New Britain herald., 1915-12-17
CHARACTERISTICS
 0F THE SLAV RACE
Dr. Steiner Furnishes Inner
 GlimpseS Of a Great People

Under the auspices of the Woman 5 club, pr. Edward A. Steiner of Iowa university spoke last night before sizeable audience at the Baptist church., his subject being Slave Characteristics" Dr. Steiner was introduced by Mrs. A. J. Sloper. president of the club. She reminded the audience that the speaker whs no stranger to New Britain people. having spoken here in the days when Dr. Ozora S. Davis was pastor of the South church. pr. Steiner is foreign born and has made a life study of the Immigration question and is especial ly we'll fitted for an address of the kind delivered last night.
 In opening he briefly referred to the great European war and express ed regret that it was impossible to dis cuss subject without being exposed to unjust criticism. The war, he said, has just criticism. The war; he said, has proved that there is no such thing as free will'' It is a subject that cannot be evaded and another thing the war has shown is that the human race is progressing, advancing from klngship to kinship. From a business standpoint it was impossible to eS- timate the huge damage done by the war and the frightful loss of men does not mean much unless people have been touched by some personal loss pr. Steiner said he had eight nephews engaged in the struggle and all his boyhood friends were some where in the trenches. He gave many instances to show how the war had hit at family ties.
 Speaking of Slavic characteristics his allotted subject, Dr. Steiner said it was impossible to discuss racial characteristics except in the most general terms. One racial chara cter- l.istic, true of all races, is that there is no race that is not looked down upon by some other race. While the Slavs comprise race they have been broken up to such an extent that different types have been created Naturally they are an agricultural race and many agricultural terms are derived from the Slavic tongue As rule they are impassive and content and capable of great resig- nation. They seem willing to wait and allow fate to work out their problems and on this account they have suffered much from the arrog- ance and warlike characteristics of other races. The first incentive of a national spirit came after the French Revolution, which marked a great 1n- dustria1 movement.
 One of their most marked charac- teristics is their sense of religion No people have their religion so close to their hearts as the Slavs and re- h@ious emblems were to be found in the most unexpected places. It has heen claimed that Russia is the most Christian nation in the world.
 The Slav is more frank than the Anglo Saxon and dissembles less on that account. While the Anglo-Saxon may be termed hypocrites they have a standard of righteous which is wholly lacking in the S1avs. If the Slav is bad. he makes no pretense about it and want you to know 1t. while the Anglo-Saxon is anxious for you to think well of him. Thero is religious quality among the Slavs which lacks certain ethical standards.
 Perhaps the sympathetic side of the
 SlaV is his most pronounced charac-
 terlstlc. As people they are very
 sympathetic especially to the weak
 ana helpless. No mothers are more l gentle than the Russians and nowhere
 Tn the world is so much money givcn 1 to the poor as in Russia. Poverty is
 so we'll supported that it has become
 a national institution. Yet the people
 are hardened to scenes of cruelty and
 pain and possess a cruel strain. There
 is certain cal1ousness to death which
 causes them to do cruel things. The
 Slav also lacks a sense of cohesion
 and has no grasp of cooperation or
 a large scale, being accustomed 1c
 work in small groupes. This has pre-.
 vented the establishment of a strone
 national spirit among the Balkan
 people and they have no real trust ir
 others. When they need a leader they
 must go abroad in search of one