Until the details Of the casualty
lists begin to come to Us, with i'm
pressive statistics of numbers sacri-
feed, and names that in too many
cases will sound familiar, one of the
chief horrors of the war will be the
work of the poets. Samples OF both
the British and German outpourings
are getting to this side; some Of
them giving rise to dubiety wheth-
er at this distance from the firing
line there is really much greater
safety.
Mr.. Archcr's attack is directed
against the German Emperor, now
seemingly agreed upon by the Eng
lish versifie-s as the head devil of
it all. He depicts the tremendous
inpositions which the German Evil
One has persistently sought to in
fict on the nations and the peoples
TIL. at last. In feroe rebellion
| Rose his victims, overdriven.
Rose against tho Archimandrlte
And his schneidig hierarchy.
Saving. Let US smash tho Idol.
Pulvertze the Molocn-image,
Exercise the accursei vampire
From its menace free the world:
Free ourselves. and free the noble.
Richly lowered. gemutlich nation,
Doomed by some malign cnchantment
TIC this dire Idolatry.
Free the workers, thinkers, singers.
To their saner selves restore them.
Save their souls, reclaim their genius
For the service Of mankind.
Can we crush tre Idol7 Never
Doubt It! for a mightier sodhead.
Ancient, awful, fights on odr side.
And its name is NEMESIS.
All of which seems rather tough;
but it is really moderation and ar1ia-
b;lity compared to the bugle blast
against our old friend, P. Albion,
that is sounded in the Berlin Lokal
Anzeiger by Prof. Otto Won Gierke.
The professor doubtless suffers
somewhat at the hands Of his trans
lator; but even at that he hands it
across the channel in right stiff
fashion. Note these samples:
What, hast thou then the Teuton kim
ship broken,
Per1idious Albion!
And sett'st thysclf Tn deeds of Shame
All for what Judas wont
Our strength is in tho truth of God
eternal,
The truth that shall not end.
Launch. England. launch thy fleets of
might Internal.
We stand strong to defend!
We. too arc Lords of Ocean. nor can
pardon
Thy peoples bartered troth:
Our heart and will to victory shall
stanch to our word and oath
Puttst thou thy trust in cunning cal
Thai we are few. We more?
Learn that the spirit OF the German
nation
Makes hosts on sea and shore
The spirit that once the oaks OF free
Our ancient land Of Germany inspired.
Now as from heaven miraculoasly
breathing.
This day our hearts hath fired.
seest thou not how its holy flames are
Or hearst thou not tho thunder of
its call?
United are we; and united going;
Ready to stand or fall.
Storm on with Slavs and strangers IN
alliance.
V1e-henrtei nation. on
Thou shalt not set Gods judgment at
defiance.
Perfidious Albion,
These random selections surely
suggest the desirability that when
The Hague peace parliament gets
back on the job it recommend meas
ures to protect the innocent oystand-
er. How shall We be expected to
maintain our neutrality i'll the face
Of such provoca:ion? Surely not OIL
the theory that b"th sides have
treated us with equal coTtLmely; for