South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-12-02
How the German Propaganda Developed


vastly accelerated scale England and France even
have continued to import these German as.tations-
though in disguise. Russia, America and the
neutral countries have been subject 10 more OF hls
intellectual dumping the three years Of than in
quarter century intellectual preparation for
that was carried on by Germany these countries
The smaller neutral neighbOrs Of Germany have been
deluged. submerged. For the war. has shown
that they have the strength defend them
selves against insidous German posons that have
deblitated their minds and characters Like some Of
the new German gases, after these German lies
eectually exposed and apparently cured they fan
into the individuals suDsconsciousness and appear
again and again sometimes later to cause re-
apses often a fatal character Even when the
Prussian incubation does take the frshtfulness
and responsiveness of repeated assaults sometimes
Supply paralyze the will of the victim The healthy
human organism throw off considerable number
variety poisonsbut it is likely weaken soon
er the strain and if the exposures are
continued MAY succumb in the end
SYSTEM OF FsLsEHooD.
Partisan views one-sided theories logical monstrosi-
ties suppression essential facts not sun-
cient for the of the propaganda Of autocrcy
vast system outright falsehOOd is Indispensable.
So every autocracy possesses enormous machinery
for propagation of lies. Peaceful democracies
have machinery for the propaganda OF anything
of the essential truths of democraces or the
Indispensable educational campaigns of times.
Again the systematic falsehOOds of despotism plan
in advance manifold IN variety ana repeated un
the achieved have only the slow
unorganized reaction of public opinion The struggle
I'D to the presenthas been grossly 1t IL as
if a citizen should attempt 10 defend his
hands or his stick against assassin armed with
poisoned stIetto automatic revolver.
Many baseless and impudent German lies are at the
present moment accepted among the masses of our
people truths The best examples the
lies divided against England Dernberg having failed in
his EFFORT Germany it almost publicly de-
cided TO cease this defensive policy and concentrate
eminent is quite as antidemocratc as the German
tacks against Germanys enemies and especially Eng
land This branch of the propaganda has had sue
cess beyond the widest hopes of its organizers For
the impression has been made that the English gov
eminent is quite antidemacratic the German-t
not more So that military enemy Is no worse than
our military ally this had the opinion of the
nation as a whole should hardly have entered the
war and should favor peace at almost any price
And unless we are able counterfeit this and other
rourishng products of the kaiser's propaganda, we
can hardly hope for a nation to the end of the
But what can we do? The public must arouse it
self or be aroused the fact that the German pro-
paganda Just menacing the German armies and
hat almost as much effort is needed to combat IL
The German press be resare ed with the same
hostility as submarines and Il pro- American
press must be upheld with the same energy and en-
thusasm the army and navy
For the newspapers Obliged 10 follow public
opinon If they have neither adopted the war psy-
choogy or sufficiently drastic methods of fighting the
kaiser on American soil this is because their readers
are not quite ready for the change,
We have had revolutionary changes in government
in business and in private life. We shall have equally
revolutionary changes in the newspapers as soon as
the public they indispensable if are to
beat Germany. Certainly newspaper men do not lag
behind either enterprise in adaptability 10 the
needs of the day. The whole difficulty is with the
newspaper readers.