New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-08
The Hopelessness of 1t All.
From the "Vossische Zeitung" of Berlin
we take the following:

90 tho Lusitania. no matter how lamentable
from a humanitarian point OF Ne"' ieII 10
stain on German honor.
The average American reading TINS Will
ind himself faced with the familiar PROB
lem, the problem of contemporary official
Germany. which continues to talk after the
manner Of human beings and act in the
fashion of degraded savages.
To say that the Lusitania left no stain
on Germany's honor" would be TO assert
hat the brand of Cain was a mark Of d.
vine approval. Abdul Hamid was known for
n generation as Abdul the Damned for his
resnonsibiltv for crimes which are as moth
ing compared with those done in the name
Of William IL.
Or does the "Vossische Zeitung" mean to
suggest with true German cynicism that the
honor of the nation whose soldiers invaded
Belgium. slew the civilians raped the
women and ravished the children and flung
the bodies of their victims into a common
crave could no longer be stained, and that
more blood upon the German conscience
would be as a drop Of water in the ocean?
Probably this is not what the "Vossische
Zeitung" means. But exactly what does 1t
-l1w OF NM
When are rape, arson, assassination not
crimes. but manifestations of super
humanity? Obviously when it pleases a
German to indulge in such qualifications
of his desires or his necessities"
God knows the American people have
been patient in the face of wrongs which
their fathers would long ago have taken
ND arms to avenge. We have seen our
dead and held our peace. We have sought
still TO deal with the German beast as if
he we're within the number Of civilized
races. We have exchanged notes, listened
to promises, accepted assurances. But al
ways the end has been the same.
Murder is like all other habits: it grows,
il extends its dominion, it ends by achiev
ing supreme control; and once a nation
breaks with the restraints Of civilization,
the laws of men, which have hitherto been
accepted as God given, the descent to the
condition of the wild creature is swift. To-
day il seems impossible for a government,
officially at least, DESTROYS of refraining
from the killing Of Americans to call off
its agents of destruction whom it has COM
missioned to assassinate.
The German Government has disavowed
the Arabic. 1t will, we are assured, dis
avow the Hesperian. But how many more
disavowals will it take to demonstrate that
il is incapable of restraining its sailors, as
II was its soldiers; that 1t is impotent in
the presence of a need TO moderate its man.
date Of murder?
And how much longer will the American
people continue TO judge Germans, the
officials of Germany, by their protesta-
tons ana by their words? How long will
il be before we, too, recognize that civili-
cation ends on this side Of the German
firing line and barbarism lies beyond?
A week ago a whole nation rejoiced in
the prospect of the end of crisis-not
with any thought of a selfish American
victory, but in the thought that we, with
out war, had won a victory for all human
ity. for Germans quite as much as any
other race; that we had in measure re-
established law and recalled civilization TO
the high seas.
But our rejoicings were premature, it
would seem. Premature because of that
which the words Of the "Vossische Zeitung"
declare quite as much as that which the
HeSperlan incident seems 10 indicate. Ter
many will promise TO quit numbering
she will neither quit nor will she concede
that murder itself is not the highest and
noblest occupation Of great nation.
How, then. is it possible to hope, as many
still hope, and all Of us did hope, that it
will be possible to reach a modus vircndi,
and the words mean what they say-a way
g living, not of being assassnated-with
Germany?
Mr.. Wilson will continue TO cling TO
hope as long as he can. The country will
wait patiently until he comes also TO the
end Of his optimism. But there are thou