The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-12-22

Munsterberg, of Harvard college, who
dropped dead in his classroom last
week. marks the loss to Germany OF
that nations most staunch and gift
ed champion in America. When the
mighty heart of the talented author
and man of letters ceased it's pulsa-
tons, the world lost a writer of I'M
questionable merit and it's foremost
psychologist.
Many said: HE died of broken
heart. He had hoped for peace in
Europe; he had predicted peace be-
tween Germany and Russia, and the
announcement in the papers that the
Russian Dumas had decided to fight
on had depressed him."
This was one conjecture. There
were many others, including the fact
that he had been living in hostile
atmosphere for more than two years,
and that finally this negative hostility
had worn him out It broke his
heart. The medical reason was-a
shock due to a cerebral hemorrhage.
To the American public and the
world il meant that the most i'm
pressively dominating German citizen
in all America had passed away. Like
all dominating personalities he was
loved by many and hated by a. large
number of others. Yet all admitted
his great intellectual force.
He was a German and he was
proud Of it. He believed in Germany
and in Germanic ideals; yet he had
profound respect for America and
American ideals, in fact, he long ago
set himself the task of interpreting
America and American ideals to Eu-
rope, and especially to Germany. He
considered that it was his greatest
work-greater than his work as a
psychologist.
He believed Germany was misun-
derstood in this country and that
America was misunderstood in Ger
many and in all the Nations Of Eu-
rope, and that his was the task to
bring about a clearer understanding
on both Sides
It appears that he left his home in
the best of spirits and apparently in
good health, and that on the whole
he was elated at the prospects Of
peace in Europe. The end was
daughters. They knew, as no others
knew, the desolation Of his heart
caused by the war in Europe, and
of his life the past two years-an iso-
lation from friends Of many years
caused by the war.
He had world fame as psycholo-
gist before he came into prominence
as defender of German ideals-Ger4
man kultur. This side of the man
was first flashed into the public con-
seriousness wf1en, some four Or five
years ago, he arose at a, meeting in
Carnegie Hall that was called in the
interests of a treaty with England,
and openly attacked the proposition
on the ground that there were mil
lions Of German-Americansa and Irish
Americans who would have to be con-
sidered in any treaty Of such a nature
as was proposed. in
Involved in Controversies.
Then when the European war
broke out in 1914 his stand in de-
some heated controversies. He had a
sharp answer for all critics. Men hot,
with sympathy for the Entente Allies
saw in him a menace. They regard
ed him as the incarnation of German
militarism. Dark suspicious crept in
to the minds of many in regard to
Prof. Munsterberg and his motives,l
and his pronouncements about Ger
many.
He, too, was heated for long time,
but as the months drew on and his
own hope Of quick victory for Ger
many were not realized he cooled off
and he took a larger and somewhat
different view Of the entire situation
that had been produced by the war.
He saw that such intense National
ism as had produced the war could
not endure with profit to civilization.
He came to see more clearly the place
Of Great Britain in the world. This
took time, suffering, and necessary
remoteness from the actual conflict to
give perspective.
| One Of the earliest attacks on Prof
Muensterberg was in a sermon
preached by Rev. DR.. Hills of the
Plymouth church, Brooklyn, in which
the minister condemned Germany
and referred to a Harvard professor
as the author of a letter in which
were strong Anti-American cent?
ments. The letter referred to was
in the Atlantic Monthly, but it was
not by Prof. Muensterberg, and the
latter in replying to what he called
an Mnexcusable calumny,' said:
GAS DR.. Hills speaks Of the hos
pitality accorded to me in Harvard,
may say that I have not so far
thought that had asked Harvard for
q place, but that Harvard had begged
me to come; when I wanted to re-
turn, had urged me to stay, and when
I received call after call to European
UNIVERSITIES has always insisted that
I ought to remain here
Said War Was Forced on Germany
In his book 1.-THE War and Amer
ica,v published in the fall of 1914, he
claimed that the war was really be-
tween Russia and Germany and was
forced upon the latter. England and
France came in because they saw an
opportunity to gain land and trade at
Germany's expense. He also justified
the attacks on Belgium.