El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-03-13
Gen. Bernhard on the German and British War
eamas s. Rn@a. Great Conflict
w ar

pictured as if by their historical
wo1ks and scientific discussions the!
had. either Intentionally of unluten-
tionaIIv, endeavored TO promote the
idea Of German world dominion
Nothing Further From Truth
Nothing could be further from the
truth IL would seem to be an aDso-
luteiy Wilful misconstruction OF inc
work Of these men. Science with US
is impersonal and with US all histOr-
icaI research aims at detached III
Partially as perfect as is posslple Ior
the human mind. Almost never is the
work of German scientists Of histor-
ians knowingly allowed 10 take Oh
political color.
Even Treitschke. to whom an entire
chapter is devoted and who admittedly
follows a decidedly national tendency
keeps thoroughly alOOf from sucn
topics as aspiration to world dominion
BY his inspired and inspiring writings,
as well as through the living word OF
his lectures, Treitschke undoubtedly
contributed TO the promotion OF Ger
man consciousness Of herself and 70
/ the fostering of the longing for IN
1 creased political power; but that he
dreamt any dream Of German world
dominion is pure invention by FRO
( fessor Cramb- Treitscnke was m1ch
! too real and too sober a thinker Tor
| that Treitschke alsO.- like myself,
| was convinced that England would
J oppose with all its might the further
] development Of Germany, so much so
2 that we would have to reckon with
! her opposition. Even from military
1 considerations Treitschke looked upon
I the idea Of a war OF aggression
against England with precisely as
+ little favor as 1 look upon it,
Go Back to Goethe
/ But Professor Cramb cites even
| Goethe to establish proof OF this lust
! Of worid-dOminion on the part Of the
I Germans The poet represents Faust
D % To nn
Thou wak'st and stir'st in me
! strong resOlve-
Toward highest being onward
I still 70 strive"
Professor Cramb asks what Goethe
meant by this highest existence
! this highest ideal and he answers in
{ stantly and easily. World denomination
{ Ii is certainly extraordinary that n
I man Of intelligence and education
{ should allow himself, even though
1 through precOnception. however strong.
. 10 be drawn into so groundless and
! frivolous a declaration,
! The idea that Goethe had the
I thought OF German world ominion
/ can scarcely be taken seriously To
\ make so unfOunded O deduction from
I Faust he must have judged his read
I ers entirely without knowledge Of
3 German literature and German his
3 tory. But then Professor Cramb felt
that Germany had 10 be convicted OF
! aggressive thought and an aggressive
l attitude toward England in order TO
/ justify the English policy Of might;
I he felt IL necessary that Germany for
/ a long time past should have carried
! constantly in its mind this idea OF
attacking England and this hope OF
establishing its own world-dominion
/ on the ruins Of the British empire.
All this had to be prepared in ad-
I vance; consequently. Professor Cramb
] fircs II necessary, and not a difficult
I task, TO forget the greater part OF
little part with which he is acquainted
. thoughts and tendencies which IL
( never had. That nobody in England
could bring him 20 book" he knew
very well for practically nobody in
I england KNOWS the German language,
: while so far as German literature is
8 concerned there rules tCramb says so
I llmselll the most abysmal ignorance
[ But America, with its far deeper
knowledge Of German lreraru sure
y viii not be so easily fooled. One
! needs only TO read the books men
. toned by Professor Cramb in order to
convince oneself that the professor has
read them with an astonishing play o.
/ Imagination.
Completely also does he misjudse
the motives which rule the innermOst
thoughts OF the people OF Germany.
CharlemaEne's Dream Alive Today.
he believes that tho dream Of en-
E pre-. once I'm former times held. that
the efforts at World-dOmiDariOn made
uE tnlrlemagne OF the saxon emuer-
( ors and by the H0henstauffens even
today remains alive in the thoughts
ard dreams of the people Nothing
could be further removed from the
truth or course, in poetry as well as
i'm the souls Of the people in some of
Its phases. the Barbarossa fable lives.
the thought that the buried emperor
VIII. al the appointed time. emerge
rom the krffhaeuser where he sleeps.
Gnu W ll renew the power OF the Ger
man empire But then the fulnumtut
o. this dream is held TO have occurred
IN the presence Of emperor William I
T Nothing is further from German
thought than to see en- this legend the
idea Of world dominion. on the con-
trary, only the most general concep-
tons OF power and imrerial glory are
blended with the fadine memory OF
/ rich Won Bernhard