South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-02-26

have no roots in the real German
mind
NOW. during this unfortunate war.
for which We must at least partly
blame ourselves. national feeling has
become unduly prominent in Ger
many and with 10 a dcplorablc hatred
against those whom we are lighting.
II love Germany and ! love also
Prussia. deeply though / deplore
many conditions in the latter king
dom. German history is 90 me one
great tragedy. While. other people
long ago struggled successfully for
ward TO becoming national states and
through INDEPENDENT evolution. po-
Utica! and intellectual, produced each
TO aristOcratic civilization and 'kul-
tur. Germany was forced to spend
centuries merely TO create the ele-
mentary conditions necessary TO such
political and intellectual union.
Prussia Bears Burden.
And here il was Prussia that had
90 bear the heaviest burden, a burden
which now threatens TO become fatal.
because in order to solve the task inn
posed upon her Prussia had TO be-
come a military state.
Il hate militarism as much as any
body and 1 am anything but an ad-
mirer Of many phases i'm the political
evolution of Prussia. but without th4s
military Prussia the Rhine would
even now be French. the Baltic prov
incts Swedish or Russian and the
the land along the North sea English
or Danish. though the population
everywhere is German.
National independence is the right
way the duty of every people and /
have nothing but contempt for peO-
pie which neglects this duty or sac
rifices this right That England.
France and Russia have nationally
done their duty and demanded their
rights for many centuries to approve
of as matter of course. That Italy
did the same half n century ago is al
So generally approved.
Il demand the same right for
Germany. / give the same right 10
every other nation even 10 the Serbs,
as long as they use decent and civil
lied means. also the Poles, although I
10 not believe they will ever be able
To form an Independent AID united
nation.
Germany started TO become ma
ton in the last century but geograp PHI
ically is lacking yet.
Long for "Kultur.''
Prussia after the wars of 1864,
1866 and 1S70-71 did not feel her ma
tiOnal existence safeguarded and
thought it necessary TO be permanent
ly prepared for war Perhaps she
went too far. probably / am even in
clined to say, and in this we find the
reason Of the militarism for which
we have now become an object Of
hatred, but the best part the real
kernel of the German people sin
cerely longing for the time when
Germany shall feel safe enough to do
away with militarism and shall be
-. IL - 21,.N
evolution of her national 'kultur.'
1t would be entirely wrong to sup
pose that the German press at pres
ent may in any way be considered eX-
pressing the real feeling of that part
of the German nation whose sane
judgment has not been killed by the
war. The press here as in every
country passing through a serious
national crisis feels that it has a very
important task on hand, that of keep
ing up the spirits of the nation and is
endeavoring TO do so in most cases. it
must be admitted. absolutely regard
less of the means it employs.
The masses of the people. save
some time ago, began to lose faith in
official statements regarding the
progress of the war. need powerful
stimulants TO retain their confidence
in ultimate victory and the press is
using such stimulants, foremost
among which is the preaching Of
hatred against the enemy principally
against England.
Among the intellectual classes. I
venture to say, every hope has been
given up of ultimate victory. There is
strong feeling that the war was
forced upon Germany an equally
strong feeling that the country has
fought with honor against odds which
are gradually becoming overwhelm-
ing. and a hope which is almost
strong enough to be called a convic-
ton. that though Germany may lose
much which not long ago it would
have been considered impossible to
give up compensation will be found
elsewhere.
Alsace and Lorraine may be lost. as