The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-07-27

WHO NOW uOl00 LIZ 4A0AOA1SANS>-
throne, has more than equaHed Fred.
erick's task. because Frederick had
England with him, and there was
then no United States to furnish
Germany's enemies with munitions.
Nobody expects the present conflict
to run seven years, but II the allies
can stand war of that duration, SO
can Germany with the kaiser at the
head Of affairs. When the war start
ed, the Emperor William had fallen
into disfavor with many Of his peo-
pie for q number of reasons. Some
believed he was too autocratic, 9TH
ers thought he was too well disposed
toward the English, and still others
thought he was afraid of the military
machine Germany had developed and
was too prejudiced In favor OF peace
at any price ever to permit the ma
chine to test itself. The early days
of the war, when enemy after enemy
took the field against Germany, peo-
pie talked disparinglS of the EN-.
peror as an incompetent, who mad
played his cards badly and had over
estimated Germany's strength.
But when victories began to be
won. and when the enemy frst here
and then there was rolled back. the
popular opinion of the kaiser began
to change. People confessed they
had misJudged him. The bitter crtti
cism of Germany's enemies directed
against the kaiser, and the comments
of neutral nations, added to his popu-
larity at home, until now, the kaiser
is the idol OF his nation. He Is re-
garded as the embodiment OF Ger
man virtues, the representative OF
German might and power. The ma
ton agrees he has not abused the
absolutely autocratic power he has
welded since last August, but has
used his authority to meet every
crisis confronting Germany IN
manner that wins unanimous approx
al. II the war ends under conditions
substantially as, they are now. Ger
many win have saved herself. and
will have demonstrated her powers
SO convincingly that the kaiser, who
is now responsible for all things In
the empire. must be given the title
Of "The Great
/ The kaiser, in particular. has In
spired Germans with confidence In
the outcome OF the war. His calm as
gertions Of victory have been fol-
lowed by deeds substantially SO Of
ten, that he is not only the ruler but
also the prophet Of his people. When
the war began, few Germans. deep
down In their hearts. believed the
teutonic empire had even fair
chance Of succeeding. That is WY
there was so much hysteria last
August, and why the departing SUD-
iects Of the enemy powers were SO
frequently insulted. That is why,
also, the Germans lost their heads in
Belgium and adopted system OF ter
rorism. That Is why, too. the hymn
Of hate, directed against England,
was SO popular.
Now, however, after a year OF
strife, Germany has recovered the
confidence and believes in the kaiser.
The fear of last summer has depart
ed and the Germans are no longer
saving "God punish England" In.
stead Of the former hatred Of Eng
land, there Is now developing a curl
GUS kind Of contempt. mingled with
self-amazement that the Germans
should SO badly have misjudged the
English. Nothing more remarkable
has happened to Germany during the
past year than the change OF popu.
lar opinion concerning England. The
might Of the British empire was mag
nified quite out Of proportion to its
actual power, the Germans are now
saying.
The war was worth the fighting,
so say the Germans, ii only because
1t has prfcked the bubble of British
strength. England will never again
occupy her old place in the world.
The ancient spirit OF the English,
which the world has long been &C.
customed to taking at its own valu-
alton, has been found to be no long
er existent England has lost the
war 70 rthe allies, in the opinion OF
German n1ilitarists, and by doing so,
has irreparably stained her own
prestige.
The past years events, say the
Germans, have provided complete
test of the comparative merits Of
Germanic and British civilizations.
Germany has revealed her posses
sion Of organized ability, Of initiative,
OF austere patriotism, OF inventive
ness, of an unbroken spirit under adj
yersity, of discipline, of IN ability to
meet every new problem the war has
thrust upon her.
Where Germany has succeeded,
England has failed. The English lin
the opinion Of Germans) have proved
themselves to be boosters, muddlers
and uninspired in any of their works.
They have been revealed to the
world as a people undermined by dis
content, unpatriotic, so prejudiced
that they cannot even now accept
the undoubted fact that their demi-
god, Lord Kitchener, failed them in
their hour OF need. The upper
classes have shown bravery, but no
qualities Of intellectual and master
full leadership. and their lower
classes are taking advantage of the
perplexities of the war to strike for
higher wages!