The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-09-17
Feuddlis,,1 Pifted
AGAINST Freedom
in Greatest War
Two SctG of Ideals Clash in
Europe, Trexler
Declares.

Out Of feudalism and the French
Revolution grew ideals over which the
greatest war in history Is waged.
These institutions. the: efore, are not
mere dead leaves of the past. and the
person who would properly understand
contemporary movements must look
for their source in history.
ITO the historical student every race
riot and every strike has its anteced-
ents and its effects" says DR. II. A..
Trexler assistant professor of eco
| nomic history at the State University
OF Montana, in further support Of the
thesis that history has a practical
| value. And he puts few questions
concerning the war that bear definitely
upon historical study:
What Are Roots Of War?
"This war has proved that England
has a great navy-five to two as COM
pared with that of Germany. When
did Britain first become supreme upon
the seas?"
did Great Britain at the time she
began the construction OF a big fleet
have colonial empire in mind?"
when did Germany start to make
her army the largest in Europe?"
was Frederick the Great the father
Of Prussianism
rs the kaiser the pale pink imita :
| ton Of Napoleon as some one has
| said?"
History Helps Student.
DR.. Trexler says history helps to
| answer the foregoing and other ques-
| tions for "only in the light Of the past
can we interpret the present or an
ticipate the future"
1.-THE practical value Of history Is
expressed in the epigram. What man
has done. man can do again." con-
tinues DR.. Trexler. ITO the historical
student each new religious cult and
each new system of philosophy has its
source in certain conditions of the past
that influenced the founder. Although
this idea Is self-evident to us, 1t was
not recognized by the historians Of old
er times. To them facts and date.
were fetiches. They considered thu
different periods Of the past as air
tight compartments having no connec.
ton whatever with one another or will
their own times Modern scholars at
tackled this antiquarian dealing will
the past and history became a rea
science-the study of a developing
changing. improving world.
| The Language Of Fsudalism.
l A1.~
people,. or My empire or My fleet
he is simply reverting to the languag
of feudalism." continued DR.. Trexle,
discussing the value Of knowledge q
feudal history. Most Of the trap
pings OF feudalism are dead. Serf
dom. legal monopolies and petty war
fare have passed. But the BIRTHS
house of lords. despite its presen
impotence. the German bundesrat
with all its power. and the saber-rat
thing junkerdom are direct outgrowth
Of the feudal age.
"For God and kinu."
"The kaiser's attitude in the pres
emit war Is simply that of the petit
Hohenzollern ritter or knight, his TIL,
, teenth century ancestor. who threw HI
dumb peasants against the castle {
his hated rival. Now, as then, tn
voice of the German subject has n
weight. Our cry in this war is 'Lit
:. erty and Democracy But on tn
Prussian helmet have often rea
these words, Fur Colt und Koenia
or For God and King We fight Il
our own institutions and interests-th
German for his divine right kaiser an
the German god, whom some mo,
modest king of Prussia than Willia1
II admitted into the firm as a senic
partner.
rs the French Revolution vital
connected with our world affairs I
today. Here is the answer: Forg.
the guillotine, and note what III
French did in 1889. They wiped o,
/, completely divine-right monarchy an
feudalism.
! Tho Service of France.
ITO France and the countries 'revc
lutionized' by her-Italy, Switzerlan,
Belgium, Spain and Portugal thes
vestiges of the feudal past did not re
turn, save for few years of reactio
forced on them by those nations whic
had hardly been touched by the reve
lution-Russia. Austria and Prussi,
AS a result, these latter nations WEI
till recently the exceptions among tn
western countries in the march towar
democracy. The idea Of democracy
incomprehensible to one not acquaint
ed with the French Revolution