Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-10-18

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French until the last year of the en-
pire Prussia herself was an ally. al
though an unwilling one. Of the great
French conqueror in the campaign OF
l1S12 against Russia, deserving with her
contingent of 10000 under Gen. YORK
just as soon as she heard OF the dis
aster to Napoleon's army in the Rus
sian SHOWS.
And throughout all the fighting that.
for centuries before Napoleon; "g1gu
kans and the Rhine, never once dlo
they fight united. The score or more
of states always found their interests
adverse and continually drew their
great Frederick Barbarossa the
Whiskered) was never able to unite all
the Teutons under his banner; some
disgruntled and petty state was away
found grown sulky and nghtlng Win
the enemy, Charlemagne had no better
inck, He found the Germans like cells
in a basket No sooner would ne get
a batch of the little kingdoms or
duchies safely slowed away INSIDE inc
German empire than he would ma nalI
thought he had fastened In tight, had
slipped out meantime and made al
liances with his enemies. And SO 1t has
been always. even back to TIE DAY day
when NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. as tney
would call him today-wfped out the
legions of Roman Varrus and forever
broke the back of the imperial CITY
power north of the Alps. For many a
yellow haired, shaggy German on mat
day fought with bow and spear SIDE ny
side with the Roman or the tWo-eoseu
sword.
Now, at length, after long centuries
of civil and foreign wars, after count,
less combinations and dissolutions and
alliances and ruptures, but never
solid Teuton front, the Germans are
fighting united. Not only are they
fighting united, but all the Germans
are fighting. From the Iron Gates OF
the Danube on the east to the Rhine
valley on the west, and from the slopes
of the Alps to the shores of the Baltic
sea, the ancient boundaries of the Teu-
ton peoples, every man who can pear
arms is in the field. Not only is GER
man the only language used by them
in the war; it is not used by anybody
but them. There is not man IN the
ranks of their enemies who speaks
German as his native tongue.
The TeutonS number considerably
and, although the allies considerably
more than outnumber them two TO
one, even with the exclusion of Eng
lands vast East Indian population. it
is gigantic task for any number Of
men to conquer a united people num-
bering a hundred million. Not only Is
the battle not always to the strong;
it is still less always to the numerous,
sorrow
This feeling of people, not only
united, but all of them in the union, is
a powerful factor in war. No general
value exactly in men, but no general
who ever failed to give it a high val
uation. especially when his enemies
possessed it. ever failed to regret his
lack of vision
One fly in the ointment, however; al
though brothers in blood, the Austrian
German has never had any love for the
Prussian German. For 200 years in all
the wars wherein they have been
jointly engaged, never but for a brief
time in the last two years Of Napo-
Icons wars did they fight side by
side. Always have they been oppo-
nents-and always has Austria been
worsted. The writer does not reckon
the small adventure of Schleswig
Holstein as a war.
worsted. no matter who the allies
might be, 1t was always Prussia that,
in the end, put the screws upon her.
Others might be content to let her on on
years now the Austrian power has
waned, due mostly to Prussia. The
very first thing Frederick the Great
did on coming to the throne in 1910
after sending to his publishers his
book advocating universal peace-was
to suddenly invade Silesia. the flower
of the Austrian dominfons. His osten-
sible reason was sort of ancient
quit-claim he found in his fathers pa
pers given q century or two before by
some Emperor Of Austria to some an