The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1917-12-27
HOW THE GERMANS
HAVE BEEN TAUGHT

The following is reprinted from Cur
rent Events, published weekly in New
York city throughout the school year
by the American Education Press:
The following letter from Prussian
girl to a friend in Switzerland may
throw light upon that amazing state
of mind of the Prussian people which
leads them to support and applaud
their king in plunging the world into
war. For behind the war, and the real
cause of it, there is prussian way of
looking at things. That way is so for
eign to our American ideas of right
and wrong that Americans can hardly
understand it or believe that it exists.
The letter is printed in the Con-
gressional Record, and is taken from
page S046 of the volume for the recent
session. No doubt this girl is just an
average Prussian in the ideas she
shows regarding a supposed Prussian
right to rule the world. She expresses
the idea a little more simply and
frankly than the Prussian statesmen.
that is all. That a great intelligent
people like the Prussians can be so ig-
norant and perverted in their moral
ideas is what is hardest for Americans
to understand.
Frankfort on Oder. July 20, 1916.
my dear Louise: The contents of
your last letter would have hurt me
had | not known that your thoughts of
our glorious war resulted from sheer
| ignorance.
"You are in country rendered eff
Terminate by the Influence of old fash
ioned ideas of liberty, country which
is at least two centuries behind ours.
You are in need of good dose of
Prussian culture.
"It is evident that you, Swiss girl,
with your French sympathies, cannot
understand how my heart, the heart of
young German girl. passionately de-
sired this war. Speaking of it some
years ago, my father said to us: Chill
dren, Germany is getting too small for
us, we shall have to go to France again
in order to find more room.' Is it our
| fault if France will not understand that
more money. and land are necessary for
us?
''And you reproach us that our sol
diers have been very cruel to the Bel
gian rabble. and you speak also of the
destruction of Rheims, and of the burn
| ing of villages and towns. Well, that
is war. AS in every undertaking. we
are past masters in the making of war.
| "You have great deal to learn be-
fore you can come up to our standard,
and | can assure you that what has
been done so far is mere bagatelle
compared with what will follow.
GAS matter of fact, there is but
one race worthy of ruling the world,
and which has already attained the
highest degree of civilization. That
race is ours, the Pussians for though
we Germans in general are the lords of
| the world the Prussian is undoubtedly
the world par excellence among the
| Germans.
"All other nations, and among them,
unfortunately, the Swiss, are degener-
ate and of inferior worth. That is why
| have always been so proud of being
true Prussian.
Yesterday, again, our pastor ex-
planned to us convincingly that our first
parents, Adam and Eve. were also
Prussian. That is quite easy to under
stand, because the Bible tells US that
| the German God created US all after
his own image. If, then, all men are
descended from Adam and his wife, it
follows that only Prussians, or at least
Germans, ought to exist in the world,
and that all who push on and prosper
ought to belong to US. You must ad-
NIT that that is logic, and that is why
our motto is, God with us, Germany
above everything
"You know now why we wished this
war. Is it not shameful that other ma.
tions. who have no right to existence
on the earth, wish to diminish our her.
itage? We are the divine fruit and the
others are only weeds. That is why
our great emperor has decided to put
an end to all these injustices and to
extirpate the weeds. Do you under
stand that now?
4 remain, your school friend,
| katie Hamel."