The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1917-09-13
THE WAR WITH GERMANY
What Are We Fighting For Clarence
Poe, Editor Progressive Farmer:

leave at the cost of our COM
mon immo1ation the noblest
heritage future generations can
possess"
The allied nations now at war with
us, in answering President Wilson
note last December, declared their
sympathy for "a league of nations to
insure peace and justice throughout
the world" And Premier Lloyd
George. of England, possibly the
greatest personal force on earth to-
day. makes this prediction as to con-
ditions after the war:
The nations will band them
selves together to punish the
first peace-breaker who comes
out. AS to the armies of Eu-
rope, every weapon will be
sword of justice in the govern
ment of men; every arm will be
a. constabulary for peace
In other words, America is now
fighting "a war against war" war
to prevent forever hereafter such
wars as that which now RACES. But
the German ideal is militaristic. AS
a recent authority has declared, she
subordinates the civil power to the
military power; she glorifles war and
believes it not only to be necessary
once in while but to be legitimate
instrument of policy" AS nation
she has no patience with the ideal OF
a league of nation: executing Judg-
ment in righteousness. Such an ideal
to her is effeminate. She has freed
herself, she declares, from "the con-
temptible sin of weakness" Force is
to her as a god. "The iron hand,
or "the mailed fist is the familiar
phrase that springs to any "e'l-in-
formed mind when German policy IS
mentioned. Bismarck, we'll called
"the man of blood and iron,' was
the real father of modern Germany,
and he has stamped the impress OF
his warlike and INSCRIPTIONS nature
upon every feature of the nation. A
long list of German philosophers and
teachers have reiterated his views
until the German mind is thoroughly
inoculated with them. Writing in
the dispassionate years of the early
COS, twenty years ago, DR.. A. Law
renee Lowell, now President OF Har-
ward, correctly described the trend
of German thought when he said:
''The Emperor is indeed an
ardent believer in the new
monarchical theory which
has recently come into vogue
in Germany-a theory that
decries universal suffrage and
! proclaims the military mon
archy as the best possible form
of government-thus furnishing
one of many examples OF the
way the end of the century is
rejecting the principles and re-
vising the conclusions that have
been laboriously developed dur
ing the last hundred years. The
fact is that ever since the bat-'
tie of Sadowa profound change
has been coming over the Ger
man character. The dreamy,
portical, mystical temperament
has given way before the hard,
practical, organizing spirit OF
the Prussians. The unity of the
Fatherland which the dreamers
failed to accomplish was brought
about by means of the drill-ser-
geant, and hence the nation is
ruled by his methods.
Let us consider, for example, the
teachings of one typical German phi
losopher of recent years, Treitschke.
Like many others of his class, he
breaches that war is necessary for
the elimination of weak peoples; and
that the government need respect no
promises, no moralities, when they
stand in the way of its progress. Let
us quote his exact words:
The state has no power to
limit it's own power; hence no
treaty when it becomes lncon-
venient can be binding; hence
the very notion of arbitration is
absurd; hence war is part of the
Divine order.'
In matters of difficulties with 9TH
er governments, he declares, 1T is
absurd to buster about morality, or
expect the state to confront them
with a catechism in her hand
Nurtured on such teachings, is 1t
! Horr,onv u-icb in O