The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-15
TREITSCHKE, APOSTLE OF WAR
AND GERMAN WORLD POWER

In The Fire Test Of the North Ger
man Confederation one of the few of
Treitschke's books that have been trans
lated he says: THE flames of the
peoples holy Indignation Iise toward
heaven" and Like thief in the night
this terrible war came upon us; there
is not one of us who desired it, not one
vi no did not fully estimate its impor-
lance.
I'VE were dragged into the war, and,
nevertheless, every eye glisteus at the
thought that this was the very thing we
Germans wanted"
Toward the end of August, 1870, dur
ing the Franco-prussian war, Tretschke
wrote sensational article on What do
we demand from France" II is one
essay in series entitled, Ten Years
Of German Fighting" and in it he says:
THE thought which. first softly whis-
pering. like bashful wish. during the
four last weeks has grown to the mighty
war cry Of the nation. is In short:
"'Give us back the old loot
"'Give us back Alsace- LorraineH
And here again the theory of de-
fence:
at sufflces no longer that we fool
ourselves strong enough to-day to re-
Sist an attack by France and even by
| European alliance.
The frightened world already sees
rise upon the bloody seed OF this war
a generation OF wars.
we owe the hemisphere a lasting as
suranCo for tho peace Of tho nations:
and We Will AS far as human powers
! 20, achieve this assurance only when
| from tho fortified passes of the Nosgcs
/ German cannon look down into the
Walsch land and when our armies can
/ descend hy few marches into tho
plains Of La Champagne; when We have
broken the teeth of the boast of prov.
| and when France has been 50 weakened
that she may not dare again attack
us.
our nation IS peaceful. Tho traditions
Of the Hnhcn2o,lerus. the composition
of our army; the cumhrous Constitution
Of tho German state, forbid every misuse
of military strength. We need a gon-
Grafton Of peaceful labor to achieve IN.
hard hut not ursolvable task OF the
uniication Of GERMANY"
An article which shows how erroneous
IS tho conception Of Treltschkc az IN
advocate OF German world cunuucs,
,Wcltr"ichD was written by him in An
gust. $3.50 after Austria had been van
quishcd. II declares that this dream
exists only In the weird phan;asies oi
ingoes outside OF Germany, but not
in the minds Of Germans thcmselva IS
The place IN tho sun" is all that Ger.
many and tho Emperor have ever hat
In mind.
"Thc conqueror." says Trcitschke. re.
ferrng To Prussla's victory over Aus
tria. bore no desire for the half Slavl,
neighhoring provinces which would be .
questionable gain for a German state
he even refused his army the longp,
for and well deserved triumph Of marcn
Ing into the capital of the enemy. II,
ended the war as soon as Austria dc
clared Itself willing TO Withdraw from
the C federation to leave the Prus
slams free hand IN Germany, thu
. recognizing German Independence"
Then, Trc!tsehlte perhaps unwit
tingly gives clearly and positively III
basis upon which rests his doctrine -
! military power and his views concern
inr war He says what Emperor VIII
< lam and German writer's have repcate
% again and again. that the army Of Prus
r. STA and - Germany Is purely for de
d fens.vc purposes against what he pic
4 lures as a conspiracy ~ the Couutric
hemminS In the fathrrland on all sides