South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-10-26
THE EUROPEAN WAR AND
CAUSES THAT LED TO II
Prof. LETTER Addresses the Lo-
Cal WOman'S Club on
Subject.

Prof Shepherd LETTER, South Bend,
read a clever and most exhaustive pa
per on The EuTOpe-u War, Le4Cre
the members OF the department OF lit
eratLre of the Woman club Monday
afternoon. The entertainment par
lors OF the Methodist Memorial Chu ch
were comfortably filled, and the pa
per was much appreciated. In the
course OF MS remarks the speaker
pointed out the overwhelming num-
bers Of men engaged ia the conflict
and the stupendOus amount OF money
il was costing. Instead Of battle
line three milet long with 10000 meh
engaged on roth SIDES as was the case
at " aterIUC iu 1915 when Napoleon
was defeated by wellington, there
was the modem ziz-zaS battle line IN
France that stretches from the North
sea 10 Switzerland, a distance OF prob
ably $50 TO 41O miles with proDa-l ~
1900, 600 men engaged IN The trenches.
In the east the battle line is about 600
miles long from the Baltic sea to
Hungary and with even more men en-
gagged.
The financial cost of the war stag
gers the imagination The total cost
OF the first year reached $4,000, OOO,-
600 or daily cost TO all of S6S,5OO,OOU.
This is in excess of all the money
gold, silver and paper in circulation.
i
tional debts of all the belligerent
countries at the outset of the war
which were about Is billions.
After speaking of the cause that led
I'D TO the war Prof. Leffler said that
the conflict was inevitable. 1t had
long been predicted and great prepa-
ratiOLs had been made against the
time when it should .cme. He referr-
co to the causes Of the war under
these heads: Fundamental special,
and the Immediate cause. These he
elaborated on at great length stating
that the general cause was the men
ace and burden OF militarism which
has become the great powers of Eu-
rope. Ever since the Franco Pr US
sian war of 1901 Europe has been
the scene Of international rivalry in
the building up of vast military and
naval armament with England setting
the pace in naval expansion and Ger
many forming the model for the ar
my. The victorious career of the
Prussian war machine in 1901
made Germany war-mad, and forced
surrounding countries to adopt SIM
liar military plans.
German Militarism.
''It seems to be the general belief
OF the English and many Americans
that German militarism was brOUs at
about by university professors writers
and the rulers of Germany. As hOrri-
bic examples ofthese evil influences
these critics point TO Nietzsche. the
half-mad philosopher, VINO glOrified
war and the right of the supcl ran.
presumably the German, to disregard
ordinary standards of morality 10 gain
power; to Heanrich Won TreitSchke
who was for a quarter of a century
Prussian crown historian and profess
sor of history at Berlin university. and
who ever glOrified the military history
of Prussia, and taught that the adj
vancement Of power was a states first
duty; to Friedrich Won Bernharde. the
author OF that sensational book, Ger
many and the Next War" who asserts
that Germanys future is summed up
in the words World Power or Down
fails" and even the kaiser and the
crown prince are held TO be teachers
OF militarism.
Special Causes Responsible.
The speaker next referred to spe-
cial causes responsible for the con-
flict such as particular aims. policies
and necessities of each country that