The sun., 1918-11-08

CHESTS analysis; that is, through
German spectacles. Dear, deluded
japanese Elder Statesmen No flies
ever walked more innocently into the
SPIDERS parlor than did they.
When, therefore, In 1880, after long
delayed promises, the Constitution
was proclaimed, the Liberals were
Mortified to find 1t dyed In Pruesian
blue. The Ministers were made re-
sponslble to the sovereign, and not
to the Dietl Thereupont the Progress
sives raised that cry of betrayal and
treachery which has never ceased.
ITos attempt to reconcile In some way
the ineliminable element In democratic
government-the budget-with Minis
ters responsible only to the Emperor,
proved to be as the mixing of oil and
water. Cabinet after cabinet was
wrecked on the budget question; ITo
himself, almost In despair. had to
form. n party, the Sei-yu Kai, or
Friends of the Constitution. AFFECT
failure Of Prusslanism resulted.
Now, In 1918, party Premier, a
responsible Cabinet, and democracy
that has made It's stentorian voice
heard, form the actual situation
where once autocracy's brightest
hopes lay. In the Orient, Prussian-
ism has been beaten. The hoped for
German chicken, when Matched, had
proved to be British duckling.
While the Japanese were burning
their fingers In sad experiences with
German theories. Americans added to
their gayety by discerning the humor
of the situation. They proved LIN
coins threefold nphorism which con-
Germs chronology. foolng and the
people. Not only did some of our
students doubt the boasted depth Of
Prussian wisdom, but they even
looked askance at the foundation.
The mighty structure proposed for
world model appeared In their eyes
topheavy. The image might be gold
hut Its feet suggested material
which is plentiful enough on jerseys
shore. In the literary field some crit
les even imagined that MoMMsEN's
History of Rome. smelt less of the
lamp than OF Hohenzollern imperial
ism. As for German philosophy, even
the goats hair of pseudo
could not hide the craft of Jacob.
As JOHN RUsKIN had his OSCAR
WILDE. there were some who looked
for TREITscHKE's sequel, and they
| found II in BERNHARDI. AS with
AzARIAs and ToRrT. they went their
way and the dog lin this case q
dachshundl went after them"
When further German educational
methods we're scrutinized. a fresh
crop OF irreverent suspicious arose,
| even before BERNHARpI's gospel of
brutal force was published. Why
was that German school atlas, In its
| two hundreith edition, SO rich In
| local color? Yes, even daubed on
with swab? On the map of Europe,
the same tinting covered not only all
the states of the Fatherland, but ever
Denmark, Holland, Belgium, SwedeI,
and Norway. Here was prophecy In
pigment. With apologies to JOHN
RUsKIN, the Kaiser threw pot of
paint in the face of the world and
then called 1t map.
Yet all this was no joke for Elem
ings, Walioons, Dutch. Danes or
| Scandinavians, any more than for
France, when Alsace and Lorraine
and Schleswig-Holstein were remem-
bered. They began to look at their
unprotected frontiers. Despite the
| jeers of the ultra-pacifists and the
soothing sophlstry of the hundred
thousand or more German traders
who were making both Amsterdam
and Antwerp virtually outposts of
Germany, minority Of Belgans and
Hollanders called for measures of
national defence. From damning
J proofs. long since abundant and clear.
we now know that many OF these
Germans were In active propaganda
and busy In spying and map making
for Berlin,
| France had seen what was coming.
AS early as 1876 HENRI HAZARD, after
travel north In Holland. had written
| his book on "Our Menaced Frontiers"
But in Belgium. because of trust in
treaties and the flattering assurances
Of German visitors, there was reac-
ton. For years the costly forts at
Liege lay idle. with no garrlsons or
with only a sergeant and file OF men
as janitors. When, after Agadir, the
black shadow was Enthusiastically
lengthening. these were garrisoned,
but German soothing syrup had done
It's work. Then followed the onrush
of August, 1914, and Belgium sank
from sight under the German inun-
dalton. Within half a year the deep
laid purpose Of the Potsdam gang
was unmasked. 1t was not only mill
tary-the use Of Belgium as a strate-
gle basis-but nothing less than the
destruction of, Belgian nationality.
The method was to ALLEVIATE the
Fleming speaking northern half from
the Walloon provinces Of the south.
Heretofore, Of whatever speech q