The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-24
HARDEN TALKS ON N
Great Editor and Publicist
Sees No Reason in Hatred
of the United States by
His Countrymen
BY HER MAN BERNSTEIN,
Editor Of ..The Day"

Eut0r q u "The Day."
r y these days even the great and independent and
COURAGEOUS men of the countries involved In the war,
i the master minds Of the various nations, are not at
liberty to speak the truth as they see 1t. They dare
not comment on facts as they desire, they must not ind
fault even when they feel that their criticism might help
their own countries, which they love passionateiy.
When the voice Of cannon speaks the voice of reason
must be silent. Silent now are the truly great men who
are the conscience of the nations at war, and those who
speak often distort the truth. believing that they are
thereby helping their fathcrands.
When the machine guns are kept in action, moving
down the strongest and the weakest alike. when Zeppelins
come in the stiffness of the night over unfortihed cities and
hurl bombs upon women anG children, the voices OF the
thinkers and the creative genius OF the nations must be
mufied, AMI it is regarded almost as high treason to utter
words and express sentiments that might lead the maddened
world back to its state of sanity.
In the course of my journeys through Europe. in Eng
land, France, Italy. Germany and Austria noticed that the
peope everywhere are thirsting for peace and for the
restoration of order and reason IN blood drenched Europe.
And even those who are blinded by their sympathies for
this nation or that are agreed that the European catas-
trophe.t is the most ghastly nightmare OF madness and blood
end horrors in history.
The military parties of the Governments at war have
started "A diabolcal game which they do not know how to
stop. So the slaughter goes on.
The people of all the warning nations believe that they
are shedding their blood for humanity. and they sincerely
expect the aid OF God for their arms, and when the peope
OF one nation pray FOR their men In the trenches. ON sea
the same terms to the same God, and If God should hear
Gil their prayers He would have to desroy them all.
The passions of the people are famed by falsehoods so
thai their hatred and spirit of vengeance nigh, grow,
y prominent statesman spoke to me about the enthusi-
asm with which his people went to the trenches to certain
death. remarked:
In your country the people seem to hate by order and
~ oNt ny oiue'' ~ theT Hottcu Is W. oSdHist 'His
nation. Suddenly it is directed against another nation. The
Government gives the order ard the people hate accord
inely.
And yet the statesmen themselves do not seem to hate
the statesmen of the nations they are fighting"
Yes" replied the statesman, lit is quite true. But how
could you expect the people to fight. to sacrifice their lives,
if they were not made to hate the enemy"
Under such circumstances the real representatives OF the
people, the thinkers and the scientists. cannot make their
voices heard. and many Of them have even been SO carried
away by their chauvin!sm that they too urge ON this spirit
Of hatred and violence among the people.
But in all the countries at war there are a few brave
10 among the great leaders of public opinion who dare
to speak the truth because they love humanity as well as
their own countries.
Among these few men is Macmillan Harden, the famous
and courageous German editor and publicist.
Seven years ago Macmillan Harden, speaking of Ger
manys future and of the prospect of the present war,
1t is hard to foreteil the future of Germany. Germany
u strong, colossal. and it is growing ever stronger, But
the population of Germany is growing. and it is becoming
necessary for Germany to expand. Germany must have
colonies. it needs colonies for its natural development. and
it will make an effort to acquire them. When" Not i'm
mediately, but in the near future. .
The best and most natural thing would be for the Ge--
manic nations, the Anglo-saNons and the Americans to
unite ami go hand in hand. But England IS opposed TO
such a union because of her ant!pathy FOR Germany. There
fore it is probable that England will form a close friendship
with the Slavs and the japanese.
with a view to the future. if America is sufficiently far
sighted. it should reflect and consider carefully as to what
would be best for herself. 1t would he best for America to
look to her own interests. and therefore not join England
alone and help her thus to carry out her policies which
would work to the detriment Of the United States.
If there is mutual good will among England, America
and Germany, these three great industrial nations will lind
the possibility for a natural and pacific development. But
] fear that II Will be Impossible TO AVOID a war. III must
come, because the Englishmen are not yet accustomed. they
have not yet learned t.om history to divide power; they are
determined at any cost to ho.d by force and violence that
which they regard as theirs.
THE English statesman who would see clearly the rela-
tons between Germany and England must ponder care
fully over everything that England has experienced with
both South African republics since 1900 till the present time
and then reproduce this experience In world politics. Then
he would see that it is better to come to an agreement
instead of waging war in an effort to Kill it on
During my stay in Berlin. several weeks ago, I had the
hoon pleasure Of a few interesting meetings with Maximil-
ian Harden in his home in Grunewald, where We discussed
various phases OF the war and the prospects for peace.
on the night before I left Berlin on my way back to Amer
Tea. visited him again. There were a number of things
IN Macmillan Hardess statements that cannot be made
public at this time for obvious reasons. which viii! make
Intensely interesting reading after the war is ended. But
what he discussed for publication in America is, at the
present juncture, at once highly interesting and important
81 envy you because you are returning to America he
said when he learned that was to start for New York on
the following day. 81 have always longed to visit America.
wanted to familiarize myself more closely with the life
If the American people, of the young, growing nation. !
h'Hcve that America is misunderstood and misinterpreted
In Europe.
Il am always disguised with the attacks on the Yankees
and on 'DoIarland' that people SO delight in making in vari-
Gus European countries. can see in the American people
a -trong will for good and a great ideallsm. 1t is a younger
state and thus it has all the faults and all the virtues OF
youth, Even in the question Of ammunition. which has been
tu rms country very acute and which has made the Ameri-
ems extremely unpopular in Germany, feel that II 1t were
wrong for America to sell ammunition to the Allies. the
american Government would not have permitted it.
The real cause Of the differences between the Americans
aI tho Germans has been the lack OF knowledge OF the
'als concerning the attitude OF these countries toward each
uHc'. There has been so much misinformauon In Ger
many concerning America and dare say there has been
81" much distorted information in America about Germany
It'd. it was extremely difficult for these nations to check
TIE growing irritation, and serious consequences might have
sprung from misinformation.
zoe American note to Austria regarding the question
"- ammunition was an admirable document, which pre-
."''cd the attitude Of America in this matter with splendid
'e''ness, This point of view should have been presented
'h som" form or another in Germany long ago and much OF
'' hatred that has developed for America in Germany
N'uII not have taken root.