The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-06-28
HATE PROPAGANDA IS
CONDEMNED BY GERMAN
Warns His Country of Menace OF
Moral Defects Winning
Following.

Evidence of a growing disposition In
Germany TO admit the immortality OF
the violation of Belgiums neutrality
and the desolation of her territory
and to denounce the policy of perma-
nent occupation is noted by Paul
Seippel. writing in a recent number
of the journal de Geneve.
After remarking upon the fact that
the Socialist party has made a solemn
declaration of its opposition to the
annexation of Belgium. and that Vor-
waerts, the leading Socialist organ,
has been bold enough to recommend
to Its readers and to all Germans the
perusal of Emil Waxweilers Hat
Belgien sein Schicksal verschuldet y
C'Has Belgium Deserved Her Fate? ')
he quotes the letter of young Ger
man student tsince killed in battleI
to his mother.
IF we are the victors,' the writer
asks. what are we going to DO then
with all power which thhts epoch will
have given us? VIII the German peo-
pie preserve this power In time OF
peace and know how to develop it?
Do you know. mother. this is for me
the essential question of this whole
war IL we can find the right answer
to 1t we shall have to regret no sacrt-
flee. however great Shall we have
men and women capable of fighting
for their convictions and of listening
to the voice of conscience rather than
seeking for the applause others?
Or, shall we see again as before rne
war the eager Difference to rank and
gold the brutal conflict of interests,
vain quarrels. paltry worries, the for
getfulness of every higher principle?
O mother this question weighs heavi-
ly upon me. as IL does upon many
others of our men. We are more
concerned in the answer to 1t than TO
know II we or our comrades TO the
right or left of us will return to our
homes safe and sound. Believe me,
to fight here at the front requires less
courage than will the conquest. after
the war, of our moral liberty.
Dr. Eoerst eE's work In an aexanltn :
tion into the conscience of the Ger
man nation, made A. time when the
fortune of war seemed TO smile upon
its arms.
"of what avail" asks the writer. lis
victory in the field If 1t carries in
it's train a moral defeat for us2' He
warns his countrymen against 'das
deutsche Selbstiob" German self-sat-
isfaction) and condemns the spirit of
blind hate and the habit of referring
in abusive terms to ones adversary.
1T 1t not with insults" he says, that
battle are won. When Israel went
forth to fight Moses prayed: he did
not stand behind the lines and shout
epithets" The war now raging. DR..
Forester says would never have been
possible. but for the atmosphere of
hate, calumny, brutal egoism. and
shortsightedness that humanity had
been breathing for so long. This Is
the curse of the nations. he says,
against which idealistic youth must di-
rect it's efforts. Its motto must be.
81 am not here to hate, but to love-
Forester is exerting great infiu-
ence as a teacher who has the cour-
age to speak unpopular truths. When
he recently opened his course of lee
lures at the University of Munich he
began by attacking the manifesto OF
the German "intellectuals' already
referred to and naturally looked for
some expressions of dissent on the
part of his large audience. Instead
his words were received with unani-
nous applause.
Yet even Forester holds that the
war was forced upon Germany. for
he says: "Our Emperor left to his
adversary the initiative in mobilization
in order to keep for himself the initia-
tive In love and peace"
! ".