Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-11-17
A National Obsession.

In the past few decades students OF
literature and events have been incline
70 think that from a national point OF
view We of the United States of America
were the cyclists Of the world par ercel
lsnce. Our proper national pride, which
leads US to declare this the best country
on the face of the earth, has been ex-
banded and enlarged, aided by a certain
sort of provincislism, till it has grown
into kind of contempt for those whose
ways are not as our ways, and We have
regarded the American as little better
and a little smarter" than the man OF
any other country.
This line of thought Is we'll exempli-
fed in that very entertaining and very
crude play, THE Man from Home"
which within few years has bad great
run, as well as in much other OF our
characteristic and ephemeral writing,
which it is not necessary to mention in
particular.
Under present conditions our mani
festatiou OF our conceit is changed in
form, and with a somewhat holier.thsn.
thou air We hold ourselves up as shin
ing example Of peace to war-torn Eu-
rope. We do not take pains TO think
how peaceable we should feel and act, in
the highly improbable event OF Germany
invading Canada and massing troops
along our border, or under certain other
conditions which may yet arise in con.
nection with the present war to disturb
our serenity.
But il We are entitled 10 the palm for
that form of national egotism which
manifssts itself in "brag," We have had
II forced upon our minds since this war
began that as regards that form of in
grained national egotism which amounts
TO an obsession, we do not approach the
Germans. Mos; Of the writings OF Ger.
mans In defence of their position have so
woven into their fabric the idea that God
Is fighting their battles, and that il Is the
manifest destiny of Germany TO domi-
nate, that il is frequently necessary TO
read second time IN the endeavor TO
catch their point of view, which seems
so foreign TO Us.
Such view seems TO be held not only
by Emperor William, whose utterapces
have been more or less familiar for years.
though they have not been so directly
called to our attention till since the war
dominate Europe seems almost 10 be q
Characteristic Of German thought.
A good illustration OF one phase of
this couceit is the following interview
with German business man, obtained
late in September by Irwin S. Cobb. and
published as part of recent article in
the Saturday Evening Post. 1t 10 little
cruder than the utterances Of German
scholars, but there Ia the same essential
egOtism In it. Can American brag
matchit?
"There can be but one outcome of
this war-either Germany, as an Empire,
will cease to exist, or she will emerge
the greatest Power, except the United
States, on the face of the earth. And so
sure are we OF the result that to-day my
brothers and / bought ground for doubl-
ing the size and capacity of our largest
plant.
sin six weeks from now we shall
have beaten France in six months we
shall have driven Russia 10 cover. For
England IL will take year-perhsps
longer. And then, as in all games, big
and little, the losers will pay. France
will be made TO pay 40 indemnity from
which she will never recover.
"Of Belgium think we shall take
slice OF seacoast; Germany needs ports
on the British Channel. Russia will be so
crippled that no longer will the Mus
covite peril threaten Europe. Great
Britain we shall crush utterly. She shall
be shorn Of her navy and she shall lose
her colonies-certsinly she shall lose
India and Egypt. She will become a
third-class power and she will stay a
third-class power. Forget Japan-Ger-
many will punish Japan in due season."