Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-11-10

cThe Contribution OF Star-Bulletin
| Reader.)
II Is we'll known that our point Of
view decides the impression we re-
ceive. Nearly every American who
viewed the outbreak Of the war In Ger
many h convinced that Germany's
cause Is Just, those who we're In the
Allied counties are equally convinced
that It Is not. Neither Germany nor
the majority Of our American people
appreciate that our position. our view
point at. home, must necessarily be
simflar to that Of Great Britain and
greatly different from that of Ger
many The spirit and character Of ?
nation are the products not 50 much
Of inherited qualities, but Of political
necessity dictated By the geographical
position Of its country, and our point
Of view Is more or less product Of
these.
The United States like Great Britain
are isolated from all other countries
and nations. they are not surrounded
by highly developed. densely populat.
ed nations of highly warlike dispo-
sition. GO history has shown those Of
Germany to be; nations which for cen.
turtles have made German soil the bat
tIeRround or Europe. Neither or the
two countries has neighbors who, like
those Of Germany. are Of an equally
potential economic, military and pp-
litical power, and whose mutual inter.
ests are continually cIashing. Ger
many situated In the center of and
surrounded by all such nations must
feel the pressure In every line Of en-
deayor, political. economic. scientific,
military and otherwise. And Ger
many's spirit and character must nee
essarily respond to the pressure Just
like those Of America and Great Brit
ain have responded to the freedom,
which has always surrounded them.
The German peoples since their ap-
pearapce In history have always been
reported to be lovers Of freedom and
justice, and all who know viii admit
that in spite of all obstacles personal
freedom and liberty Is as high in Ger
many today as II ID In Great Britain
or In the United States. The gov
ornamental institutions Of these coun-
tries. however. differ greatly. In Ger
many we see, created by the tremen-
dous outside pressure. a strongly cen.
tralized government Great Britain
and the United States can well Afford
the luxury Of decentralization. So 1t
Is In military matters. Germany must
be militaristic by force of circum-
stance; the United States and Great
Britain do not need to be. Often
American publications have stated
that Il European nation took foot
hold on American territory we too
would have to grow more militaristic.
"A full justification of Germany's case,
unless we entirely dispute Germany's
right Of existence. The similarity be-
tween America and Great Britain in
their relations with other countries
must necessarily be reflected IN all
their institutions and in the spirit and
character Of their speople The com.
mon language, the press news largely
controlled by Great Britain and the
schools teaching moro about Great
Britain than all other foreign coun-
tries combined are further tending to
accentuate this British-American SINH
larity and German-American diifer-
ence Of thought and spirit. No won
der that the points of view of Ger
many and the United States are so
entirely at variance on so many sub
jects.
The German himself was and to
some extent still is an idealist and a
dreamer more so than q soldier and |
a militarist ss
Through all the very complicated |
and tangled German history we may
see the gradual development toward
was dependent for its vig-d
outside increases on Germany. until |
today the German acquires soldierly |
qualities from young up, and often ap-
pears to be born soldier Still all |
those who know him well know that |
this ~ not his ruling trait of character.
Frederick the Great of Prussia, one |
Of the foremost founders of what is