The sun., 1916-09-10
SENTIMENT IN GERMANY
WEAKENING ON THE WAR
People Do Not Understand Why the
Fighting Still Goes On-Sufferng
Dims Eyes to Facts.

Of sight. and only the formal course of
events remains.
T this is then added the unscrupu-
lous campaign OF agitation and OF
calumny by Germans of Germans. ms II
we had been the disturbers Of the peace.
One has seen II! sheets which talk Ia IL
1t depended on OF. Government whether
II should will peace tomorrow or not.
The burden OF the trouble and want
caused by the war ID put upon the Gov
eminent. Assuredly this hateful per-
version Ia really believed only by few.
But some Of II sticks-as though the
German Government were at the bottom
just as guilty as the English Govern
ment or the Russian Government-and a
duh feeling gets abroad that all the
peoples have been condemned to many
sTferings by the mistakes and sins OF
those who rule them.
Fiction Of the D~efensive war.
And there IL something still further.
Owing to the fact that we have been
somewhat vigorous In hailiDg and cele-
brating our victories. many people who
are weak In arithmetic have lost all
sense of the fact that there are still great
Russian. English. French and Italian
forces In existence. When. therefore.
after two years the very greatest efforts
have still to be made. II IL AZ though
we had been cheated OF our bargain
People can no longer rightly believe tina,
the present battles are inevitable bat.
ties OF defence. They have rather tho
gloomy suspicion that a policy OF con-
quest. over n above what Is necessary
is being pursued. And here a positively
disastrous effect Ia produced by certain
documents in which great leagues and
private persons express the lust OF con-
quest. Only general ideas OF their con-
tents reach the great mass OF the peo'
pie but. to the best of my belief. theii
existence Is we'll known in every bar.
racks. In every workshop. and in every
village inn. The consequence Of thi,
conquest literature is the disappearance
OF simple faith In the defensive war.
1T has. indeed. been somewhat dim.
cult all along to make plain TO the aver.
age citizen with little education in his
tory and geography what Is the rca
nature Of defence. He takes the exist.
ing land frontiers as though they wer,
an eternal law. and even though his wish
Is to he very radical. he pins himself 70
the most conservative maintenance oi
these accidental frontiers. He u,,erl,
fails to grasp that on this side or thai
side Of these historical frontiers there /,
something hat one can describe as nat,
ural frontier or military frontier. Con
sepucntly one must give special expla'
nations on this point and one ought no
t. let the truth perish In these fronticl
conversations merely because OF thu
harmful exaggerations. A war can h
described as a wal Of conquest only I
alien territory and territory which Is no
necessary for frontier defence il de
manded.'
Herr Naumann then advises that tn,
people should he taught that the prcsen
German occupation Of enemy country 4
I great blessing for the Germans. IN,
also that II is absolutely necessary. be
cause the enemy occupies German col
on'es. Asiatic Turkey. eastern Galicii
and also u bit Of the Vosges. The!
should also be told that the war has Il
GO on because the enemy still desires I,
attack and crush Germany. He appeal
20 all educated people TO help In thi
work 90 education" and says:
q what use to us is al! the edifylnI
:alk about war aims II the foundation
Of public opinion do not meanwhile re
main absolutely Arm" They are still
firm. but more attention must be pail
TO them than has been the case hitherto