New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-09

To the Editor or ! ne Tribune.
Sir: Permit me TO express my apprecia-
ton of your editorial in to-day's Tribune
entitled THE German Way" In my humble
opinion. however, the idea that I'VE DO not
hate Germans and shall not hate them q
quote from your editoriaD is based upon
rnisapprehension. From the writer's obser-
walton and experience the large majority oil
the German population is in hearty accord
and sympathy with the policies pursued oy
it's government in this war. In support OF
this statement. / need only refer you to the
writings and expressions Of the leading pup
licsts, professors and propagandlsts IN Ger
many. as we'll as 70 the private and pubic
utterances Of German sympathzers IN TINS
country.
The writer has, at different times OF his
life, spent several years in Germany, having
attended a German gymnasium for two years
and German university for one year, ana
he is probably as we'll qualified TO Judge or
this peculiar psychology" of the Germans
as most of the people writing about 1t. The
German government is simply concrete
collective expression OF the morality OF the
German people as a whole.
A great deal of maudln nonsense is heard
in regard to the supposed intellectual achieve
r,ents of the Germans. Ii is true that their
achievements in a material sense have been
considerable during the past two or three
decades. but their intellectual achievements
during the same period have been consplcu-
Gus by their absence. From an artlstlc
standpoint these have chiefly consisted OF
lot of badly painted pictures and OF porno-
graphic postcards, which latter are motor
ous The sculptured monstrosues IN the
"Siegesallec" in Berlin are disgrace 70
soi-disant civilized community Aside from
scientific books, written with a practical and
material object the literary output OF Ter
many during the past twenty-five years has
mainly consisted OF lot Of pseudo philo-
sophic works, books on sex-abnormallties
and dissertation. upon tho glories of war
and militarism. The loudly extolled books
Of Professor Haeckel, Of Jena, on monism,
etc. are nothing but q rehash of something
expounded by Lucian over thousand years
ago. in much better way. II may justly
be denied that the German contribution TO
the intellectual wealth Of the world during
the past twenty-five years is of any value.
German achievements IN philosophy made
bv Kant. Hegel. Schopenhauer, Leibnltz,
Fichte. etc, were made when what IS now
modern Germany was a small aggregation oil
politicallv powerless states; the great Ger
man COMPOSERS for the most part, produced
their works long before the present era. In
stead of the melodies of such composers as
Schubert. Wagner and Schumann. we now
have the cacophonies of Richard Strauss;
instead of the philosophical deductions OF
Kant and Schopenhauer, the materlalistlc
PHILOSOPHY Of Haeckel and the maunderings
of a Hugo Muensterberg; instead OF the
paintings Of Abrecht Duerer, those OF Stuck
and the modern secession school.
Politically the modern German belongs to
the era of Louis XIV, and like the Bouroons'
the Hohenzollerus have learned nothing and
forgotten nothing in the interim by utliH-
ing and applying the inventions OF non Gu
tonic brains to destructive purposes for their
own material ends. the Huns have become
menace TO civilization, just as Carthage was
81 menace 10 Roman civilization There seems
to be no Cato among US, however, to cry
"Gerrania delenda est" According TO our
President. on the contrary. We are not con-
corned with the causes or issues OF this war.
more striking example OF mental myopla
than is expressed by such sentiment IL
would be difficult 10 conceive. II this idea IS
shared by the general public. as the result
of the last election unfortunately Indicates
we are doomed as "a nation unless our cnest-
nuts arc pulled out of the fire by sweeping
victory of the Entente powers.
Not until the German people are converted
IN democratic ideals and the Hohenzollern
dynasty is overthrow, or Germany IS split
ND into the small states composing 1t before
1870 is any country safe. In the meantime
men Of the Bryan type should be muzzled
and prevented from spreading their PERM
cious doctrine of national harakirl. Pacihsm
is merely another name for arrant cowardiee
and sinking of plain duty. When our neigh