The Washington herald., 1915-06-07

Prof. Hugo Mnusterberg, Of Hdrvard.
! tn his latest book, "The Peace and
.4meried," discusses Our altitude fo1ard
Germany. The following article IS from
the final chapter of the book. IT points
ont the part this nation stTH play after
peace is declared.
BY PROF. HUGO MUNsTERBERG.
What will the new day (of peace) bring
to America? The fancy of the first days
| that America might stand aside as
mere spectator, mistaken by the Euro
pean earthquake, has slowly been dis
| PEELED. The American industries are
crippled. while those Of Germany are
Furnishing and thousand times more
unemployed are seeking work IN New
York than in Berlin.
The world is one and great distress
anywhere means suffering everywhere.
But what will come tomorrow? Conflicts
of hopes and fears are tilling the air.
Who can foresee whether it will be storm
| or sunshine?
We hear from optimists that whoever
wins. all Europe will be exhausted from
! the war and America alone Will be the
winner. Europe with its 100000 daily
war budget will no longer be able to
| compete with the inexhaustible resources
of undisturbed America and In the mar
kets of the world the commerce OF the
United States will have no serious rivals.
1t sounds tempting; yet can we forget
that by far the greatest markets OF the
world and by far the best customers were
in those exhausted countries OF Europe
We hear from pessi,nists that whoever
wins the winner must be the next enemy
of America. If England is able to crush
Germany, its naval power will have such
absolute command OF the sea that 1t
must interfere with the natural develop
ment of Americas oversee trade. and the
conflict would become unavoidable.
Will Seek south American Colonies
If, on the other hand. Germany wins.
il will seek to develop its colonial pos
sessions and try to seize territory In
South America. The violation OF the
Monroe Doctrine would Immediately lead
to a clash of arms.
Such pessimiSm seems utterly ground
less and the future would look bright II
all misgivings could be so easily recoS-
nized As unfounded. II the allies really
win, Russia will be the power which
profits most. and Englands full attention
will be absorbed by the threatening con-
rict with the strengthened Russia. which
can hardly wait to break into India
But there is still less reason for fear
IL Germany wins. AS the president of
the Reichstag said solemnly: From the
bIood-soaked battlefields will spring
lasting peace for us Germany knows
exactly that any colonizing efforts in
the American continent would mean
war. and Germany will never seek war
Houston Stuart Chamberlain. the most
thorough English observer OF the Ger
man people. writes boastfully:
NV iS this In all Ger
many there has been in the last forty
three years not a single man who want
ed war: whoever claims the opposite Is
simply lying. consciously or unconscious
~. --~ William II had no more sincere
wish than to be able to say on his death
he'd: I have secured unbroken peace to
my country: history will call me the
emperor of peace
But If God gives victory to Germany
and Austria, perfect, overwhelming
victory-we all must hope for it. even We
who are not Germans. II the welfare and
the culture Of civilized mankind stand
higher for lis than national vanity-then.
hut only then. Germany will enjoy a cen
tury of peace. and the wish of the great
King whom his peers on foreign thrones
have SO often deceived. will come true
after all.
1t will become true more gloriously
than he had foreseen He will be called
the emperor of peace. as he and his
army will then indeed have brought to
the world true peace"
t:ermapy to BE Kept Busy.
II the victorious Germany should think
of colonies they certainly would not be
in the sphere of American interests. But
he would anyhow he bad psychologist
who would not forasee that after this
-, H.
fully focused on the inner development
of its European domain that the colonial
wishes will claim a small part of the
public attention.
The psychology of the situation sug-
Cests rather that II the United States,
abstraCtinG from its troubles with Mex
leo comes into armed struggle. 1t will
be neither with England nor with Ger
many but with Japan.
With the opening OF the Panama Canal
the great problem of the supremacy of
the Pacific has been definitely set before
mankind. and Japan's strength has been
multiplied by the war, whoever wins.
Yet generations may pass before that
great contest of Orient and Occident
breaks out. as it may be that Japan's
proud energies will turn first to the Chi
nese. to the French. to the English and
to the Dutch possessions in Asia, since
she has seized the German ones.
Thus the danger OF an American war
IL extremely slight: and yet the question.
whether America Is to strengthen Its
armament or to disarm still further will
be on the docket tomorrow
Americas political position in the
world does not and will not depend upon
its strength in war. Its domain is safe
and no cannon balls viii be aimed to-
ward the Woolworth Building. Its pros
perity. TOO. is secured by the incompar-
able treasures of the land. But its posi-
ton among the nations of the world will
depend upon, its success or failure as a
moral leader
There can be no doubt that the great
European war offered to the American
nation unique opportunity to rise to,
such leadership and to become truly the