Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-06

formation. telegraphed to the kaiser less
than month ago that civil war was an
immediate certainty throughout Ireland.
Astounding faulty? Not at ALL Eng
fish observers of England have made and
constantly do make mistakes equally pro-
digiouS See Hansard every month. So
that when / read demonstrations of the
thesis that the heart of the German peo-
Pile is in the war I am not greatly af-
fected by them.
Still, 1 do myself believe that the heart
of the German people is in the war and
that that heart Is governed by two mo-
tives-the motive of self-defense against
Russia and the motive of overbearing
elf-aggrandiZement. I do not base my
opinion on phenomena which / have OBJ
served.
Beyond an automobile journey through
ScheswigH olstein. which was formida-
bly, tedious, and yacht journey through
the kiel canal and kiel bay. which was
somewhat impressive, l have never trav-
eled in Germany. / base my opinion on
general principles. In a highly educated
and civilized country such as Germany
tthe word Civilized" must soon take on
new Significance it is impossible that
an autocracy. even a military autocracy.
could exist unrooted in the people.
Prusslan militarism' may annoy many
Germans. but it pleases more than 1t an
W
are not fiattered by 1t. That the lower
classes have an even more tremendous
grievance against the upper classes in
Germany than in England or France Is a
gertrude. But the existence and power
of the army is their reward their sole re-
ward, for all that they have suffered in
hardship and humiliation at the hands of
the autocracy. 1t is the autocracy's bride
and sweetmeat to them.
A Great Nation.
The Germans are a great nation: they
have admirable qualities. but they have
also defects. and among their defects is a
clumsy arrogance which may be noticed
in any international hotel frequented by
Germans. 1t is a racial defect. and to
| try to limit it to the military autocracy
! is absurd. An educated and civilized ma
| ton has roughly the government that it
wants and deserves. And it has in the
| end ways of imposing itself on its ap-
parent rulers that are more effective than
| the ballot box or the barricade, and just
| as sure.
No election was needed to prove to the
| Italian government that Italy did not
want to fight for the triple alliance, and
would not fight for it. The fact was
| known, it was imminent in the air. be-
| yond all arguments and persuasions.
Italy breathed a negative. and war was
mans have for years breathed war, and
| war is.
This may be autocratic, dynastic what
you will, but it is also national, and it
symbollzes the national feeling.
1 Does the German conScript believe in
| the efficacy of his leaders? I mean
when he is lying awake and fatigued at
night, not when he is shouting 'Hoch!"
| or watching the demeanor of women in
front of him. Does no doubt ever lanci-
i not i'm in, T . 1A
question from general principles and not
| from observation. The German con-
script mrst know what everybody
knows. that in almost every bully there
is coward. And he must know that he
is led by DULLES. He learned that in the
| barrack yard. An enormous number Of
conscripts must also know that there is
something seriously wrong with a sys-
| tenn that for the sake of its own exist
ence has killed freedom of the press, And
the system he also knows out of his own
| daily life as a conScript. Further, he
must be aware that there is a dearth Of
really great men in his system.
| In the past there were in Germany men
great enough to mesmerize Europe-Bis-
4 marck and Won Moltke. There is none to-
day that appeals to the popular imagina-
| ton as Kitchener does in England or
Joffre in France. Alone, in Germany,
the kaiser has been able to achieve a
continental renown. The kaiser has good
qualities. But twenty-four years ago he
| committed an act of folly and Zone may
say bad form which nothing but re-
suits could justify. and which results
have not justified Whatever his good
qualities may be, it is an absolute GER
| tainty that common sense, foresight and
mental balance are not among them.
Feeling of Conscripts.
The conscript feels that if he does not
| state it clearly to himself. And as for
the military organization Of which the
| kaiser is the figurehead, it has shown
| for many years past precisely those signs
! which history teaches US are signs of
decay. 1t has not withstood the fearful
ordeal of success. Just lately, If not
earlier, the conscript must have felt
that, too. What is the conclusion?
Take the average conscript. the men,
Der of the lower middle class He is
accustomed to think politically, because
at least fifty out of every hundred Of
him are professed socialists with a def
mite and bitter political program
against certain manifestations of the aC-
tocracy. ct is calculated that two-fifths
of the entire army is socialist) He may
not argue very closely while in the act
of war: indeed, he could not But enor-
nous experience is accumulated in his
sciousness-eXperience of bullying
and cowardice. of humiliation. of injus-
tice, of lying, and of his own most secret
shortcomings-for he, too, is somewhat
of the bully, out for self aggrandizement
as well as for self-defense, and his con-
science privately tells him SO. The or
ganization is still colossal. magnificent,
terrific.
In the general fever of activity he per-
suades himself that nothing can with
stand the organization, but at the height
of some hand-to-hand crisis, when one
hundredth of logged grain of obstinacy
will turn the scale, he may remember an
insult from an incompetent officer or the
protectionism at home which puts meat
beyond his purse in order to enrich the
landowner, or even the penal legislation
of the autocracy against the cooperative
societies of the poor. and the memory Tin
spite of him) may decide battle.
Men think of odd matters in battle
and it is a scientific certainty that at
the supreme pinch the subconscious must
react.
Births Reported.