Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-09-24

To foresee the Germany of to-
morrow, then, we must first under
stand the Germany of to-day, and
although / may not be able to offer
much of value in the way of proph-
ecy, l feel that l ought to be able
to describe with some degree of ac-
curacy the conditions which pre-
vailed in Germany up to the time l
left early in 1918.
The twentieth century has seen
such radical changes in world con-
ditions, views and aspirations, that
am afraid history will prove but a
past few centuries, Germany has
experienced several more or less
serious social revolutions, but it
would be dangerous to predicate
very much upon those abortive up
risings.
History does furnish us. however,
with many illustrations of the long
suffering character of the German
people. The dull record of their
servility is relieved only here and
there by a flash of that spirit of
independence and love of freedom
which has ever been the glory and
distinguishing trait of the Anglo
Saxon race.
W { set SlllIBSt VI Allio SEii II
in the uprising of the peasants of
Germany in the seventeenth century
when their privations brought on
what was known as The Peasants
War" With pitchforks and scythes,
they warred on the military and no.
bility, and thei" desperation and
sense of injustice so augmented the
power of their crude weapons that
it was only after the bloodiest fight
ing that they were vanquished in the
unequal conflict.
Very little was accomplished in
the way of social progress through
out the seventeenth century because
of the long series of wars which
devastated the continent at that
period. 1t was estimated that by
1850 no less than seventy per cent.
of the German people had perished
through the ravages of war, pesti-
lence and famine.
The principles of republicanism,
brought to the force by the French
revolution, took root in Germany
and bore fruit in 1882 in the shape
of a rather formidable uprising. No
less than 10000 men gathered at
Hanback, in the Palatinate to de-
mand emancipation, but Bavarian
troops quelled the rebellion and
similar uprisings in Frankfort, Bre-
men, Cassel and SaXony were like
wise suppressed.
Perhaps the most ambitious revo-
luton in the annals of Germany
was that of 1S4S, when the spirit of
democracy was rife throughout Eu-
rope. Berlin and Vienna fell ito
the populace, but the triumph was
short-lived. General Wrangel sub
dued the uprising, and Prussian
troops soon disposed of other re-
bellions throughout the empire. One
of the effects of the demonstration
was to secure constitution for
Prussia, but no sooner was the men
ace of the revolution allayed than
the constitution was Withdrawn
which, of course, was typical of
Prussian statecraft.
But even the comparatively recent
indication of a spirit of independ-
ence in the German people is of
little significance in connection with
a consideration of present probabili-
ties because of the fact that such
ideas have not gained ground since.
When the war broke out in 1914,
the Kaiser had behind him a united
people who gloried in his power and
were prepared to follow wherever
his ambitions might lead. I do not
mean for moment to intimate that
there were not many in Germany
who were and are as keen for de-
ocracy as any individuals in the
world, but I am talking now of the
people as a whole-royalty, nobility,
aristocracy, junkers, middle-classes,
workers and farmers-ninety-e -eight
per cent. of the population of the
country revered their Kaiser and
were proud to regard themselves as
his" people.
I shall never forget the scene in
Berlin when it was announced in
the papers that Austria had handed
her ultimatum to Servia. That eve