Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-10-29
SPAIN'S ATTITUDE In THE WAR

I upon the state OF the French soul n
| France. His Impressions. developed ap
seven or eight articles Of his Journal,
| merriment.
|
According to the editor Of the correo
France was in a pitiable state Die
couragement and lassituds
A Dismal. reisned everywhere, The
| soldiers go. to the FRONT In
1ctule. sad resignation. Frtghtful
details give precision to tho dfesd pic
ture. Tho director of the buffet at
Hendaye has a son whose legs were
amputated. An athlete Of Guetary.
champion Of the Basque. was rendered
| '1egless." At Biarritz all. even the
croupier of the tables at the casino.
! have been wounded.
| In the avalanche OF articles of this
nature the comic note Is apparent, ana
thus the criticism fails of Its object
and reflects ridicule upon the author.
| Unhappily. public opinion in Spain con-
| tinues to be Influenced by such Jour.
nalism which others. more conscien-
tious. endeavor to restrain and correct.
| Among these articles and pamph!eSp.
some of which show real genius ana U
exalted spirit Of patriotism. mentien
Anecdotes on the war under tho tise
of la Guerra Actual" by Alfonso DC
Sofa. This pamphlet has for Object tnS
exaltation Of patriotism unoer All
forms. and pretends TO prove that
neither France. England nor Russia
wished the war. that only Germany ana
Austria were prepared since q long
| time, and that In this connfct GetmAhy
proposed to attack the old principle OF
| nationalties.
In the eyes Of certain Spanish writer's
! this horrible war seems as vast ana
sinister pleasantly which the SIeceoF
has pleased himself to offer to the hu-
| man race to show 1t the vantSy OK It's
aspirations and the fiction OF It's pre-
/ tended progress" This conception OF tho
dencia Iglesias Hermida in q series OF
essays. ::
| Don Pruden starts with the idea that
he must write all sorts OF foolishness
foolish had been said He mocks clever
ly at those journalists who in the
| corner of a cafe write a chronic ana
pretend above all to show their German
| ophile or Francophile sentiments when
a sole thought should animate them,
| the horror Of war.
| The conflict appears to him also un-
der a grotesque side. Heroism is moth.
! ing else than the instinct of personal
| conservation. He is the enemy Of per-
manent armies. which he compares to
| a collection of slaves to whom is as
sured more or less pasture.
| 50 '"''. -
Don Pruden, nevertheless. while jok-
ing. writes things that are quite true
| He hates Prussia and
The Ka;ser its king. whom he ac-
cuses of bluster. and
| hld1culed. mocks his "mystico-
/ warrior" garb. in which he parades;
The white cape of Louvain." he says
will never be the gray surtout OF
Austerlitz.- 80
The figure of the kaiser ten1pts often
the Spanish reporter anxious for
l"copy." All, even the GermanophiIs.
trace Of the kaiser a portrait which he
can scarcely accept as hattertng-
Chosen by God to govern peoples.
there is between kaiser and people an
impassable barrier. His duty is to
command. theirs. to obey. Pariiaments
| ministers, constitutions. laws. do not
exist for him. The only durable au,
thority, fndestructible. is the imperial
i power That authority he proclaims
4 ereign who believes still in the divine
4 right. He likes: to present himself 10
! his people as an intermediary between
God and men. He may Illuminate nm ne
/
permits no occasion to pass to aaarm
| his own superiority over the rest OF
| humanity. Finally. he believes In the
i supernatural mission OF Germany.
/ Warrforlpriest;f he wished to be repre-
4 scented as a Teutopic knight among the
4 ancient Stone saints of the Cathedral
1 of Metz: In turn orator. poet, mosf-
| clan, painter or sculptor. he fhtnke
4 himself capable Of commanding armies,
i or Of doing the dominical preaching.
/! The foregoing sketch, II should be
I added, by M Gomez Garlic in his 'tse-
4 ffections on a Tragedy, ts chez
1 cause reaction in public opinion:
4 NJ. AItanira, another Spanish writer,
| EXPRESSES fear that the hatred OF peoS
| pies, taking on more acuteness arter
| the war. may paraiy1e the necessary
| collaboration of all humanity In the
domain of letters. sciences and artss
Pacifst, the author has studied the
| phases OF the conflict in its relations
| to Spanish opinion.
1 the War" believes in the triumph OF,
the allies, which will have as a result
moral progress bringing respect TOT
\ concluded treaties between nations;
| democratic progress putting an end
to the secret diplomacy of govern
| ments; a reduction in ornaments and
a more active and efficacious interven-
ton of peoples in questions OF peace
| and war. r
~
| Finally, in order to abridge the mass
of writings on the present war by re-
porter correspond
Suppose Spain ents which lnnu-
Gntereu WAL: degree the attitude
/ of Spain in the war. We should men
| ton a pamphlet signed -Senor from"
| (who is Jose Maria Reguena Ortiz.
L