Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-01-30
The Made in Germany Label is Dub
bed Misleading by a Vel Known
Writer, Although Their Scien-
fists Have Kicked up Fair
Amount Spray.
GERMANY. Is MuLITARISTIC
WORKSHOPS SHRINE MARS
The Question Asked is What Epoch
making Invention or Discovery is
of German Origin-EXcept
Stamp Inscribed Made
in Germany"
(By Towles r. Leigh


have heard the Germans arraigned as
blatant. boorish, barbaric, yet in
nearly every case the speakers suffix-
ed to their invectives such an ex-
preston as, But when it comes to
brains you will have to hand it to
them; they have made science"
What, hand it to them? What
epochmaking invention or discovery
is of German origin-eXcept a stamp
on which is inscribed Made in Ger
many? Their scientists have kicked
up fair amount of spray as they
gamboled in their pool, but the world
has yet to hear mighty Teutonic
splash. Time and time again French,
English, American, Spanish and Ital-
ian inventors and discoveries have
sent tidal waves around the globe.
Let us now be specific.
The steam engine has been called
the greatest of all inventions; it
broke the shackles from slaves it
mingled the marts of the world 1t
made neighbors Of the antipodes New
come, a native of Devonshire, obtain
ed the patent for the first partially
successful steam engine; Watt,
Murdoch, and Trevithick brought for
ward the locomotive, not on German
soil; Stephenson, an Englishman,
was the first to apply the locomotive
steam engine to railways for passen-
ger traffic; France, England, and
America, applied it to navigation.
When all had been completed Ger
many pulled the whistle cord, shout
ed, Hook der Kaiser" and tagged it
Made in Germany"
The telegraph which brings us the
daily history of the world, was in
vented by an American. Professor
Morse, who also suggested the Allan
tic cable, (which was subsequently
laid by that American merchant
scientist. Cyrus Field, assisted in
"mooring the new world alongside of
the old by Lord Kelvin, the prince
of physicists. A British subject Ora
ham Bell, the chief inventor of the
telephone, was born in Scotland and
grew to fame in America. A young
Italian, Marconi, gave wireless tele-
graphy to the world. The house of
| Hohenzollern has made great use of
these inventions in telling Great Bril-
tain, America, and Italy in arrogant
verbiage what the Vaterland has
done for the benighted peoples of the
earth.
Germany ''BorrOws" Genius.
Cyrus Mccormick. a native Of
West Virginia, produced the reaping
machine which harvests the food Of
the world; Meikle of Eagland
brought forth the threshing machine.
thus was famine banisheI. Eli Whit
ney of Massachusetts parCntage in
vented the cotton gin; Eargraves, an
Englishman, made the spinning jen-
nv; Arkwright, also English, sup
piled it's efficiency with his famous
spinning frame; the Englishman Kay
introduced the fly shuttle in weaving;
Brunei, who devised the knitting ma
chine, and Cartwright, inventor of
the power loom, were British citizens.
Thus was the world clothed.
Although Germany is militaristic
AID worships at the shrine of Mars,
what motive offering has she made to
the god of war? 1t was not she who
contributed guncotton, gunpowder,
smokeless powder, percussion cap,
nitroglycerin, dynamite, torpedo,
shrapnel, automatic cannon, maya
zine rifle, breechloading gun, Calling
gun, revolver, Maxim silencer, ham
merless gun, gunboat, ironclad bat
| terry or ship, armorplate, revolving
turret, submarine or airplanes.
Since Germany borrowed her mill
tary appliances from other nations
we are not surprised that she OBJ
tanned her devices Of prosperity
from the same source. She did not
produce the first aniline dye, vulcan
lied rubber, liquid gases, gas engine,
watergas, thermometer, barometer.
planoforte, barbed wire, cut nails.
plate glass, circular saw, cable car,
electric car, sleeping car, air brake,
bicycle, automobile, pneumatic tire,
sewing machine, typewriter, calculat-
ing machine, cash register, steel
writing pen, ct cetera ad infinitum.
Teutons Falsely Advertised.
The greatest thing Germany has
done Is to falsely advertise herself
as the light of the world. No son Of
hers invented the electric light, the
gas light, the acetylene light, the
kerosene light, the searchlight, the
flashlight, the safety lamp, the can
die dip or the friction match. Ameri-
ca, France. England and other "untu-
tored" nations performed these tasks.
The sun, moon and stars are the
only lights left for GermaIy's con-
ltention, and, according to the Mosaic
account, the Lord and not the kaiser
made and placed them in the firm
lament.
Daguerre, a FrenchmaI, presented
us with photography. Our own Edi-
son brought forth the motion pic
ture to delight and instruct the eye,
land the monograph to please and
teach the ear. The Germans enjoy
our reels and records and, lifting
high their stems, drink prolonged
toast to the achievements Of the vat
erland, Deutschland ueber Allies"
Calico. who first saw the heavens
with telescope, was an Italian. The
men who first saw the earth and its
teemiag life with a microscope were
not OF German origin. Yet may tele-
/