Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-07-09
A PERIL OF THE NATION
One OF the Days Best Cnrtoon.


]
AS do not belong to any OF the SUI.
frage or other woman's organizations
IN New York, may l say In your
columns that for the honor OF my sex
If for no other reason. ] hope the Mnyor
VIII consent To the Oblitcrat!on Of those
dtsingcnuous posters addressing Amer
lean citizens" and so cunningly worded
and signed rs to produces an impression
OF representing the women of In,
United States? If the people that are
spending their thousands so freely had
come out frankly and stated that they
were pro-Gcrman. and that the success
Of their propaganda would mean defeat
for the allies. short OF ammunition nd
victory for a nation that has nine.
tenths of all the ammunition in Europe
then at least we should have the sheen
separated from the goats: we could pu,
II down 10 masculine influence over the
weaker female vessel which al lcas,
was trying TO be honest and let II 20
at that.
But | hold that such q poster. narinC
from every billboard. is n defamation OF
patriotic American women, and "A dis
tinct blow to the cause OF suffrage I,
VIII not only antagonize men who nlon.
p Il
chise In those states stu obduratc. but
disgust thousands of women not vet
won over TO the cause, and far too IN
teliigcnt not to know the precise mean
ing behind those lying and hypocritical
words. For n that poster were really
representative of American women, II
would mean that American women were
traitors to their country, just az all
prc-German American men, whatever
their descent. are traitors, whether
they realize il or not What was III,
cause of the roar of Indignation that
went up all over the United States on
August /? Anti-Germanlsm? Not n
bit of IT, If Russia had made the dec
laration OF war the roar would have
been as Immediate and as loud II was
tho spontaneous protest OF the spiri,
or democracy against an arrogant au-
tocrncy that dared to plunge Euro3.
into the war and the world into panic
without inc consent or the people; thu
manifest OF n medieval power by an
ambitious and unscrupulous group over
millions OF Industrious peace loving
men who had nothing to gain and ali
TO lose.
Democracy Itself In PERIL
II has been pointed out over and over
again how dramatically opposed arc
the German and American ideals. there
fore. II seems Incredible that every
American who champions tho cause OF
a powerful and sublimely cgoistic ma
ton does not realize that what ne homes
10 see is not only the victory OF the
German arms In Europe. but the even
'uai destruction OF democracy. the an
inhalation OF the spirit Of America. as
cpitomizcd in the Declaration of In.
dependence. j have not the least an
prehension of Immediate war with Ger
many. any more than or physical de-
feat at her hands did she. with tho res;
OF Europe PROSTATE, make a raid on
our shores; but II seems hardly omen
to question that with Europe Russian
ized, we, the one Heterogeneous race
and always ready to absorb and iubibe
from the parent countries, should lose
IN the course of half a century, our
tremendous individual hustle. and
gratefully permit a benevolent jand
cast rom despotism mot unnecessarily
or our own make) to do our thinking
perhaps to select our jobs and appor-
ton our daily tasks
For that is what il almost amounts
10 now in Germany. and II is for this
reason, no less than to escape military
services, that so many millions Of Ger
mans have immigrated to this country.
unlike the vast majority of the bour-
geois and lower classes kindly. hut
stupid people, they were born with an
alertness OF mind and an energy of
character which gave them the impe-
tuS TO transfer themselves TO land
where life might be harder but where
soul and body could attail to n COM
plete independence. They present at
tltnde is. however. unconsciousiy
hypocritical. but IT. is not altogether
as traitorous as that Of the American
born, who has not tho excuse Of that
peculiar form of sentimontalty whic'
has fermented in Germans at home and
abroad during this period OF. their
Fatherland's peril. IT Is this curious
and wholly German brand Of scnti-
mentality which is the cohering force
in the various and extraordinary clever
devices by which modern Germany has
been solidifcd. IT i a scntimcntality
capable of rising to real eXaltat!on that
no other nation is capable Of, and that
alone should make the American pro
Germans pause and mediate upon a
future United States where native in
dividualism was less and less reluct-
antly heading for the iron jaws of the
Trussianized American machine; and
furthermore, upon the weird spectacle
OF the real gladiato contcSt-Cicr-
man scntimentality wrestling in "a
death grapple with American down
right unpicturcsquc common sense
The Charm OF German PntcrnnIIam
During the seven years that | lived
In Munich learned TO like Germany
better than any state in Europe
liked and admired the German pcoplc
i never suffered from an act OF rude
ness, and never was cheated out of
a penny. | was not even taxed until
no money out OF the country and
turned In considerable amount in