South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-12-07

By Wallace Notestein and Z. E. Stoll
The University Of Minnesota.
But any political communit
not in a position to assert its nativ
strength as against any given grou,
of neighbors will always be on tn
verge of losing its characteristic a
a state. This has always been tn
case. Great changes in the art o
war have destroyed numbe~les
states. 1t is because an army o
10000 men can only be reckone,
today as a weak army corps that il
the long run the small states o
central Europe can not maintain
themselves"
CTreitschke, Politics 1S97,
trans, 1916. L. 30. Won Treit-
schke was one of the most in
huential of Germany's historical
and political thinkers; Our
great national historian" the
Kaiser has called him. His lee
lures at the University Of Ber-
lin were crowded with students,
students destined to be the
thinkers and leaders of Ger
many; his pronoUncements on
German policy in the Preus-
sische Jahrbucher determined
opinion. He wrote history that
glorihed the rise of Prussia. he
acclaimed the union OF Ger
many and the annexation of
Alsace-LOrraine as he saw il
realized through the Franco
Prussian war. he insisted upon
the concentration Of power in
sthe German state, and on the
dominant position Of that state
in Europe. He pinned his faith
to the great state; its rights
were paramount. Wars which
nodded separate fragments into
one great political unit, even if
wars of conquest, were justifia-
BILE His works became CYCLIC
pedias of patriotism, and, be
cause vigorously and entertain
ingly written, were and are
widely read. Their aphorisms
have become a part of German
political sripture, their philoso-
ply has been the textbook Of
German statesmen. Bernhard
quotes Treitschke with the same
reverence with which he quotes
Bismarck and Machiavell).
"At the start the interests o
and of oversee polite
go hand in hand; but it becomes
question which of the two will us
the other for its ends. Whateve
may happen. then, this is certain
Nationality, culture, world power
and the German empire itself stant
and fall together"
(Georg Fuchs. Der Kaiser, die
Kultur, ind die Kunst 1904,
p. 60
Your royal highness (Princ
Ruprech) has been able 10 convinc
himself how powerfully the wav
beat of the ocean knocks at tn
door of our people and forces it L
demand its place in the world as
great nation; drives it on, in short
to world politics.
"Germany's greatness makes
impossible for her 20 do without tn
ocean. but the ocean also prove
that even in the distance. and on it
farther side, without Germany an
the German emperor no great de
cision dare henceforth be taken.
Il do not believe that 80 year
ago our German people under tn
leadership of their princes. bled an,
conquered in order that they Nigh
be showed aside when great de
cisions are TO be made in foreig1
politics. If that could happen, tn
idea that the German people ar
to be considered as a world powe
would be dead and done for. and
is not my will that this should hap
pen. To this end il is only my dut
and my finest privilege to use tn
the proper. and, II need be, tn
most drastic means without fear o
consequences. am convinced tina
i'm this course / have the Germa
princes and the German peopl
firmly behind me"
(Kaiser's speech, Kiel. July
s, 1909. Gauss. PIP. 162, 1851
I'VE must not forget that. fight
ing and conquering, we must on t
the ever distant pinnacle or dow
into the abyss. In the crush an
scramble OF the peoples there
no standing still The face of tn
earth is ever changing. Pee
nlns urhIch one nrnndlN saiIed ia