The Evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1917-1920, 1918-07-23
BROADMINDEDNESS

ranks are the enthusiastic progressives
not always right, but always madl,
opposed to the old which they hav
judged to be wrong. Back of these i
the unthinking mob element; not nee
essarily a lawless element, but mob
like because the largest division, th'
unthinking element, the followers o
leader, demanding always that theil
leader go accompanied by the blare o.
trumpet and the beat of drum They
will be seen; and they demand to 'bt
heard. They must buzz, buzz. Thai
is their nature. Last in order come
the conservatives, limited in educa-
tional opportunities, and often stub
bornly opposed to change, just be-
cause it is change; yet possessed OF
too high an order of intellect to be
capable of becoming part of the mob
and under wise guidance capable OF
being the balance wheel for their more
radical progressive brothers. Only
the cultivation of broadmindedness
will enable US to steady the entire
crowd.
Years ago the cry was, Can any
good come out of NAZARETH" The
Roman mob cried, when PLATE would
have saved Christ, Cruelty him! Cru
city himi" Without reason they
cried. With equal unreason is the cry.
Can any good come out Of Germany
A demand for the determination Of
all that is German makes the patriot
knitter discard the term German
STITCH" makes German measles be-
come Liberty measles; and now the
latest addition to our patriotic vocabu-
larry is the term nickel silver" to re-
place the term German silver. Is this
patriotism, or is it playing the game
of follow your leader?
Years ago the people of England
spoke Of the Germans as the Easter
lings. Those were the days when
sturdy honesty prevailed. The Easter
hngs were silversmiths who always
gave good weight, their silverwear
was of finest workmanship. In course
of time the name became shortened 10
Sterling and the stamp is still the sign
and Of high worth when stamped on
goods. Yet it is of German origin.
made in Germany was for ages the
sign manual of worth. German folk
songs, German home life with the love
and sentiment existing between parent
and child, were recognized as full of
beauty. Can all this be now called
false without shaking our faith in val
ues? Can all that is beautiful be in
moment so transformed? Is it possi-
BILE thus to wipe out all German liter
atures? The printed page is not the
literature of nation. All that is good
and sweet lives on in the heart of
those to whom it appealed.
Any man who would not give his
life If needs be to crush out the afro
cious ideals that Prussianism would
promulgate is worthy of the utmost
contempt We must win in this war,
we must never give up until conditions
are such that a peace is established
where purity and right and justice can
grow and flourish: but we will never
attain that condition without broad
minded facing of conditions.
The move to exclude the study Of
German from our schools has become
widespread. The three classes are
fully represented in this, the eonserva-
tives more over awed than usual by
the tenseness of the situation; but in
the last few months there has been
shown an indication of more sane
broadminded attitude. Newspapers
and magazines contain articles protest
ing against the rejecting of all Ger
man literature. Is this move to re-
ject all things German the sentiment
OF a civilization that would go for
ward, cleansing out dross, but accept
ing and using the pure wherever
found, recognizing false from true?
We cannot teach precept without prac-
tice Of that which we would teach.
Just as surely as we are prejudiced
and unjust, Just as surely will We
raise up a race that is unjust and
cruel.
For the sake Of the beautiful
thoughts of noble minds, for the sake
of the wonderful compositions of in
spired musicians, for the sake Of the
truth wherever found. for the sake Of
our children we wish to educate to
be honest, and fair and just, and
broadminded let US cultivate those
qualities.