The sun., 1916-08-27

pretty general throughout Germany. The
universities, he said. were hotbeds of
backbltiQg and intrigue. 1t appeared TO
be In the spirit OF the race. more pro-
nouncedly so. he thought. In Prussia and
the northern provinces than In southern
Germany. where there was much private
virtue. He cited the Bavarians as an
excellent people.
IN France. on the other hand. he found
nat people were generally mice" They
had not the same faculty for dirty
tricks" Their attitude was more kindly
and more human. lie cited the example
Of the Pasteur Institute. where all was
Ov n sweetness. where there had
never been a quarrel. where never a
'lander had been uttered. There was
q quiet movement OF amusement among
the assistants. too subtle for the Sage's
eye.
The correspondent had the opportunity
to tell the story to Dr. Alexis Care, at
Coinpisgne a few days later. He replied
Vat many years before. on the occasion
II his hst visit to the Paeteur InSti-
ute. he CHANGED TO M oiloted about the
laboratories by a brilliant young assist
ant whom he nae never seen before and
who did not know him from Adam.
At the end of ten minutes conversa-
w WV u$rlrNhnt. tD-utN one or the Ip1O-
'nC tights in French bio.c teal studies.
'"nhded to him that Me'chnikofY was a
'rimiral and RouN n faker. Dr. Carrei
SMILES at NJ Metcinikofrs Pheasant illu-
zion about Frsn-h scientific moeurs. II
= In the character OF laboratory isol4-
ION that the creatures OF science should
become Jealous and vicious. Nat,ona!i;,
does not determine their tmper.
MetchnikoR Ind the War.
with all his diedain for popular intellec-
tualizing, should have so completely
fallen into the popular notion concern
ing the origins Of the war. He was
profoundly ignorant OF politics In its
complex international aspect and could
not but interpret the events which he
had Just witnessed in terms OF personal
psychology.
He saw aggression and defence not
I'm terms Of traditional. slowly deter
mined politique. but In those OF will.
domination. avarice and envy. He cx-
pressed grave fears for the bodily health
of certain monarchs. whose symptoms.
which he Rot by hearsay from an as
ststant who read the newspapers. struck
him as alarmlngly suspicious.
The German people. he esteemed. were
on the whole a good people despite their
partial bad traits. m he expressed a
strong hope hat they could be re-
formed into a peace loving population
after defeat. He regarded the war as
totally bad In every way. az a cor
ruptlon n an abomination which sto ID
In defiance of all knowledge and all sane
spirit.
II vas trying to destroy science. he
felt, and to engender a horrible spirit
Of hatred between peoples whose rea'
instinct was to O each other and
whose real interests were at no point In
conflict. Diplomacy and nationalist poll
tics he held In appropriate horror as
the selfish agents Of conquest and greed.
Genius Of Belligerents.
Perhaps the most interesting part o.
his d!scourse-at moments he spoke ron.
nectedly for a half hour without inter,
ruption-was his offhand estim alton o,
the genius OF the various peoples at war
For a man accustomed TO the laborious
and prudent methods Of the laboratory
he had n curious. common sense. down to
earth fashion Of extracting his judg.
nIents from the trivial incidents Of every
day life. But probably that was only
his manner OF illustrating his rea
thought. for when interrupted with q
specific case In objection he evaded car.
rying the concrete issue further and de.
Tended his conclusion on the ground that
1t was In the spirit OF the facts.
OF German genius he uttered a pane
Ryr!c which would have dom good &c
the sore heart Of Gen. o Bernhard
He %recoun:ed examples Of German hero
ism In action and idea. CT German abne'
cation and social sacrifice. OF German
achievements In pure and applied sci
ence. especially during recent years
Koch--his letter to Pasteur forgiven
came near the head Of the scientific list
with Behring, EhrlicA, Einstein. PlancI
and n score of others.
In art he held that the Germans were
perhaps first of contemporary peoples or
account Of their creation OF music, which
he regarded az "A vastly more character
| istic modern manifestation Of the human
genius thar painting, for example. IL
| which he found the French stu supreme
Russian music. he said. failed to convince
him of a profound genius. despite hi
best Of. Intentions during many years ol
study.
Music was his hobby and his passion
and he saw illlmitable greatness In 1t
In poetry and philosophy he cited tire
mendous German names and ~despairet
| OF finding their peers In the annals o
| the present allies. II was a keen per
sonal sadness to him that a people o.
such deep and magnificent genius should
have been led astray politically b,
"hoberaux" into a situation which nigh
menace It with destruction.
His CPusl wit.
His discussion Of the science Of mill
tary tactics. which came W In connsc
ton With . criticism exprsa0sA ~ On