The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-04-29

tocracy and democracy.
1t may be said that the definition
partOOk of the nature of eXhausting
the obvious but it must be remember
ed that it is easy for the man in the
street to be wise after the event. In
the year 1915 few people saw, what
they have accepted, without question.
from the president of the United
States, within the month, that the kul.
tur of the Prussian system was so vi
olenty and irretrievably opposed to
democratic culture that it was proba.
bly, impossible for the two to make
terms with each other within the gate.
Everywhere democracy was asking
itself what would be the effect OF the
victory of German kultur, and every
where democracy was replying to the
question with the answer that it would
mean the destruction of freedom, as
freedom was understood in democratic
countries. The German might argue
that he enjoyed real freedom, and that
the freedom of democracy was the
freedom Of license, the freedom born
OF disOrganiZation and want of kultur
Ihat, If the premises should be grant.
ed by the democrat for the sake of ar
gument might be the case. It might
be that, judged by German standards
and German ideals, the German en-,
Joyed freedom, but it was not the free
dom which the democrat wished to en-.
JOY, or which the democrat could en-.
JOY the idea Of ever submitting to.
To the democrat the German idea
OF freedom was the freedom de-
creed by the expert. The
expert decided what was good for the
body polite, the body military. the
body social, on the body spiritual, and
then these bodies accepted the decree
OF the expert, and proceeded to adapt
themselves to his decree, with all the
organization and precision of the bee.
hlye The democrat, on the other
hand has passion for individual free.
dOm. II Is not his nature to be organ.
lzed Tor war, because the very meth.
od OF the military machine is. in his
eyes, an abrOgatiOn of freedom So
at the outbreak of the present war the
| democratic powers had to set their
IDEALS against the ideals of autocracy.
fOr time 1t seemed as If autocracv
was gaining the day. Those were the
| moments of the short, sharp rush of
the German legions over Belgium and
| INTO France. But already the smooth.
ness OF the machine was failing to
maintain itself The ideals of the Rel.
giahs caused a tremendous jolt before
the forts of Liege, the ideals of the
| BRUSH another tremendous Jolt be.
| lore the Notifications Of Mons. and the
/ IDEALS OF the French a further tremen.
! dOus Jolt before the gates of Paris
! MOI only was the engine not revolving
/ properly, but it was actually beginning
/ TO reverse itself. But the ideals of do.
mocracy were steadily if slowly gain.
ing ground. The joint effort of the
| BRUSH and the French flung back the
Tue OF invasion at the Marne. and has
very slowly been pressing it back ever
since II Is all very well to sav that
the change was wrought in the work.
shops of the English "Black Country"
ana IN the French arsenals, but as a
matter OF fact those things are but
erect. The cause of the German re-.
verse lies far behind these expressions
OF II. II lies in the uncomfortable
spirit OF democracy in the allied ma.
/ tiOns. ''''
1t is precisely the recognition Of tbis
lact mat is manifest in every line NJ
Mr.. Wilson's address to congress can.
ing Tor the declaration of state NJ
wal with Germany Mr. Wilson tben
put OFFICIALLY on record the fact. rec.
oghlzed' from the very beginning of
the struggle, by public opinion on both
sues by Prince Bulow no less than
Lord Grey, and by Monsieur Poincare
equally with Count Tisza, that some.
thing far deeper than mere national
ambitions had TO be reckoned with in
snort that 1t was a battle of mentaIi.
tles' This, Of course. was what was
meant by the German insistenca on
the campaign of kultur. for kulmr nc
conceived by Bulow or a Hinden.
Durs' a Reinhardt or Hauptmann is
very different thing from culture as
understood by Grey or a Grand DuLe
Nlcholas' ,Ni a Guitry or a d'Annunzio
ms campaign of kultur has found ey.
preston In the attempt TO SET nm n
supeI man amongst the nations. where.
as the Old idea of culture has for its
eventual object the establishment n,
'he Parliament of Man"