The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-07-25

Editor Of The Washington Herald-Mr
Emile Berliner our esteemed and re-
| spected fellow-citizen, has given us a
| very clear analysis of the difference be-
tween German civilization and the Anglo
Saxon civilization, In his interview pub
| lished In The Herald of July Is. His ex-
PLANTATION Of German kultur, which Is
German civilization, is clear and readily
understood. We doubtless knew this be-
fore, but we lacked the ability to explain
! it in the way he has SO clearly explained
1t in The Herald. We like Mr.. Berliner
and We are proud to have him here as an
American citizen. only wish Mr.. Ber-
liner has gone a step further in his inter-
view and explained to US, which he per-
sonally prefers-the German idea Of civ
ilization and kultur. or the Anglo-Saxon
idea of civilization and culture. An ex-
preston OF his personal preference be-
tween the two would as eagerly have
been read. as. his analysis of the two.
since we admire his intelligence and re.
spect him as fellow-citizen-
Now. Mr.. Berliner's explanation and
analysis being before US In a clear light
Of truth. which Of these two methods of
civilization would he, or any other highly
intelligent man. naturally eject the
American people is espouse ana to give
llOeFauy 10 OIL their SympdtnleS. 10
German civilization and kultur. with its
vast organization for crushing ruthlessly
all that interposes between 1t and its
goal; its vast system Of espionage and
almost total lack of individual liberty
to say nothing of its acknowledged doc
trine. that any means Is justified by the
ends-or the Anglo-Saxon civilization and
culture. with all its individual liberty
that the English-speaking people havel
been some 100 years in developing since
the Great Charter was signed at Runne-
mede? Can there be any doubt Of the
answer to this question?
Mr.. Berliner says: In a thousand
ways. big and little. the German sacri-
fees his personal liberty to efficiency"
We of the Anglo-Saxon tongue have been
over 100 years in molding our present
scheme of personal liberty, and we have
also developed some efficiency. We do
not credit the German people with .
corner on all the efficiency Of the earth.
for we still consider that We are en-
titled to believe that We have added con-
siderable to the civilization of the world.
Where. then. would our sympathies most
naturally be?
In our great and broad scheme of gov
eminent We know Of no such doctrine,
that the end justifies the means. We be-
lieve that others besides ourselves have
a right to live and exist as they them
selves desire to live. We have stood
and stand today-for broad principles of
humanitarianism throughout the world,
and we confess to an altruism in our
dealings with other people and other ma
tions. that to SO acknowledge and con-
fess has cost US much blood and money
but we are proud Of it. And last. but
not least. We can never-nor shall We
ever-forget the words Of our great Abra-
ham Lincoln. That this government, of
the people, for the people, and by the
people. shall not perish from this earth"
ENoCH A. CHASE.
Everybody Is Overdoing II.
Editor Of The Washington Herald
Your editorial inquiry as to Who is ]
running the United States?" is well
timed, and let me suggest. the fanatics. |
and the demagogues. These tell US the
"peepul" have come into their own. but. |
Judging from she signs of the times. one
is excusable for preferring the old plan /
of rule by the brainy minority.
The man who works with his hands /
only Is useful in his place when equip |
ped for nothing else. but when the man
with the hoe lays aside the hoe and
handles a bomb, the structure of civ
ilization begins to wobble. But, one |
and the yellow journals and magazines |
that the signs of real manhood are
rough hands and a dirty shirt. Only |
the other day i saw a story about a very |
wealthy man who thought he had dis !
covered that his two sons were growing |
up ''snobs' and acquiring false ideals
of life Just what was meant by the
terms ''snob' and false ideals was not
specified. but as near as one could guess.
he f,tI WIG icfr rha1 ha-
cause the mother had insisted on the
boys being sent to a private school where
they would be taught to behave like
gentlemen. And so when vacation time
arrived. the father, instead of allowing
the boys to go forth on the vacation they
had earned after the grind Of the school
term. had them apprenticed to a car
penter for the summer. And at the end
of the summer their hands were rough
and their nails broken. which for some
reason not specified was set forth as a
laudable result Nothing was said to in
dictate that the boys had a mechanical
turn, the idea apparently being to spoil
their vacation. and their hands
The story was the cheapest kind of
slush, the claptrap of demagogues. and
the kind of thing that is being served
everywhere ad nauseum, for too much
Of even a good thing is worse than not
enough. 1t is a distortion of a principle
good in its place, and for that reason
insidious and dangerous. The tendencyi
Of the times is toward excess and exag-
geration. and any kind of a virtue can
be turned into q vice by excess. Every
body is OVERRIDING everything.
It would be going to the other extreme
10 say that q man with rough hands can
not possess the instincts of a gentleman.
for I have witnessed acts of delicate
among day laborers: but 1t only
made me wish that such could have ad-
vantages. Making a fetish of manual