The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-22
KU.TJR.
Has Eeotism Inflated Germany 10 the
Point Of Bursting?

TO THE EDITOR OF THE svN-Str: The
persons Frederick y. Darius politely
calls tho semi-cultured class of Ameri'
can teachers and writer's" will be able
TO endure with ~equAnimity the Nal
volio-like posings OF German Kulturdom
for at least semi-culture Is preferable
to Grass kultur. and the pretence TO com
plete culture is not affected yet outside
OF Germany.
The INFINITE viii. OF which he writes
IL the great thing from which the Ger.
mans have almost separated them
selves.
When the moral sense OF right and
wrong Is discarded. and intellect at
tempts to develop without II. balance Is
lost. and n pursued TO extremity the
intellect bursts, and ends in the mad
house. That is what happened &c
Nietzsche and that is what has happened
&c Germany.
The cause OF the war was not the In
finite VIII working through Germany
but human wilfulness. not the highly
developed ego. but egotism the Infinite
VIII now brings corrective forces to OPP
pose and crush out the ~viciousness and
restore order and equilibrium once
more. by teaching the erring nation
forces cannot win out against the
spiritual forces Of this cosmos.
German Kultur has destroyed the real
creative force Of the nation. Not a SIN
gle one Of the great inventions OF mod
ern times has come from Germany. Her
philosophy IL discredited. and even In
music. where she has been greatest,
creative ability Is at a standstill.
So much for the irruptive genius and
misguided will force turned vicious.
Az for the will Of the natioi II sim
ply does not exist they are a nation of
slaves. told what TO do and what "a
think. and made to obey. which requires
no thinking.
The war lords have a will. a terrible
one and az some one said. the German
nation is tvpifed by the horse. which
the war lords are not only able to lead
to the water and make drink. but they
can make him jump In and drown him
self as we'll.
There Is no development Of will In
this. there Is no choice OF doing right
for rights sake. which develops the
moral sense of right and wrong In the
individual and in the nation. and which
IS the purpose OF the Infinite viii.
The modern Germans rave blurred
tho world long enough with high sound
ing phrases which mean nothing. and
serious thinkers SEQ In their verbiaee an
incapacity Ia arrive AT denni,eness.
@'NA'h hA'F puN NIN
quality which made Goethe great. and
that Is spiritual insight which leads TO
Inspiration.
The names Of s~chopenhauer and
Nietzsche should not really be written
on the sane page.
AZ much as Infinite VIII is greater
than human wilfulness. so much ia the
moral sense Of humanity greater than
The egotism OF Germany. and Cosmos has
not only the power. but the desire TO rid
Itself OF thlA undesirable growth.
Nllfuluess viii be suppressed as surely
and certainly az evolution Is assured.
and the United States and all humanity
should thank God for the British navy.
May ! call this a s.ill larger point
or view ~ a real Americana There IL
q great lesson in this wal for the United
states. IL should teach us 10 value our
freedom. which gives us az individuals
and an "A nation the opportunity 20 pur-
sue our way. straight toward the uni
'ersal good. W, HENRI ZAY.
NEW YORK, MAY 90.