The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1917-09-28

Germany hates us. She has no more
love for the German sympathizer in
the United States than the South had
for the northern copperhead, and that
was contempt added to hatred.
But all this is not the big reason
why Germany must not win this war.
l. If Germany should win it would be
the death knell to democracy. Even
that is not the big reason why Ger
many must not win. People have
lived and advanced under kings and
czars and for that matter, kaisers.
If Germany should wip, with her
predominating notion that women are
only useful to bear children, and chill
dren are only soldiers too young to
bear arms, civilization would DO back
900 years at one tremendous back
ward step. That is the big reason why
| Germany must not win. Civiliza-
ton never has and never can stand
still. 1t must either go forward or
backward. 1t may move forward
seemingly at snail's pace, but there
| is no such thing as an orderly retreat
for civilization-it is panic-stricken
rout.
To be able to read and write and
master the sciences, to make war en-
gines that will fly in the air and tread
water, to lead the world in song and
hold high place in, art and literature,
is not necessarily civilization. The
ancients 5000 years ago were able to
do many things that we have never
succeeded in duplicating. There never
was civilization that would live, that
would be worth while, that was not
grounded on the honesty, integrity
and morality of it's men and the vir-
tues of the women. 1t has become a
recognized fact that honesty and in
tegricity, morality and virtue are only
secondary and subservient to Ger
many's main idea of civilization-to
be desired probably but not at all
necessary.
A nation that will belittle virtue in
women, that will tacitly if not open
ly advocate immortality, that will legi-
timatize bastard children by the thou
ands through the acts of the imperial
state with the same sang froid that
our legislature will 4egalize the acts
of some fool notary public or city
council who have exceeded their au-
thority, such a nation must never
have world domination. 1t would be
stab at civilization that would be
absolutely fatal. 1t would be world
calamity.
The success of Germany would de-
stroy the sublime fabric of the Chris
tan religion. There would cease to
be such thing as devoutness. Think
of man at the head of the worlds
civilization preaching his own omni-
potence! What a wrath of the kaiser
cannot accomplish the wrath of God
will finish. 1t is blasphemy or there is
no Jehovah.
Just before the war, in a speech at
Koenigsberg, the kaiser said: "Con-
sidering myself the instrument of the
Lord, without needing the views and
opinins of the day. l go my way"
Many times since the war was de-
clared he has told the German people
that he and God are in this war to-
gether and that he has assurance from
the Almighty that Germany will win.
He tells the people, to be a trifle
coarse, that he stands so near the
throne of grace that he could lay his
mailed fist on it any time he chose.
When man talks like this he either
believes it or he is satisfied the people
to whom he is talking believe it. 9th
erwise no man could have the effront-
cry. If he believes it he is a. par
anoiac; if he is sane he has the devil
slammed for hypocrisy. The German
people seem to believe him. There is
the mystery.