Washington Journal., 1915-12-24
Christmas and
the Germans
Especial Correspondent for this paper
by a prominent Washingtonian).

by a prominent Washingtonian).
Said the leader Of the music in n
of the English-speaking churches OF
Washington. the other day Il have been
at the Music Division of the Library OF
Congress to find some appropriate
Christmas music. Do you know, | have
simply been unable to find anything OF
English or Anglo-American origin that
is worth while?" And he fell back, for
the central piece of his song service, on
an arrangement of the fine old German
Christmas hymn: "Es list Elm Refs
e~ntsprungen.'
No doubt in thousands of other Anglo
Saxon churches the Christmas congrega-
lions will this year as for many years
past, be edited by singing, with more or
less expressive English words, 'Stille
Nacht' and other German hymns, and a
good many American families of British
origin will attempt, more or less success
fully. to assimilate their home celebration
to the German model, as they have done
for many years. For somehow or other,
few Americans fail to respond to the
impressive charm of the specifically Ger
man spirit as it embodies itself in the
German way of celebrating the Birth Of
the Child Of Bethlehem.
The objection which the writer's mu-
steal friend had to English and Anglo
American Christmas compositions, was
based on a feeling that these pieces
failed to express the profound depth Of
emotions which no season of the year
evokes as Christmas does. He thought
that there might be found among them,
many with charm of melody, with clever
and graceful harmonies and rhythms,
bai invariably tley lssksd that pswsr ef
moving what lies deepest and most con-
ccalcd in the human soul, which is
Stirred even in the breasts Of men, little
given to sentiment by certain simple
Christmas songs of the Germans.
individuals OF highly organized person
ality do not often speak of that which
they feel is the best and most valuable in
their nature. They would feel as if they
we're Decorating something holy, if they
allowed these things often to be exposed
to the Indifferent, or critical, or possibly
ever m~alevolent gage of strangers.
There are rare occasions, however, when
such men and women Of the nobler sort
do feel moved to open up the treasure OF
their hearts in order to testify to the
fact that they have taken their stand on
the side of Whatsoever things are
true. whatsoever things are honorable,
whatsoever things are pure" Similarly,
it would not be becoming for a ma
tionality to be constantly parading and
Dragging about those things in which il
%c~cels all other races of men, especially
.A,hea those excellencies relate to that by
which the most profound and enduring
worth of men must be measured. Some
times, however, it may be not only per-
missible, but even a matter Of duty not
only to itself but to humanity for a
nation to proclaim as emphatically as
may be that in some Of the most i'm
portant respects it has reached a higher
stage Of development than any other
nation in the world.
Certainly the present time, when Ger
mans in Europe are still engaged in life
and death struggle with three. or one
might say four other nations, and when
Germans in the United States are, in all
probability, at the eve of another battle
for the right to make their own form Of
culture a determining element in the
ascent American civilization-certainly
such a monen in the worlds history is
one of those when Germans in all coun-
tries may very properly speak Of that
which they possess above all other men
and which of all the good qualities a
mar may have is perhaps the most
benehcent and effective as a driving force
IN the ascent OF Man.
That quality Of which the Germans as
4 people may rightfully boast is one for
which the English language has not even
a word. as happens so often in the case
OF the cutler ideas by which the Ger
man spirit is trying to penetrate the
secret Of the universe. We call it
'Iune,iichkeit.' BY means Of this quality
Germans are less liable than people Of
different national culture to stick in the
mere surface of things but rather seem to
have an instinct for going to the core.
BY that quality they are not afraid Of the
patient labour necessary to understand
matters in a real sense instead of being
satisfied with a few facile notions about
them. By reason Of their "Innerlichkeit"