New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-24

ago and more have been traced ever
further back into history as the war
has progressed They have been
traced to the Intervention of the great
powers after tho Chino Japanese
war. to the partition of Africa, to
Alsacc-Lorraine and Bismarck, who
opposed the annexation; to pam
Slavism and 20 pan-Germanism.
about which an amazing amount OF
nonsense has been written. They
have been traced to Bcaconsheld's
anti-Russian policy at the Congress
of Berlin, which gave Bosnia-Herze-
govina to Austria; to Napoleon ], to
the Seven Years War, in which Eng
land helped to aggrandize Prussia in
order to weaken France in the New
World as we'll as in the Old; TO the
Thirty Years War, or, rather, to
Germanys tardy recovery from its
ravages; to the memory OF the en-
pire of Charlemagne. and to the RI
valry for new markets to feed in
Creasing populations, and for new
territories on which 10 settle the in
crease. All this is part of the orr
gins of the war. and forms part of
its literature. Through all It's many
volumes, however, due recognition is
made OF the fact that this is above
all else a struggle between England
and Germany. between two opposing
conceptions Of the state. its powers
and functions. and of the rights and
duties OF its citizens conflict be-
tween two civilizations.
AUSTRIA. RUSSIA AND FRANCE.
1t is noteworthy how Great Brit
ain and the German Empire almost
monopoize the literature. Of this
war, and its popular interest. In the
list published in these columns to-
day. Austria-Hungary is represented
by only one book, capable. mod
crate exposition OF the Dual Mon F.
archy's case by its consul at Cleve- /
land, Ohio. France is now represented
almost exclusively by the books OF
American observers, Russia by Eng
llsh writer's. whose eulogies form a .
somewhat startling contrast with .
the unreasonable denunciations from ,
the same source published few
years ago. The case Of Serbia has
been lost sight Of. 1t was discussed .
almost exclusively in the Sunday is
sues Of our daily press. by Professor I
Pupin for the Serbians and Alexan- ,
der Konta for Austria-Hungary, /
with an occasional contribution from /
the Hungarian statesman, Count /
Apponyi The Tribune published F.
several of these informing articles.
Here. indeed, the photographer OF
the war encounters his greatest diff
fculty. Many important discussions
Of the case in all its bearings have
been published in periodicals. and
therefore are already consigned 10
that oblivion which so speedily over
takes periodical literature. The war
numbers Of The Worlds Work"
deserve mention here, but generally
it is safe TO say that no American
periodical, with the exception OF
Harper Monthly has appeared
since August of last year without
its war articles OF greater or lesser
value. 1t has been "Harper's" policy
from the very first to ignore the
struggle entirely in its pages.
That even more uniformed, mis-
informed and deliberately misrcpre-
sentative rubbish has been lost in
the same way is a compensatory re-
flection-in the case of Nietzsche.
for instance. On the other hand, so
admirable a statement of the mean
ing of Nietzsche as that contributed
by Henry l.. Mencken to The At
lantic Monthly" for November Of
last year-sufficient for the full in
formation OF the average reader
deserves a far wider circulation than
i had. fortunately, Mr.. Mencken' S
book on the German philosopher, a
model of capitalization" is avail
able to all interested in a man whose
teachings became international long
ago, whose influence has been as
great in Russia and France, for in
stance, as in Germany itself.
Some of these periodical contribu-
tons to the discussion OF the war
have. it is true. been gathered in
books. but it is not always the best
ones that have been so treated. In
the matter OF war correspondence,
-. A. o.L., bard a, ;s inuaris hIy