Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1918-04-25
WHAT GERMAN VICTORY WOULD
MEAN,

Contributed by ARTHUR TRAIN
to the National Security Leagues cam
paign of Patriotism Through Educa-
tiOn)
A German victOry-Or an inconclu-
sive peace-WOuld mean the ultimate
realization of the German idea that
Germany for the good of the world
must rule the world. This has been
taught in her universities as philOsO-
ply and in her pulpits as religion.
The German nation unquestioningly
accepts it and intends to force the rest
of the world to accept it. This they
call "Kultur," which they claim is
above morality, reason and science
Kultur teaches that there is only
one sort of right-that of the stronger
1t argues with specious profundity
that in the relations of nations with
one another there can be no such thing
as truth or honor. Frederick the Great
taught that the Germans must make it
their study to deceive others in or
der to get the better Of them."s Fred
eriCk William ". 70 years ago said
that all written constitutions were
only scraps of paper,"@ and Beth
mann-Hollweg in 1914 referred to The
Hague convention in the identical
words, The scrap of paper" idea is
an old one in German diplomacy.
The Germans believe themselves to
be a nation of supermen and the Kais-
er the war partner-nOt of the God of
humanity, but the "guter alter Colt"
of the Pagan NOrth-the War God
who revels in the shrieks of women
and the torture of children, in blood
shed and cruelty. 81 am his sword,
his agentr' declares William Hohen-
zollern. Let all the enemies of the
German people perish! God demands
their destruction-God, who by my
mouth bids you do his will !''
To accomplish this divine" will the
German military authorities believe
that any means are justifable-the
moving down of crowds of helpless
civilians with machine guns, the cut
ting off of the breasts of women, the
battering in of the skulls of the
wounded with rifle butts. "Be as ter
rible as Attilla's Huns ordered the
Kaiser"S "It is. better to let a hun
dred women belonging to the enemy
die of hunger than to let a single Ger
man soldier suffer- "All prisoners
are to be put to DEATH" ordered Gen
Bavarian private: During the battle
Of Budonwiller / did away with four
women and seven young girls in five
minutes. The captain had told me to
shoot these French sows, but l pre-
ferred to run my bayonet through
theme
This is the concrete result of what
the Germans call "rhe Religion of
valor' and 1.-THE Gospel of Hate"
Says one of their spokesman: "Must
Kultur build it's cathedrals on hills Of
corpses, seas of tears and the death
rattle of the vanQuished? Yes, it
must'1o
If Germany wins the war the Unit
ed States will either be paying tribute
to the Kaiser or German soldiers will
be bayonetting American girls and wo-
men in Jersey City rather than take
the trouble to shoot them.
If Germany wins all our ideals Of
truth, justice and humanity-which
we call Christian-will be trOdden
down into bloody mire under the iron
heel of the Kaiser's armies. and the
coming generation will be taught that
there-is no God but the merciIess God
of Battle. who speaks through Ger
many's treacherous tongue and by her
brutal sword.