The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-12-13

think it highly improbable that she
will be able, nj least in this generation, |
to get out of the narrow, intense, ex.
elusive tribal feeling into the larger
feeling of world kinship or brother
hood. which France and England and
the United States have exemplfied
over and over; such 4 feeling. for in
stance, as would have enabled her 10
appreciate the course of this country
in regard to Cuba after we had re-
leased her from the Spanish yoke, or
of Great Britain in the freedom she
grants to her colonies. You cannot
put soul into a souless people What
is born in the bone cannot be got out
Of the flesh, and the tribal psychology
is certainly in the bone of Germany
The only safe way for the guardians
of civilization is, now that we have
the iron heel on the neck Of the brute,
to keep it there. Keep it there for
generation at Least, and see what time
will do. The tremendous and growing
spirit of hnmanitarianism of our time.
like genial climate, ought to make
itself felt at last.
If we think the Brute abdicated with
the kaiser we deceive ourselves He is
still there III every one of those unre-
pentant .Iunkers and Pan Germans who
nodded the kaiser to their will and
| brought on the war. The whole Ger
man army was thoroughly brutalized.
| The atrocities and cruelties they COM
mittcd admit Of no other interprcta-
| tion. And not a man of them has
changed. The leopard cannot change
/ ! ;e.s A .h5 L., 4.
cent, a less honorable race never ap-
pcarcd in history. Who else but a Ger
man would mock and insult defeated
| enemy9 Who else but a German would
erect ironical signs on the site of 4
church or villa which their guns
had demolished, as they did in Bel
/ gium and France! Who but \ German
would desecrate cemeteries, or make
swine of themselves in private dwell
ings, or wantonlv destroy works of
art, or lombard century old cathe
eirals! All such things are in keeping
| with their rabid tribal spirit
One may say: : How non-Germanic
| are the British and Americans
Think Of London fairly outdoing New
York and Washington in celebrating
the Fourth of July the past season
a day COMMUNICATING the loss to
England Of great colonial empire
or Of Great Britain i armies marching
to battle singing the boehe ! Song
OF Hate, or Of appropriating the term
l.Old ContcmptifleSt' That Great
Britain should frankly publish her
losses OF men in battle, and the num-
Der If her ships sunk, filed the Teu-
tonic leaders with astonishmcnt Such
things are a long way from the spirit
of the tribe
What attitude this country should
assume toward Germany and the Ger
mans i serious problem. The Ger
man people have for years abused the
privileges and the hospitality which
We and other nations have extended
to them by their secret and ceaseless
efforts to prepare the way for world
dominion. Their propaganda has been
tireless and thorough. Its ramiifca
tions. like Il system Of hidden tele
graph o. telephone wires, extended
) everywhere, plotting the Gcrmaniza
tion OF the world. Their business an,
! economic hold upon this country ha,
reached the danger point when v,
were drawn into the war Shall ",
lail0W them to resume their subtle ano
: INSCRIPTIONS conquest As we have ri
ready taken over most of their proper
ty IN this country, shall we not dehal
them from any future economic hol,
: upon US? Shall We not prohibit the in
, vestmcnt Of any German capital in thil
: country. and the residence here Of an,
individual Huns. unless they becom,
) citizens Of the United States! Let Ii
protect ourselves against the contagiol
! of the German spirit rs we would
9 against the plague.-Tohn Burroughs
: IN New York Times.