The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-11-12
MONDAY, NOVEMBER Il, 1917.
WHAT IS klTLTUR?

-%.-+s-ss.NHC IdIi-NsciIEtIllS hutJuI-
which developed in the diseased
imagination Of the kaiser, which
has taken an even more cruel and
relentless form in the mind Of his
eldest son and of the party which
he represents, has captured the
universities and pnlpits Of the ma
tion. and has been sedulously dis
titled into the minds of tho people.
including the school children and
almost the infants in arms. OF the
entire empire. Professor George
Trumbull Ladd
Much has been said and more
has been printed i'll the last four
years concerning German klllttr.
1t has become q word common to
the tongue Of Americans, and few
there are, no doubt, Who have not
some ideas as to Just What it is.
And yet. what is it?
Stripped Of all description and
,erbiage. how many actually
know the sort Of noisone thing il
) that has sprung from "the dis
eased imagination Of the kaisero"
TO the mind Of the average
American business man the real
,ty Of kultur is difficult to grasp.
From the normal development Of
American life. ii is but natural
that. being informed Of it. he firsi
was amused. then incrcdnlous.
and finally aroused to the enor-
nous inlquity uf this Prussian
fetch.
knltur is the philosophy Of the
Huhenzoflern government. 1t is
the system under which the
mightiest army Of the world was
organized and outfitted to the
most minute detail. which ha,
placed under its impressive
thumb all Of central Europe and
the Turkish empire, which had it,
designs upon the far east, which
had extended its all inclusive svs-
ten Of espionage to South Amer
lra and Mexico. which attempted
to bring internal disscnsion
through strikes and agitation up
on America. and which. in fact,
had left no field upon the face Of
the earth free from its attentions.
Under kutur. the state i,
above all, and the kaiser is the
state. Claiming his authority by
the direct will Of an Almighty God
whom he would make impotcnt.
the head Of the Telltunic peoples
has set about to make that claim
good "ab initlo.' The schools are
dominated by the government.
aud III them the children are
taught that the one supreme be-
ing Is the emperor. knltm JUST
tcs all means 10 attain IFS ends.
aud It's ends, Us SO often boa,tcd
by lecturers. writers and the kai-
ser himself. are world state in
Which the house OF Hohenzollcrn
Is tn. master II yIoriflcs force,
10 the end that this state may be
established at the cost of what
eyer horrors may be necessary
10 effect it,
To free Americans the idea that
1uOoOOuo Of people could accept
this as their code seems an I'M
possibility. They are inclined to
doubt The intelligence Of amy who
could entertain confidence for a
moment III such q system Yet
When il s considered that from
the cradle are the children taught
It. then il becomes somewhat
easier to understand why sunlc If
the worlds greatest lntellerts
have adopted It and have bent
their energies toward bringing
about the culminatiun 80 acNuut-
~ desired by the ruler whose >Ns-
tenn il i.
And With The realization that
tins terrible Thug rnyendered i'll
the mind of 4 man and likely to
have succeeded had it not been
tor the French suldlcrN al the
Marine, II now arraNcd against
ON Own land. what feelings can
true Americans hold other than
those OF pu>>'olIt" resentment
and horror? How can We he
moved by any other idea than
that OF fierce desire to wipe II
from the earth aud with il those
men III whose minds il Wao born
and Is nllrturcI?
The great war l. not "A war 81
eighteen nations Of The WurIl
against the German people. II i
kultur against civilization: kultul
against democracy: klliur again~'
Almighty God. 1t i The Wurl,
against an iiea-aI,d il l. war [,
tie death.