The sun., 1916-09-10
specia, Correspondence 10 TnR suS


LONDON. Aug. 25.-Herr Friedrich
Naumann publishes in the current mum
Der august ~ OF his weekly paper.
Die Hifc, an extraordinary article on
! the weakening Of German popular opin-
| ion about the war and the need to coun-
teract the present tendency. The article
Ia interesting as Illustrating German
ideas OF war propaganda. but still more
interesting for the admissions which IL
. contains.
Herr Naumann writes thus
when the war began everybody was
convinced that now we must fight for
how could we let other peoples tear US 10
pieces? At that time everybody under
stood that this was n case OF necessity.
just as II We were threatened by n flood
OF a fire. But to-day there are people
enough who no longer rightly know why
We are still fighting. There really arc
these people.
II was visited lately by q soldier who
late In the war was taken UP In the
Landsturm. and who now. as a grown
man. has passed through his time II
training in barracks. I know him we'll,
and l know hat by very reason Of his
calling he understands the way OF think
ing of the simple people. He said 10
me: 1T must he explained TO the people
quite simply and intelliglbly why they
are still lighting. because they do not
know I answered that two years are
surely enough to make Il clear to the
thickest head He. however. replied
Two years z all these people knew
but as they read the newspapers only ir-
regularly. have little knowledge Of geog.
raphy. and rave no training if histori-
cal thought, they. even at the beginning,
grasped the general impression rather
than the detailed events. Meanwhile.
all that has for them returned to n state
OF iux and become obscure, n no y
they are mentally helpless in face OF the
sacrifices of the long war. Hence Il
becomes possible for the agitation Of
the Liebknccht type to find its way into
the very army
Eject ~ Two Years Suffering.
II then made further inquiries anon
men and women who. by constant con.
tact. know something OF the way OF
thinking Of small people. and this Is
THAT ! heard. Two years are a long
time for the memory especially whci
peoples suffcrings and experiences have
been so manifold during his time. A,
the beginning people had no real idea
what war Is. hot they were ready &c
conduct war. Meanwhile death in the
field and privat.one at home have he,
come greater than any power Of i'm
%agination had previously conceived
Hence the impression easily arises tina
one has been pushed into something
which one did not really desire. Tn,
necessity of what is happening Is qucs,
toned. and the longing that the alb
normal state OF things may cease dim,
the eyes to the inevitable character o.
events. To this Is then added the OLD
and eternal mistrust Of the small for IN,
great. and Il Is said Those people a
the top need the war, and that IL VIII!
We have TO endure IT,
And then what a marvellous picture
Of the beginning Of the war takes shape
in the brain. From the simple fact tha'
the uitimatum TO Serbia was despatched
by Austria. ami that the formal declara
tons of "a were despatched by Va I,
Russia and France. 1t Is concluded tha
We produced the war. What everybod,
knew at the beginning of August, 1914
that the declarations of war were onl,
Il consequence Of the threats and mob!.
izations pouring in upon us-passes on