The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-28
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

Ii MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS | Charles Edward Russell, who went to Russia as one of the commissioners ap- pointed by President Wilson, warned us in his address to discount all the news dispatches coming out of Russia as being largely inspired by the German press agents.
 It is indeed hard to lift even a corner of the curtain and get a peep behind the fast moving scenes which make it almost impossible to get any true pie ture Of the tremendous events through which Russia is passing. . All that we can know is that occurrences of world in- terest are being played out and no one knows how the drama will end
 
 know Russia only as the casual trav- eier knows country through which he travels on pleasure bent, and then my visit was made more than a quarter of a century ago, but ever since I have been greatly interested in it's past, pres ent and future history, for to me it's the land of untold possibilities
 Get this embedded in your way of look ing at the present situation in which Russia has become the football of Ger many. The German scholars for years have made it their business to discredit Russian culture, just as the German press has been active in fomenting the idea that pan-Slavism was a European men ace.
 The reason for the cultural ostracism of Russia is both geographical and racial so far as Germany is concerned. It has been to Germany's interest to exploit the minds of the nations of western Europe. The truth is that they have been made to see the country through the dis torted views of German publicists and historians.
 Now here comes the curious part: We find, according to a great authority, that the Prussans are not Germans at all, but are members of a race which in the cupy a place midway between the Slavs and the Teutons. Their next of kin are the Lithuainians and the Let's. The surviving and dominating traits of the old Prussians are brutal arrogance to- wards those under them, and cringing SeryilitV fo their strpprinrS
 Dr. Russell has great hopes for the Russian people. At present they are ment They are literally drunk with their new-found democracy and like the French during the revolution are com hitting dreadful excesses, but let's pray that out of their fights for better condi- tions they, too, may find liberty, equality and fraternity
 I realize the fact that the thing up- permost in the minds of our own people just at present is. twill Russia's un- happy state throw the burden of winning. the war upon America ?'' Unhappily for us it seems that it is to be our portion to shoulder the burden of her defalca- ton. Because of this we are hardly in mood to even try and do her justice, but are ready to believe the press tales which Germany is sowing broadcast in the hope that by betraying and defaming her big neighbor she will be able to better. herself.s sh sNft
 Now there are two classes of thinkers in the diplomatic world It has been the task of Germany to make Europe fear the slav colossus. She has been busy pushing her own interests, as Dr. Rus sell so tellingly told us, through the Pan-, German league, whose motto was Deutschland Uber Alles, and yet preach ing that pan-Slavism was an evil that must be curbed or Europe would pay the penalty of being made subservient to a lower culture, and what she needed was the kind made in Germany and trade marked kultur.
 The other school pleaded that what was needed to safeguard Europe against the yellow peril' was strong Russia, which could act as a buffer if Asia should ever wake from her sleep and dream of western conquest. This school looked upon Japan's victory as omen of fu- ture i'll, and now that it appears that Germany's dream of breaking up Russia into smaller nationalities is about to be realized, that Europe is permitting it is laying up trouble that she may not one day be able to rid herself of without a struggle which will match the present world war in its magnitude and ferocity.
 I freely confess that the present un- happy situation fills me with. alarm. The break-up of Russia into small states un- der German suzerainty must be prevent ed at any cost. It's too great price for Russia to pay for freeing herself from Czarisn. It would play nightly into Germany's plan to have Great Rus sia. the Caucasus, Little Russia, Poland. Siberia, Finland and the Ukraine separate political units.
 Knowing these things it Is small won der that Charles Edward Russell was obsessed by the Prussian threat of world domination. If little Belgium had not thrown wrench into the mighty wheels of the German war machine, which was rolling towards Paris on schedule time the Kaiser would have