River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1917-11-29
Cerman-American Press
Dear Mr.. Editor:


that aletter in the attitude of Ger
man Americans toward the war
might be Of interest to your readers.
At the time of the State Teachers
Association it was my privilege to
visit my old home in southeastern
Wisconsin. This community is more
German than Milwaukee, practical
ly everyone is Of German descent.
At present there is very little loud
m 0 Ut h ed, outspoken disloyalty.
Th7re has been no sign of resistance
to the draft or other war legislation.
But a person who can understand
German will hear some almost unbe-
lievable things | know man who
could not endure the. tyranny Of the
lord of the manor in Prussia and fled
to this country sixty years ago.
This man has prospered in this coun-
try; he served three years in the
Union army, but his fondest hope is
that Germany will overwhelm the
allies before we can give effective
aid. I talked with woman who
came here as a child nearly so years
ago; the family was assisted to come
by the community because of their
dire poverty. This woman has seen
her children grow up to positions of
independence and respect; she and
her sisters have exchanged the pros
poets Of a German almshouse for the
freedom and opportunity Of this
country. Still her sympathies are
entirely with Germany. | could
give other instances of people who
came from poverty and misery in
the old country to the opportunities
of our land, but whose sole thought
and desire is for German victory in
the war.
| would not give the impression
that all, or even the majority of the
German Americans of my home
town are disloyal. Many of them
have taken the lead in patriotic
activity. The German Catholics es-
pecially have taken the lead in Red
Cross and Liberty Loan campaigns.
But the question is, how can the
other class feel as they do?
Much of this feeling for the land
of their early years is natural. The
hardships are forgotten, but the life
and pleasures of their youth are al
ways present in memory, remem-
Der we'll the old men telling us how
we never have any such cherries or
apples as those of the old country.
There are no social diversions like
the dances when they were young.
Even the diet of black bread and
sour milk comes in for praise as
wonderfully nourishing if not over
ly palatable.
Much Of the attitude of covert
hostility is due to a peculiar sensi-
tiveness of the German Americans.
A person not of foreign parentage
can hardly understand their feeling.
We German children always felt
that others were ready to look down
upon US because of our foreign par
entage. We were given the idea at
home that children Of American par
entage felt superior to us and de-
spised us because of our nationality.
| have known families of education.
wealth, and the highest social posi-
ton, who were never quite sure that
other people did not remember their
German origin against them. One
who understands their feeling can
readily see how these people receiv-
ed the stories of German atrocities.
They promptly took the unreason-
able position that any criticism of
Germany was a criticism of them
selves. While this attitude is en-
tirely foolish and unreasonable it
would have been we'll if American
opinion had recognized the existence
OF it. If few newspapers or pub
lie men had gone to the trouble of
dwelling on the virtues Of the early
German pioneers, and had dwelt on
the fact that qualities of these men
were as far removed as the poles
from those of the German war lords.