New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-14
GERMAN PROPAGANDA
Hope for a New Kind in Place Of That
Which Failed.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: In letter which appears in to-day's
Tribune Mr.. Shields includes my name among
the German propagandists in this country.
| wish to rectify any wrong impression LEFT
in the minds of some of your readers by
stating that am neither in the pay OF the
German government nor connected with am
organized propaganda.
The criticism and satire bestowed by ML
Shields on the German propagandists seen
hard in so far as they work under governmen;
orders and swim against an adverse current
They do their very best under most tryIn;
circumstances. They ransack, day by day
the press from Boston to New Orleans and
San Francisco in order to keep the Official
Press Bureau and Foreign Office in Berlin
informed about the state of current American
opinion. They fill economic archives with
valuable newspaper clippings, and even plan
a cultural department which might serve
basis for the future be.terment OF Amer
lean relations with Germany
| can hear Mr.. Shields object: But do rot
these armchair theorists forget that tho
American press more than any other in the
world works up and recasts rather than re-
fleets public opinion, which in young CON-
munity consisting of motley crowd OF ma.
tionalities is of necessity in constant nux'
Unhapply, the source from which the Ger
man propagandists draw their infornaiion
is printed matter much more than soelsi
thought George Sand donned boys clothes
and freouented the Paris night cafes beiors
she ventured to write her suggestive novels
on Partisan life. 1t might help considerably
TO clear official Germany's views OF American
opinion if her New York press campaignes
freely associated with statesmen and scnoi'
ars, merchants and manufacturers, publishers
and editors, instead Of combining their LIVING
intercourse to German-American and pro-
German circles. At present Berlin oHiela-
dom sees the substance of current opinion IN
the United States through a glass darby ana
eognizes feeting shadows instead OF their
reality.
That the actual German propaganda in Ne"
York is a distinct failure and harmful 70 'n'
German cause is admitted by its originator
DR.. Dernburg, in letter which lies oeiore
me, advises the New York propagandists 70
keep silence, though he did not practise MN
self when he was over here what he no"
breaches.
A prominent Columbia professor asked
short time ago: What is the use OF turning
out pamphlets by the score on every possi0''
Allied subject TO which no reasonable Amer.
lean will listen now since the arguhe"'
comes from the opposite camp? Yet our
public Libraries are flooded with litera'u1s
issued by DR.. Albert's New York press agency
7. deals with the collapse of Russian finance
Franco-Itaian denominations, the Enghsn
crime of having started the war and simhSi
matter, on which il Is too early TO decide one
way or the other. Goethe once blamed u'
poets for the decadence Of poetry Is not 'ne
failure of the German propaganda IN Ne"
York chiefly the fault OF the clumsy me'n0''
employed by the propagandists? e..
Nevertheless. if Professor Munsteroerg
correct In forestalling closer ties between
America and Germany after the war anu =
anticipatinc the necessity OF Germanie oor.
against nightly evolving Slavdom and w
onrush of the swelling yellow wave Wv
German propaganda which will further Amer
lean as we'll as German, aye, Germanie' !"
terests will be cordially welcomed by even
right thinking and patriotic American. f',
fessor Munsterberg, who never conselous'
alienated American. sympathies, is perhaps -,
6ttest instrument for initiating that futuI''s
movement which, in the nature OF things
only be preparatory and tentative as '0as
as the war lasts The Harvard psycho'Os's,
is generally respected, and affords tne O.s,
proof that a man can be loyal Oef"S'
without rendering himself odous 70 the e0.
munity where he dwells as guest, even
Professor Shepherd, the Columbia nis'oi's.
is the best example that loyal Amere-s
citizen does not forfeit the right OF -
pathizing with whatever cause ne e0hs'O''
just. -, rass
The old German propaganda Is deadl L'''
live the propaganda
ERNEST P HoRRWlrL
New York, Aug. 10. 1914 ---s..