New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-28
IN DEFENCE OF THE GERMAN
A Simple People, as Contra'ted with
Great Nation of Letter-Writers

To the Editor OF Inc Tribune.
Sir: Will you allow me to become unpopu-
lar in this space? | cannot believe the Ter
mans TO be the horrible people your letter
writer's conjure up. I believe them 10 De
simple, panstaking people and my impress'o"
is founded upon ar old professor engaged 10
teach some Of us German in small prepare
tory school. He needed the position: tnat
was unmistakable even to boys. He always
wore a queer lowered tie skewed rouno a'
various philosophic angles. It's running mate
was & collar as stiff and upright and sligntiy
soiled as Kultur itself. Below was lroeh
coat or abdomen covering, two bags Oh
trousers and blunt boots which squeaKed up
the stairs 10 announce recitation.
The five of us whose parents had CHOSEN
"German Language and Literature always
fought TO see who should be furthest away
from him at the small table. don't know why
There was little advantage in being 'ar away
Painstakingly he would bring eaeh IN 'u'"
TO his right hand and. leaning ever OUT cA'e
less home lesson in German script peg'h ~
spit.
That is all I remember OF the German
language and literature-the visible particles
of Teutonic breakfast
Unmentonabe? That is the third worn
in my impression of Germans; simple, pains
taking, uncomfortable.
Do not these words describe the stupidiues
of Belgium. Of the Lusitana, Of the brlta"'
mic? In this last case the outstanding lac'
to the German mind was a simple one-the
Britannia was the English rival to the water
land and Imperator. The procedure was
nainstaking. The result was unmentionable'
And vet your letter-writers inveigh against
the Germans!-who are no different now from
what they have always been, and always "l,'
be. Such letters are futile because they seek
TO endow the German mind with quallties
that are essentially un-German, the quailues
which make for English, French and American
indignation Now come TO my most unpopu-
lar point.
The English and French have long since
recognized the futility of letter writing
They are expressing their indignation in a
silent, practical manner II they had time
to write they would say: We know you for
what you are and are going to discipline you
so that you may be bearabe.
To do this, the English and the French
have had first to discipline themselves.
Americans do not do that Whenever the
moral sense stirs in US, we find it easiest TO
criticse some one else. We have criticised
every nation so far, except our own. Now
we know very we'll where the individual gets
who spends all his time crticising other people
but doesn't seem TO see it that way coliec-
lively. Ny unpopular point is: have mucn
more respect for disciplined Germany, to say
nothing of England and France, than nave
for undisciplined America.
This morning when ! read of the Britannia
and the fifty wounded soldiers whose hearts
were visioning home-Kulturized, that 49,,
simply painstakingy, intentionally sent to
the bottom, my first impulse was to write a
letter You see, ! am thorough American,
ready to Americanize / did note, however
on the same page of the paper something
that diverted my letter into this channel.
Just a small news item, it was:
ARMED SHIPS DENIED CLEARANCE"
Norfolk. Va, Nov. 22.-The British steam
or Coronado with a 12-pounder mounted,
and the Italian steamer San Rosare, carrying
a rs millmetre gun, were denied clearance
papers here to-day, pending instruction from
Washington"
Ny mind skipped back to the U-53 and how
it fingered in our port to get instruction as
to the location of its victims and then went
out painstakingly and sank them, while our
navy humbly picked up survivors. Should
write a letter about Wilson? No, Wilson
is the physical incarnation Of the American
soul-a etter-wrtirg soul, like mine.
| know that the Rheims Cathedral will be
visited in years to come as the monument OF
the German nation.
| wonder il we will even have a monument?
For We are not now a nation disciplined to
purpose. We are a group of takers, dis
agreeing with one another and with the world.
Cornwall, n. Y, Nov. "a, 1916 R.