Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-02


say that while Great Britain was walking
arm in arm with her through the chancel-
lerles of Europe the British shipyards were
building warships to be used against Ger
many.
An Antidote to Bernhard
But even a show of judicial lmpartalty
can hardly he expected from the British. we
In America, separated by 5000 miles of cool
and soothing sea from the great conflict, find
1t difficult to preserve our own judicial calm.
Some of us fail entirely and are as partisan
as the British or as the Germans. The anti
Germans will be delighted with Sir Gilbert
Parkor's book on the war which he calls THE
World in the Crucblc." because in it they
will find the British case stated with clear
ness and drectness that leaves no one in
doubt of the detestation of Sir Gilbert for
everything German and his admiration for
everything British. At the same time, IL one
makes allowance for its partisan bias it is
a valuable compendium of facts and near
facts that ought to be read as an antldote to
Bernhard.
He devotes considerable space to setting
forth the ambitions of modern Germany
which Nietzsche characterized as "a blond
beast, lustfully rowing in search of booty and
country what he called backbone Of iron
and ribs of gold" by bringing about after
tho successful union of the German States at
home German dominance in commerce and
industry abroad Prince Buelow, in Imperial
Germany" has described the task which the
Kaiser set himself after he dismissed his
great Premier. The retirement Of Bismarck
left the Germans depressed and disheartened
This oppression could be lifted" wrote Bis
marcks successor, IF the German Emperor
could set before his people a new goal
toward which they might attain. On the
other hand patriotic feeling must not be
reused to such an extent as to damage ir-
reparably our relations with England against
whom our sea-power would for years be in
sufficient, and at whose mercy we lay in 1897
like so much butter before the knife"
This policy, which ''aimed at nothing less
than political and ethical reconstruction of
the world" was to be carried out in three
stages, the Prussianization of Germany. the
Prussanization Of Europe under the hege-
mony of a Prussianlzed Germany and the
Prussianlzation of the world under the canons
Of Treitschke. Nietzsche and Junkerdom.
Germany Was Bound to Fight
Granted this, the war was inevitable And
inevitable, But Sir Gilbert devotes much
space to proving by the document and by the
course of events last year that it was really
Germany that brought about the war. The
first sentence in his book declares that the
crime of saraJevo was in no real sense the
cause of the war. Competent observers were
aware of this last August. The cause lay
deeper than any single assassination. Every
familiar with European politics was
aware that the war was one of those inevita-
BILE things which no one expects to happen.
The mines were placed and the train was
laid, but 1t was not believed that any one
could be found so rash as to light the fuse
Sir Gilbert declares that the negotiations over
the Servian assassinations were farccal and
that there was no intention to come to any
agreement. When the difficulties between
Austria and Servla began to disappear new
difficulties between Austria and Russia were
found ready TO prevent an agreement Ger
many first blamed Russia for mobilzing and
said that peace could have been maintained
II Russia had not taken action and then she
blamed England for not announcing her posi-
tion either for or against war. If England had
declared for war, the Germans said the other
Powers would have come to terms; and If
England had said she would not fight the
Othef FoWefs WOULD not nave dared to con-
tend with Germany Sir Gilbert however,
holds that Germany would have fought under
any circumstances
The British position is set forth most sym
pathetiealIy by Sir Gilbert He Is properly
shocked at the OFFER OF Germany to buy Brit
ish indifference to the violation OF Belgium
neutrality and he quotes with approval Prime
Minister Asquith's declaration in Parliament
that the British nation is not fighting for the
maintenance OF its own selfish interests, but
Ito vlndieate the principle that small ma
tionalities are not to be crushed in defiance
OF international good faith by the arbitrary
win OF a strong and overmastering Power"
The justification for the title OF the book
IS found In the assertion that German success
means the remslking OF the world by the ex-
tension OF Germany influence IN North ana
South America, Africa and Asia as well as
IN Europe. In other words, Germany would
take the place Of Great Britain as a great
world Power with dominions beyond the seas.
Yet Sir Gilbert lays great stress on England's
disinterestedness In lighting for T2aIrrfi4r, ana