The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1917-04-21
WELL KNOWN AUTHOR
SAYS ALSACE IS NOT
GERMAN IN SPIRIT
Charles Wagner Gives Interesting
Interview to Associated Press
Correspondent; Teutons Are
Perfect Falsifiers.

il entertained anywhere a conviction
that Alsace is German IN spirit today.
IL H. q superficial deduction lacking
exactly what the Germans ave never
had. that is. the element OF psychOl-
ogy." SAID Pastor Charles Wagner,
author OF The Simple Life speak
ing ia the Associated Press about
President Wilson's speech to the DEM
ocratic national committee and the
scmi-uticiai reply sent out from Bcr-
lin in which 1t was declared that AL
SAGE is today. as 10 always has been.
German IN language. tradition and
sentiment. Pastor Wagner began his
career as a clergyman In AlsaCe az
Ter the war OF 1870.
The Germans claim Alsace as a
Gcrman-speakinE country. yet they
themselves were surprised IN 1870 To
find q people there speaking . LAM
guage similar TO their own, yet 80 dif-
loront IN everything that goes to make
up life. continued the pastor.
There were Alsstlans that might
! have been called half and half that
had benefited from French cultlT"
and German science. That element
Thought that II France shout lose
Nlsac,. il might become more and
moro r connecting link bctween tn"
two countries Indeed, the historical
origin ~ Alsacc would justify the
conviction thai the country had e
great mission to perform IN the world
but hat mission was dcuicu hy the
Germans Thcy would not admit thar
the AlsAt.aus could draw ON tWo
sources. They required that the an
ncNcd people should fo. get France,
that they should have only one pride
and one glory. that of being German.
CnrIsiir,l of the Emperor.
- was q student al Strasspurg al
ter tho war Of 1870 and saw the Oe-
! ginning OF that new and painful era
In Alsucc Ny first preaching vas
| done there, I soon discovered that. Il
remained, / could scarcely be ay-
thing NOR, than "A corporal uf the
emperor. / lett because I didnt want
to become % spiritual gcudarmc
The Gcrmaus failed utterly to un-
dersian5 what was noble and worthy
ia the Alsatiuu character and how
they might have made themselves tc-
ccptcd They were blind To the pain
| ANAl NIlNIlNhl NA thf NflNANNNHfn hIlNl W.
/ stluate Aalsatian people holding t.
old affections. and to whom remain
| ing faithful to France Ia her misior-
tune. Germany appeared an the more
excessive IN her Civilizations. hey
had not the tao. aud discretion OF a
successful victor. The consequence
was that A%lsatians attributed the re-
suit of the war OF 1870 more TO cir
cumstunccs than to Germany's supc-
\ rloriiy.
Tho great contrast they we're
| obliged to draw pctwecu the Germans
who emigratcd from other provinces
into Alsacc after the war and their
ideal German destroyed their cunh-
doucc in the much Wanted German
organization.
THE Alsntiau lives well ana drinks
good wine. but he is ashamed to be
| seen drunk. The absolute nbscncc Of
dignity in this respect boy the immi-
grated Germans made u impossible
for the Alsatiau to associate with
them.
THE younger generations became
more Indifferent than the old by force
! OF circumstances. hut the partial con-
quest eft this Younger element was not
l spiritual conquest. 1t was s..nply
hccuJsc the population was becoming
hpbituated tu ne" rulers, a. an old
woman becomes Infatuated Co her
false teeth. 20 her falling beauty.
without In any sens, becoming en-
nmoured of ncr Old &
NIsatian spirit II French.
tHHNI. tstTFlunA nAttitI n Mannheim