New Britain herald., 1917-04-27
'ALSACE GERMAN BUT
 IN LANGUAGE ONLY
Another Instance Where Berlin
 Failed Again in Psychology

A1oVoI H6u, that IS, the element of
 psychology. said Pastor Charles
 Wagner. author of "The Simple Life".
 speaking to The Associated pra<s
 about President Wilson's speech to
 the Democratic National committee
 and the semi-ofilcial reply sent out rom Berlin in which 1t was declarad that Alsace Is today, as it always has oeen German in language, tradition and sentiment. Pastor Wagner ha. gan his career as a clergyman in Aisace after the war of 1870.
 Tho Germans claim Alsace as a Herman-speaking country; yet they
 themselves were surprised in 1870 10 lind people there speaking
 language similar to this own. vet so
 oinerent in everything that goes to
 make up life," continued the pastor.
 There were Alsatia.ns that might
 nave been called half and half. that
 mad benefited from French culture and German science. That element
 thought that. if France should lose
 Alsace. 1t might become more and
 more g. connecting link between the two countries. Indeed. the historical
 origin of Alsace would justify the
 a. great mission to perform in the world
 but that mission was denied by the Germans. They would not admit that the Alsatians could draw on two sources. They required that the an- nexed people should forget France. that they should have only one pride and one glory, that of being German.
 was a student at Strassbure after the war of 1870 and saw the beginning of that new and painful era for Alsace. My first preaching was done there. I soon discovered that, if remained, I could scarcely be anything more that corporal of
 the Emperor. I left because didn't want to become a spiritual gendarme.
 Failed to Understand Alsatians.
 'The Germans failed utterly to
 understand what was noble and worthy in the Alsatian character and how they might have made them selves accepted. They were blind to the painful situation of the tenacious and obstinate Alsation people, hold ing to old affections. and to whom, remaining faithful to France in her misfortunes. Germany appeared all the more excessive in her exultations. They had not the tact and discretion or successful victor. The conse- quence was that Alsatians attributed the result of the war of 1870 more to circumstances that to Germany's superiority.
 The great contrast they were obliged to draw between the Germans who emigrated from other provinces into Alsace after the war and their ideal German. destroyed their con. fidence in the much vaunted Ger-.t man organization.
 The Alsatian lives we'll and drinks good wine. but he is ashamed to be seen drunk. The absolute absence of dignity in this respect by the inn migrated Germans made it impossi- l ple Tor the Alsatian to associate with l them.
 'The younger generations became more indifferent than the old by force | of circumstances, but the partial con- quest of this younger element was not spiritual conquest. It was sim ply because the population was be- coming habituated to new rulers. as an old woman becomes habituated to her false teeth, to her failing beauty, without in any sense becoming ena. moured of her old age.
 The Germans needed a Napoleon to complete the military conquest of 1870 by the spiritual conquest of the people. He would never lay 8 hand upon institutions particular to Alsace and Lorraine. He was chaffed once about the generals on his staff who spoke German. It is true they do speak German, he said; Keller mann swears in German. but he fights In French. Napoleon knew that the spirit of the Alsatian was French and that he needed have no anxiety on the score of the language In fact. the French policy since Louis XIV. had been never to touch anything in Alsace. The country was left with B language that was not national. German and French were taught, put the old patois was the substance. French penetrated the province like } perfume instead of like 8 projectile IS did German institutions.
 "A curious result of the German effort to stamp out French in Alsace was that in proportion as the Asa tians forgot French they became more Alsatian, while they never ap- preached any nearer to being Ger man. In less than fifteen years after the beginning of the German occupa- ion, an Alsatian literature had sprung up. The German permitted it, not that that provincial patois was a sort of a fortress be- 1 hind which Alsatian characteristics were sheltered"
 War as Spiritual Purge.
 Passing on to general questions re- yarding the war and it's effects after ' ward. Pastor Wagner expressed the opinion that the world will be spirit , i% hor !