New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-01


fencoless, for loot or lust or private
malice, like any other murderer The
point is that nowhere else but in Prus-
sian Germany is any theory of honor
mixed up with such things, any more
than with poisoning or picking pockets.
No French. English, Italian or Ameri-
can gentleman would think he had in
some way cleared his own character
by sticking his sabre through some
ridiculous greengrocer VINO had moth
ing in his land but a cucumber II
would seem as if the word which i
translated from the German as honor
must really mean something quite diff
ferent in German. 1t seems TO mean
something more like what We should
call prestige"
No Reciprocal Idea.
The fundamental fact, however, IS
the absence of the reciprocal idea. The
Prussian is not sufficiently civilized for
the duel. Even when he crosses swords
with US his thoughts are not as our
thoughts; when we both glorify war we
are clarifying different things. Our
medals are wrought like his, but they
do not mean the same thing; our regi-
ments are cheered as his are, but the
thought in the heart is not the same;
the Iron Cross is on the bosom of his
King, but it is not the sign OF our God.
For We, alas, follow our God with
many relapses and ACCOMMODATIONS
but he follows his very consistently.
Through all the things that we have
examined, the view of national boun-
diaries. the view Of military methods,
the view Of personal honor and self
defence, there runs in their case some
thing Of an atrocious simplicity; some
thing too simple for US 10 understood;
the idea that glory consists in holding
the steel, and not in facing it.
II further examples were necessary
il would be easy 10 give hundreds Of
them. Let US leave, for the moment,
the relations between man and mar IN
the thing called the duel. Let US take
the relation between man and woman,
i'm that immortal duel which we cali
marriage. Here again W. shall find
that other Christian civilizations aim at
some kind Of equality; even If the bal
ance be irrational or dangerous. Thus,
the two extremes Of the treatment of
women might be represented by what
are called the respectable classes IN
America and In France. in America
they choose the risk OF comradcsnlp;
in France the compensation Of courtesy
In America il is practically possible
for any young gentleman % take any
young lady for what he calls Il deep
ly regret TO say a JOY ride; but at
least the man goes with the woman
as much as the woman with the man.
In France the young woman is protect
cd like nun while she is unmarried;
-, /, ha n1l
A holy woman; and wnel she is a
grandmother she is molly terror. by
both extremes the woman gets some
thing back out OF life. There is only
one place where she gets little or moth
ing back, and that is the north Of
Germany France and America aim
alike At equality: America by similar
ity, France by dissimilarl;y. But North
Germany does definitely aim At Unequal
ity The woman stands up with no
more irritation than butler; the man
sits down with no more embarrassment
than "A guest. This is the cool atrma-
tion of inferiority, as IN the case Of
the sabre and the tradesmen. Thou
goest with women; forget not thy
whip said Nletzsche. 1t will be OBJ
served that he does not say poker
which might come more naturally 70
the mind OF a more common or Chris
tian wife-beater. But then q poker Is
a part Of domesticity and might be
used by the wife as well az the nus
band. In fact, it often is. The sword
and the whip are the weapons OF "A
privileged caste.
Same Principle Everywhere.
Pass from the closest Of all differ
ences, that between husband and wife,
to the most distant OF all differences,
that Of the remote and unrelated races
who have seldom seen each others
faces, and never been tinged with each
others blood Here we still find the
same unvarying Prussisn principle.
ANY European might feel Q genuine fear
of the Yellow Peril, and many English
men, Frenchmen and Russians have felt
and expressed it. Many might say,
and have said, that the Heather Chi
nee is very heather indeed; that II
he ever advances against Us he VIII
trample ard torture and utterly de-
stroy. in way that Eastern people
do. but Western people do not. Nor
do 7 doubt the German Emperor's SIM
ccrity when he sought 10 point out TO
rs how abnormal and sbomInable such
2 nightmare campaign would be, sup
posing that il could come. But now
comes the comic irony; which never
fails 20 follow on the attempt OF the
Prussian 70 be philosophlc. FOR the
Kaiser, after explaining TO MS troops
how important 10 was 20 avoid East
ern barbarlsm, instantly commanded
them TO become Eastern barbarians.
He told them, in so many words, 20 be
Huns, and leave nothing living or
standing behind them. In fact, he
frankly offered a new army corps OF
aboriginal Tartars 10 the Far East,
within such time as IT may take be-
wildered Hanoverlan 10 turn into a
Tartar. Any one who has the painful
bapit Of personal thought Will perceive
here at once the non-reciprocaI prln-
ciple again. Boiled down 20 its bones
81 logic. il means simply this: u am
German and you are Chlnam2n.
Therefore. |. being a German. have
r;gb, 20 be d Chinaman. But you have
ne right 70 be a Chinamsn. because
ycu are only Chinaman.' This is
yrobably the highest point 20 which
he German culture has risen.
The principle here neglected, which
nav he called Mutually by those who
~, understand and dislike The word
Equality. does not offer so clear dis
tinctiou between the Prussian and the
otber peoples as did he first Prusslan
nrinciDle Of an infinite and destructive
opportunism; or, N other words, the
principle OF being unprincipled Nor
mon this second can one take up so
obvious a position touching the other
civilizations or mI-clv!ilZauOns of
r. ,rorIi Some idea Of oath and
bond there is in tie rudest tribes, IN
~ darkest continents But il Nigh,
be maintained. Of the more delicate
and imaginative element OF reciprocity.
Tbat a carnibal in Borneo understands