Evening star., 1918-07-04
To You. Hindenburg.

You sat behind the human line which
you had thrown over Belgium and into
the heart of France. Your blear eyes
stared. Momentarily your hard face
became grimmer. You quaffed deeply
from the mug before you. You threw
aside that message which you had re-
ceived, then smiled, indulgently, say
ing, Zach! Die Amerikaner konnen
NIGHT fechten." You laughed uproar-
ious]y at the prospect of the harvest
your guns, your trained soldiers, were
to reap in the thin ranks of the con-
temptibles from across the Atlantic
who dared oppose you.
But today, Hindenburg, you have
your answer. You no longer smile, as
you drink, over American effort. Your
blear eyes have become furtive. The
grimness of your face is not that of
determination, but of fear. Your guns
have been answered equally. Your
men have been outclassed. As you see
victories scored by small units Of
American troops you tremble as you
look farther westward and see unceas-
ing thousands place their feet on
French soil, there to undo the things
that you have done.
When you see your cultured"
troops smash forward to their death
before American positions, when you
see them give way before impetuous
assaults of these "contemptibles" from
overseas, when you see these Ameri-
cans erect firm barriers preventing
realization Of gluttonous, militaristic
ambitions you tremble and wonder
why. You wonder how it can be. The
answer is simple.
The American fights as one with a
principle, the upholding of which is a
holy thing. He sees the ravages that
have been perpetrated in France and
Belgium at your dictation. He hears
the story Of the barbaric treatment of
innocent, helpless civilians. He sees
what this world must come to if your
unholy cause is permitted to prevail
over the best elements of civilization.
He sees his OWL country ground to
dust if this grim specter of militarism
is not forever scotched. He knows that
he must win to perpetuate the good,
that millions Of people may be freed
from enslavement. He believes in
wha. he is fighting for. He is backed
by the resources Of nation greater
than even the most famboyant dreams
Of the kaiser ever pictured Germany.
And against him you stake your men,
who have been driven at the point of
the oayonet Of militarism into battle.
You have nothing good. nothing patri-
otically divine to hold before the eyes of
your men to appeal to their best in
terests. There is little desire in their
hearts to fight for the shallow things
which you hold before their eyes. These
men must and will later see the trick
cry Of your preachments. You have
laid waste vast sections Of territory.
You have murdered, you have burned
and destroyed that the selfish ambi-
tions Of yourself and your kaiser may
be achieved. Your troops have been
made the tool. They have begun to
realize this.
Today you pit men hopelessly pa
thetic in their lack Of that divine mo-
tive human sympathy, against men
who are inspired by it. You expect to
win against those whose nationalistic
ideals have always been perpetuated by
such fighting loyalty as has been dis
played at Chateau Thierry and Can
tigny.
Your men waver, Hindenburg, in the
falseness of your purpose.
America grows stronger in her divine
will to wrest the laurels Of victory that
complete emancipation Of the world
may be achieved.
It is Americas day, Hindenburg.
Not the kaiser's, not yours, not Ger
many's.