The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-01-11
THE TRANSLATION
OF GERMAN EMOTION
An Application Of Psyche Analysis 10
kultur. Unconscious Power Vast.
cd by the Rest of us In Heroic
Thoughts

btrHany eHiClency docs not lie
! her physical prowess alone. He
! knowledge Of psychology includes IN
Z world and the various directions int
! which national habits Of mind projec
! nations; and, more, by holding sue
Z foreknowledge, she gains the tremcr
! fous advantage Of being able to dis
: count it. Her Kultur is, indeed, n
( boastcd thing alone II is an engin
\ of dynamic strength. Few seem i
: know the true meaning of the wor
"klltur." Literally translated /
means materials culled from ruthles
reality, pointing the direction il
which the human race is being hurled
Long ago, under the guidance Of
efficient Prussia, Germany was laugh
the paralyzing and destroying effects
of emotions. She, therefore, ceased
under Prussian guidancc,-her emo.
tional art and literature, to give atten,
ton to physical achievement.
While other nations, Snug in their
natural advantages, were vying with
one another for a supremacy in art
and literature Through the measure
of Saturnalian debauchery) Germany
watched, with ever growing kultur
the heroic visions of her neighbors go
up in emotional smoke. She made
guns and gas while they made emo
tional serum.
Among students Of mental phenom-
ena emotions have long since been
known to hold the greatest of all of
the destroying agents Of heroic deeds
and, without doubt, physical achieve
ments as well. Anger, joy and pity
when carried to the nth power (Sat-
urnalian debauchery, which seems to
be the present goal of our politicians
and literary directors) are the utter
destruction of the psychic material
which otherwise would have to find its
exit in deeds.
The ycllow-backed dime novel of
decade ago-which, contrary to the
general belief that it led to physical
activity in wrong direction, in real
ity led to no physical activity what
ever-has not been suppressed; it has
been compressed into emotional novels
and cheap periodicals. Wien young
man or woman of our own particular
country and time has personal griev-
ance against another Individual, or
even against natural situation, what
does he or she do? He or she buys a
magazine, hunts its pages for some
paralleling situation, and into the
emotional materials of impossible |
achievement translates himself or her.
self into the hero, his or her antagon-
list into the william, and, zip! he or she
has burned the materials of personal
in one grand bonfire of emo
tons. And, more, through the trick
cry Of sustained interest, the reader
unconsciously learns to postpone his
own impact upon life for the reason
that, in the ultimate end of the story
that is to say, on the very last page
of tit all comes right in the end. In
short, he emotionalizes reality by
himself from its impact
and substituting miracle for his con-
tribution to life.
| recall a very emotional novel
which appeared some years ago, set
ting forth the thoughts of patient
old cabhorse. The novel was called
BLACK Beauty" 1t was purchased by
thousands Of benevolent people and
sent into free circulation to lessen the
of the poor old four-footed
slave. But in reality what happened?
It practically dissolved in one huge bon
FIRE of tears and pity all the humane
of the country.
These consequences are all the re-
suit of what is called the unconscious :
lesire. Consciously, we may wish
right to prevail, but so much of real
ty is blocked from consciousness by !.
he cultivation Of emotions that the
Of reality are more often left
10 shift for themselves, and do, by
.oaming about in the unattended
ooms Of The unconscious mind.
! have tried on several occasions to
explain what might be called Ger
nany's elucidation Of the Unconscious
wish" and the drive it holds, which
,utvies in both force and logic the
conscious wish. But here in America
hey all laugh. That is to say-they
,urn up the deep Significance Of the
natter in an emotional dcbauch--
while in Germany they listen with
minds alive TO its physical utility.
The unconscious wish is explained ,
Is follows: John Smith is afraid to
ross the street for fear Of being in
ured by passing automobiles. In con !,
Of his conscious wish not TO
L l.. H. %, -