New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-16
EGOISM OF PRUSSIANS
MENACE TO THE WORLD
c. K Cheserton Says German Culture Would Put
Arms Venus de Milo and Commit the Bias
phemy Of Rebuilding Rheims Cathedral.

public and accepted Prussiaa political
! philosopher (Chamberlain). "Who car
/ live in Italy to-day and mix with its
amiable and highly gifted inhabitants
without feeling with pain that here 2
great nation is lost. irredeemably lost
because il lacks the inner driving
power" etc, which has brought Won
Kluck go triumphantly through Paris
Even a half-educated Englishman, who
has heard of no Italian poet except
Dante, knows that he was something
more than amiable. Even a positively
illiterate Frenchman, who has heard OF
no Italian warrior except Napoleon
knows that ii was in elmer driving
force" that the artilleryman in ques-
ton was deficient. "Who can live in
Italy to-day" Evidently the Prussian
philosopher can't. His impressions are
taken from Italian operas, not from
Italian streets, certainly not from ltal
ian fields. As matter of fact such
images of Italy burn in the memories
of most openminded Northerners who
have been there, are of exactly the
other kind. | for one should be in
clined to say, "Who can live in Italy
to-day without feeling that a woman
feeding children or man chopplng
wood. may almost touch him with fear
with the fitness of their humanity; so
that he can almost smell blood, as one
smells burning?" Italians often look
lazy; that is, they look as if they would
not move; but not as if they could not
move, as many Germans do. But even
though this formula fitted the Italians,
it seems scarcely calculated TO please
- han init
the failure CT their diplomacy, the fail
ure of their philosophy, we may also
place the failure Of their appeals 10 a
foreign people. The Prussian writer
may continue his attempts to soothe
and charm you by telling you that you
are irredeemably lost and that ali great
Italians must have been something else.
But the method seems 20 me III adapt
ed to popular propaganda, and ! can
not but say that on this third point OF
persuasion the German attempt is not
striking.
Germany Must Be Beaten.
Now all this is important for this
reason. If you consider It carefully
you will see why Europe must, at what
ever cost, break Germany in battle, ana
put an end TO her military and mate
rial power 10 do things. II we all have
TO fight for il, if we all have TO die for
il, il must be done. If We find allies IN
the dwarfs Of Greenland or the giants
Of Patagonia, il must be done. And
the reason is that unless IT IS literally
and materially done, other things Will
be literally and materially done; and
horrify the heavens. They will be silly
things; they will be benighted and
limited and laughable things, but they
will be accomplished things. Nothing
could be more ridiculous. II that Is
all, than the moral position OF the
Prussian in Poland, where mag
nifcent officer, making vast parad
Of ruling" tries TO cheat poor peas
ants out of their fields (and gets
cheated) and then takes refuge IN
beating little boys for saying their
prayers in their native tongue. All
who remember anything of dignity, oil
irony, in short Of Rome and reason.
can see why an officer need not. should
not, had better not. and generally does
not, beat little boys. But an officer
can beat little boys; and Prussian
officer will 90 on doin~ it until you
take away the stick. Nothing could be
more comic. if that is all, than the
position of Prussians in Alsace, which
thew declare TO be purely German and
admit to be furiously French; SO mat
thew have to terrorize il by sabring
anybody, including cripples. Again.
any of us can see why an officer need
not, should not, had better not, ana
generally does not, sabre a cripple.
But an officer can sabre a cripple; and
a Prussian officer will go on doing ];
until you take away the sabre. IL IS
this insane and rigid realism that
makes their case peculiar; like that OF
a Chinaman copying something, or a
half-witted servant taking message.
If they had the power TO put black ana
white posts around the grave of Nlrgi
or dig up Dante to see if he had yellow
hair. the mere doing of it, which for
some of US would be the most unlikely
would for them be the least unlikely
thing. They do not hear the laughter
of the ages. Ii they had the power to
treat the English or Italian Premier
unite literally as n traitor. and shoot
him against a wall, they are quite ca
pable of turning such hvsterical rhet-
eric into reality, and scattering his
brains before they had collected their
cwn. They do not feel atmospheres.
They are all little deaf; as they are
all a little short-sighted. They are an
poved when their enemies, after sucn
experiences as those Of Belgium. ac-
ouse them of breaking their promises.
And in one sense they are right, for
there are some sorts of promises they
probably would keep. II they have
promised TO respect a free country, or
an old friend, to observe a sworn part
nership or to spare harmless popula-
ton they will find such restrictions
chilling and irksome. They will ask
some professor on what principle they
are discarding it. But If they have
PROMISED 70 shoot the cross OF a
church spire. or empty the inkp0t mt
somebody's beer, or bring nome some
body's ears in their pocket for the
Measure of their families ! think IN
these cases they would feel sort OF
a shadow of what civilized men feel IN
the fulfilment of promise. as distinct
from the making of II. And, IN eonSid-
Grafton of such cases, | cannot go the
whole length of those severe critics
who say that Prussian VIII never
keep his promise.
Unfortunately. IL is precisely this
sort Of actually and fuliilment mat
makes il urgent that Europe should
put forth her whole energy TO dra>
down these antique demoniacs; these
idiots filed with force as by iends.
They will do things, as maniac VIII
until he cannot do them. To me II
seemed that some things could not be
said and done. thought man would
have been ashamed to bride new en-
envy like England to betray an old en-
envy like France. | thought a man
would have been ashamed TO punish the
pure self-defence of folk so offence
less as the Belgians. These hopes must
20 from US. my friend. There is ONLY,
one thing of which the Prussian would