The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-07
CALLS CASTE SPIRIT
GERMANY'S CURSE
War Alone Could Save Nation
From Itself. Says Prof
Harms.
CHANGES MUST CONE
sp,e.al cer..pora..c. 10 Ten So,


BERLIN, via London. Jan. iS-G.r-
many; a disease ridden. d.s.ntegrauns
body. slowly bleeding 10 death from t.r-
rible self-inhicted wounds country
fast declining as a consequence Of the
hereditary faults and weaknesses o. It's
own inhabitants a land that could he
saved from certain doom only by IN.
terrific storm OF war. which alone had
the power 20 lash 70 back to its senses
This. In subsistence r. the picture
drawn by Prof Paul Harms ir the Bsr-
liner Togebia't d. political religious
and social RESPECTS. Prof Harms argues.
the Father.snd WAS last d.ter.oratinr
Three periioIs ulcers or the body Of
the German State could be- and we.
cured. he declares. only ny a war which
brought on wave of patriotism and
unity
An ever widening cleavage between
the Catholics and Protestsnts grad.
ual loosenlng Of tie bonds uniting Ger.
many and Austria Hungary petty. mar
row minded caste SPIRIT ard class division
that Only too often barred The free DE-
NelOpmeut Of the ab,. aIru ambitious
these are the three things which, Prof
Harms says. S-.. -a.gng tine y'4y
lie and heart blood Of the German
nation" In lis article which Is a sort
Of New Years sOiloquy. being headed
New Year 1915. Prof Harms says
in part
Caste spirit. the great hereditary Sin
Of the Gorm0ns- only Ia politics but
la the economic and social tclds as we'll
and even IN tine field OF art-had aga.u
sprouted. Hedged in by this or fht'
party dogma the thinking power OF
most OF us had frozen to a mere me
chanical propOs ton into which We
thought We had TO Jam tle whole rich
life OF the German nation.
"A mighty event had TO come from
outside to bring the nation back 20 It's
senses. But this We may assert with
just pride When the Russian tyrau0r
inenaced the German people Al its o7yn
borders the nation stood the rre test.
| was as II the ghost OF is several thou
sand years history rose before i' N
It's gigantic mig1t--the history vN..h
after all. has been nothing but one great
painful struggle for this state.
Vow, after FIVE months Of defensive
war. We are less than ever disposed 70
egotisrn and self-sufficiency Ne feel
the weight and the Importance Of the
task which the worlds history mas
heaped upon our shoulders. We Vil,
not convince ourselves that Il IS as pIr.
as angels OF innocence that TINS task
found us.
Unto the highest tops this nation is
permeated with the realization that
after the war much must be changed.
There will remain for US even after
peace Is made, much to do to remove
those artificial barriers that heretofore
have stood in the way OF ire selection
OF the ablest
We cannot, and We T. eed not, believe
that history has labored for two thou
sand years with the state Of the Ger
mans only 10 allow IL a short half CEN
] fury OF prosperity and then TO let 1t lie
destroyed As a nation We may ster
upon the threshold OF the new year in
the humhly proud spirit; we come %
pray TO God, we ask for nothing but a
/ strict trial. To the Judge OF the world
we will give answer. devoid OF an ar
rogant feeling OF our own infallibility."