The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-12-15

something. Somehow We 'tfeef'
these prophecies.
/ was sorry for the poor people
who had to bear the brunt OF the
war. Like many American tourists
(pardon the parenthesis; / have no
other way OF telling you that have
been abroad" twice., have made
merry with the lght-hearted French,
admired the thoroughness OF the
Germans, been amused by the airs Of
the Italians, and exasperated by the
cock-sureness OF the British. Now,
all these peoples were to be led to
the slaughter again in the old game
OF kingcraft And TO most OF them
Il did not matter q rap who was king.
or what became Of an archdukeI If
IL were not so awful it would be
funny.
Theories Blow Up.
AS the awful thing grew and my
theories blew up one after another, !
began to see thar many things.
which at the time seemed only ac-
cidental, were probably planned as
part OF a Prussian propaganda
Four years ago when associated
with our exchange professor from
Germany thought Of him as getting
as much benefit from US as We got
from him. Now I began to put
little things together and saw that
he regarded himself as q mission
airy. bringing light into American
darkness.
That attitude could dismiss with
laugh. but how did he get It? Per-
haps because for years We teachers
had been going to Germany to COM
plete our education and had been
sending our graduate students there.
We were all good fellows, and frank
ly, we were successful Those Of us
who were scientists, insisted that
students should elect German in
their college courses because German
was the great storehouse Of scientific
information. At various educational
meetings we read papers in praise
of the German system Of instruction.
We gave ponderous lectures to our
freshmen In true German university
style.
Disease OF "Bia Head"
No doubt all this laudation was de-
served; but summing up it's probable
effect on a nation, began TO see
some reason for the attitude Of the
German rulers, II not the people.
They were suffering from a disease,
which, in my boyhood days we called
the "big head" It is superinduced
by q rush OF success to the head. It's
symptoms are a cock-sureness that
you are right and all the rest OF the
world is wrong: that you can not be
overlooked In the general scheme of
world development; and that you
have received q God-given commits
sion to impose your plan and views
on all the rest Of mankind. When q
boy got a bad case Of big head"
the rest Of the crowd gave him q
good humping. That usually re-
duced the swelling.
Perhaps no nation can endure too
much adulation without getting uu-
duly inflated. II we had seen for the
last 10 years Made IN the United
States" on the bottom Of the worlds
best manufactures, had connected IL
with the worlds best music, and had
read it attched 10 the best research
literature we might have grown UNI
duly chesty ourselves.
But this caHsa Of halIucination IS
away around--fhe globe; and my
family and my interests are on this
all GermaAy * fi5t a vast nation. one
can't stand Rq9gi94t all the others.
Then I Remembered seeing two COM
changes thfe Of war had
wrought in Central Europe, and how
the menack rown.
When looked at that exhibit q
few minutes I began 20 weaken on
my proposition that this was q
foreign war and that we were fight-
Ing solely for our European allies. /
began 70 see that II this thing kept
on, as seemed probable unless Uncle
Sam took a hand. we were likely
soon to be fighting a home war with
our backs up against our own doors.
Prussianism began 20 loom up as 8
menace right here instead Of "out
there" IL looked now as IL II were
my var; for my home and my fam
ilys for my right to be free from a
military system: and for my right to
think and act a. please. IL Is q
choice between American liberty and
Prussian cruelty want liberty.
Now a Fighting Paeifist.
But where are all my theories pf
the evils 81 war. my duty 60 my fel-
bowman. my objection - forced mile
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