The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1917-06-28

THE ROBE
the elimination Of weak peoples; and
that the government need respect no
promises, no moralities, when they
stand in the way Of its progress. Let
US quote his exact words: Il
"The state has no power to limit
its own power; hence no treaty when
it becomes inconvenient can be bind
ing; hence the very notion of arbi
tration is absurd; hence war is part
of the Divine order"
er governments, he declares, at is alb
surd to buster about morality, or ex-
pect the state to confront them with
a catechism in her hand.
Nurtured On such teachings, is it
any wonder that Germany, wishing to
drive through Belgium to attack I'M
prepared France, calmly ignored the
treaty she had signed so1emnly prom
ising never to invade Belgium
temptuously dismissed the "incon-
venient" treaty as "a scrap of pa
per" and declared that necessity was
sufficient excuse for her action?
AS a matter Of fact, the modern
German Empire is built on fraud.
The war with France in the 7O's by
which Germany established and en-
riched itself was brought on by AMI
admitted lie and forgery by Bismarck
himself.
Or let US consider the writings
of another German philosopher, Nj
| etzsche, whose views have so ire
| mendously influenced German thought
these last thirty years. Even more
fiercely than Treitschke he glorifies
! war, going even to the extent of de-
nouncing Christianity as religion of
the weak; in his view it is only for
"shopkeepers, cows, women and Eng
lishmen." Here is his doctrine as
given in his own words:
| "Wbat is good? All that increases
the feeling Of power, the will to
power, power itself, in man. What is
bad? All that proceeds from weak
ness. What is happiness? The feel
ing that power increases, that re-
sistance is being overcome. Not con-
tentment, but more power. Not peace
at any price, but war! Not virtue,
but efficiency! The weak and
the botched must perish: that is the
first principle Of our humanity. And
they should be helped to perish!
!, l am writing for the lords of
the earth. . You say that a good
cause hallows war? I tell you that
a good war hallows every cause?
There is your wild, intoxicated de-
| ification Of war-that dedication for
which militarist-mad Germany
stands: the doctrine that strong ma
tions must crush the weaker ones, and
glory in the crushing like drunk
en- man rejoicing in his murder. Nj
etzsche himself does not shrink from
the most brutal avowal Of his princi-
j pies. What means life? he asks in
"The Joyful WISDOM" and he an
swers: ''To thrust away from US ev-
cry thing that wants to die; to be
cruel and inexorable towards every
thing that grows old an! weak; to
be murderers all the time"
Il Let US be pesfe ctly frank and ad-
nit that the average German in his
mind does not wholly accept the doc
, trines of these writer's. Neverthe-
1 less, one has only to study Belgium
and the Lusitania to see that Treis-
chke and Nietzsche are the true ex-
ponents of official Germany. Not
only is it true that in no other ma
T ton has such school Of philosophers
won popular approval, and not only
+ is it true that their brutal caveman
doctrines have been accepted and
, translated into action by the German
government, but We must also &C.
knowledge that the German people
though ordered as soldiers to execute
these principles in ravaged Belgium
or on pirate submarines, have not yet
rebelled or made one historic protest
! against government so controlled
q, They have not differentiated them
q selves from their government.
+ Force, then is the German ideal
= military force, and force seemingl!
= unrestrained by moral scruples
v Moreover, force is limited bv no sens,
3 Of the governments responsibility t.
the great masses Of the people. Ov
: er and over again the Kaiser pro
/ claims the medieval doctrine of tn
!, divine right of kings; over and owe
a again he declares that he is anoint
n ed Of God to rule Germany as h
pleases. The American doctrine tina
20 the people have a divine right t
! choose their own rulers has no plac
a in German thought.
10 In saying what We have said, W
" intend to draw no Indictment of tn
masses of German people. They al
naturally a people of many admirabl
= qualities. But in submitting then
selves to the autocratic governmer
OF ruthless military despotism, the
have been mesmerized into a cha
acter cut out of keeping with the
natural tendencies. 1 know an Of