New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-21

.tFror1 The Morning Post. Of London
We republish in another column an ex-
tremely interesting article which appeared a
little while back in the New York Tribune
August s, 1916. 1t is a critical estimate
OF the character and quality of British and
German "hate" respectively-an estimate
provoked by certain recent utterances of
Professor Muensterberg, of Harvard, the
leading exponent of Germanism in the
United States. The professor has been moved
10 suggest, as a vision of the future an
alliance between the United States, Germany
and Great Britain las one Of the logical and
necessary consequences of the present de-
plorable conflict" and no doubt he intends
the proposal as a high compliment to this
country, and we are only surprised that 1t
did not occur to Professor Kuno Meyer, let
us saw. TO indorse this offer of future friend
| ship with his own trusty right hand Such Is
the curious mentality Of the German 1t
seems to him that all that has happened dur
| ing these last two years is merely some
thing that can be wiped from memory by an
offer to shake hands. That he should have
reached the stage already when his impulse
| is to let bygones be bygones is extremely in
structive. II manifests a severe chasteniny
of the Teutonic mood. Thor's hammer is
exchanged for Lok's guile-why? Is it that
"our old German God" has failed his
devotees? Is he, like Baal, when the priests
cried unto him to produce fire from heaven
sleeping or peradventure on journey? But
few months ago the German press and the
German professors were still proclaimng
the imminent overthrow of England and her
Allies and the ruthless imposition of the
German will-to-conquer on the whole civilized
world Toward this country implacable en-
nifty was still breathed, and to America in
solent warnings were given TO take heed to
her ways lest a worse thing should befsll
her. Now, suddenly, the British and Amer
lean nations are invited TO ignore all these
threatenings and TO contemplate the pros
pect of a friendly alliance with the people
who so recently uttered them.
Discussing this suggestion, The Tribune
points out very shrewdly that Professor
Mucnsterberg does not seem 20 understand
the mood of the British people. He fails to
realize the effect which has been produced
by his countrymen's methods of making war,
and how entirely negligible beside the
frothy demonstrations Of German hate Is
the silent but deep-seated loathng OF the
British nation As The Tribune says, this
feeling among US has not been fomented Off
lcially. 1t has not been nfamed by professoria!
campaigns, by organized press indictments.
By hymns Of hate" and such like stimu
lants. 1t has grown up spontaneously under
the influence of events. II has grown slowly,
but now it has overrun the land. IL is deep
and strong as an instinct. and is, except by
slow time, ineradicable. Our American critic
perceives very clearly what is so completely
hidden from German eycs-that generations
must pass before the very name OF German
ceases 10 be in this country anything but a
byword of reproach and disgust. That, we
are glad to think, is profoundly true, and we
are glad also TO recognize that the British
character is so we'll understood, at any rate
by our American cousins. To-day the Ger
man is for the Englishman," writes this
lclear-sighted American observer, "the man
who abuses women and children on land and
murders them on water. He is the man who
brutally maltreats British wounded and pris-
oners He is the author OF the Zeppelin
raids. and he is the criminal who employs
the submarine for assassination, not for war
Above all. and this is comprehensive, he Is
not a clean fighter; he doesn't play the
game; he recognizes no rules of humanity,
Of law, of sport" An Englishman could
hs rdly have stated his own case better The
German Is exactly all that and n little more,
and to condone his crimes even to think of