Evening journal., 1918-11-09

Ancient history furnished numerOu
examples OF State building, while 70
vealing also both methods and results
In modern times the two systems, Brit
lsh and Prusslan, show contrasts boti
tragic and comic. Whether the raw
material lies In African sayagery or II
countries already civilized, the Anglo
Saxon output is much the same. Yes
terday flye daughter nations, over
million llindus and a score OF cOntln
gents once with hostile arms agalns
Great Britain, were lighting under hel
flag For this there must be a reason
When Germans attempt the same
business, either by colonlzing or con.
quest, II means for the natives chronic
tragedy and for the would-be Stat,
builders flasco that Is self-prOyOca-
tive OF jeers. The world knows already
OF German brutality, slaughter anC
desolatlOn In Africa, China, Belgium anC
Poland-one mOnotonous story. At tn,
sight Of blood, fire aud the ruin wrOugh
humanity averts he rgaze
On the other hand, Germanys theO-
ries, tested by reality, recall comic
opera. A generation ago our academic
world bowed before prussia's prestige
In solemn attention, Now II Is a case
Of laughter holding both his sides
The old fable OF the mountain In travail
has been outdone. That nothing but q
ridiculous mouse should come forth a:
the result OF the birth pangs OF German
Imperialism Is to query whether mouse
or mountain were the more important
Recalling college days, what went we Il
hear2 Why did thousands OF American
NIa a a.
land Of things yerbOten-except duels
and beer mugs2 Then our university
halls echoed with the terminology OF
German political science and rang with
the names OF stein, Gnelst and Blunt
chli. Even as we gave hospitable wei
come to Bryce, who on foot, rail and
blackboard and with his own eyes ane
tongue sought reality, so we hailed
with respect Won Hoist, the cloistered,
TO tell us our own constitutional his
tory II may be as good at times to
get the foreigners critical perspective
as II is TO have lively journalism.
Japanese and Americans were in the
same boat. The Orientals were told
that the only correct model Of govern
ment was In Berlin. SO, as gulllble as
some Americans, the lads Of Nippon
held thlther. Great statesmen, Ito,
lamagata, katsura and others, sat at
the feet OF stein and Gnelst, while for
the military men Won Moltke's stan
officer, Jacob Nickel, lectured In Toxic,
and Bernhard was quoted as the oracle
In Europe. In fact, on the theory that
the Germans knew more about England
than Englishmen did or cOuld-eVen
Shakespeare, as alleged. being more OF
a German than an Englishman-Berlin,
as we now know, persuaded the Jap
anese to study the British political sys-
tenn. not directly, as Bryce did in
America, but through Gneists analysis
that is, through German spectacles.
Dear. deluded Japanese Elder States
menl No flies ever walked more inno-
Gently into the spiders parlor than did
they.
When. therefore, in 1889, after long
DELAYED promises, the Liberals were
hOrfiaed 20 find It dyed in Prussian
blue. The ministers were made re-
sponsible 90 the sovereign, and not TO
the Dletl ThereupOn the Progressives
raised that cry Of betrayal and treach-
cry which has never ceased. itos at
tempt 10 recOncile In some way the IN
eliminable element in democratic gov
eminent --the budget-with ministers
responsible only TO the Emperor, prov
ed TO be as the mixing Of oil and water.
Cabinet after cabinet was wrecked on
the budget question: Ito himself, al
most in despair, had to form a party
the Sei-yu Kai, or Friends of the Con-
stiluiion. Abiect failure of Prussian-
ism resulted.
Now, In 1913, a party Premier, a re-
sponsible cabinet, and a democracy
that has made ITS stentorian voice
heard. form the actual situation where
once autoeracy's brightest hopes lay. In
the Orient, Prussianism has been
beaten. The hoped for German chicken,
when Matched, had proved to be a Brit
lsh duckling.
While the Japanese were burning
their fingers in sad experiences with
German theories, Americans added to
their gayety by discerning the humor
of the situation. They proved Lin
coins threefold aphOrism which con-
Germs chronology, f0oling and the peo-
pie. Not only did some Of our students
doubt the boosted depth OF Prussian
wisdom, but they even looked askanee
at the foundation. The mighty struc-
lure proposed for world model ap-
peared In their eyes topheavy. The Inn
age might be gold, but its feet sug-
gested material which is plentiful
enough on Jerseys shore. In the lit
erary field some critics even imagined
that NIommsen's History Of Rome smelt
less of the lamp than OF IIohenzollern
imperialism. As for German philos-
ophy, even the goats hair of pseudo
omnlscience could not hide the craft OF
Jacob.
AS John Ruskin had his Oscar Wilde,
there were some who looked for Trelt-
schke's sequel, and they found It in
Bernhardl. As with Azarias and Tobit,
they went their way and the dog lin
this case dachshund) went after
them
When further German educational
methods were serutinized, fresh crop
OF irreverent suspicious arose, even be-
fore Bernhardi's gospel OF brutal force
was published Why was that German
school atlas, in its two hundredth edl-
tlon, so rich in local color? Yes, even
daubed on with a swab? On the map
OF Europe, the same tinting covered not
only all the States OF the Fatherland,