Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-24
MUEHLON'S HATRED
OF PRUSSIANISM
He Charges 1t Wih Starting
the Wor-Defense of Mill.
tarism by a Militarist

That there are some men in Germany
~ "hom Prussianism is revolving is
proved beyond the shadow of a doubt by
me publication Of the diary which Will
nein Muehlon, former director of
Nrupps $, written from the beginning of
august 1914. TO November II, of the
same year.
"uehlon lisa Bavarian. a man of honor
ana fine sensibilities. He was shocked
"heh the war began and he wrote down
ms impressions as il developed. record
'"s also the information which came to
nun from men high in authority with
Nhom he was in frequent contact. He
rnotes's against the suppression of free
apcech'- ana he Is indignant at the dis
'Nerey mat the Prussions accented
- matter of course, everything that the
'oNernment ordered He denounces the
oeIiperate policy of debauching the press
y, mural countries, and he declares
.iat when the Government could not in
""ence business men in other countries
:" favor Germany. 1t sought 10 get at
oneih h 'hmrough their German business
W. w respondents He charges that money
newspapers, but to influence foreign
statesmen. He writes with fine sarcasm
OF the Inability of the Prussians to con-
ciiiate conquered territory. and cites
me hostility of the people of Alsace and
Lorraine and of the Poles in East Prus-
SH' He charges that the evidence at
hand' even as early as he was writing.
proved mat Germany started the war.
ana that 1t cohld have been prevented If
the Kaiser and his advisers had been
willing.
The Importance of his diary in the
documentary history of the war cannot
De oVerestimated, for he is a German Of
distinguished position. who has the
courage to denounce the policies which
seem to the rest of the world the mani
festation of barbarian ideals at a time
when they were supposed to have been
outgrown.
IN strong contrast with the views Of
Muehlon are those expressed by Lieu
tenant General Baron Won FreytAg- -Lo-
rlhshoVen, deputy chief of the German
imperial staff, in deductions from the
World War" The Baron's book is in
tended to justify the German policy to
the German people and to provide the
ground work for the history to be pre-
pared for their consumption in the fu-
ture: He defends and excuses the policy
OF frightfulness, and he demands that
the military policy of the last forty
years be expanded in the future in
order that Germany may have an in
army for the next war. The
trump of force Is what he breaches.
He has contempt for the advocates of
arbitration and disarmament as vision
aries. for. he says, war will continue
as long as human nature remains what
It is, and the nation which wishes to
hold its place in the world and enlarge
it must he continually prepared to use
force and to use 1t so quickly and with
such preponderance that its enemies will
be overwhelmed. The Baron's views are
those which Muehlon regretfully admits
are held by the vast majority of Prus- l
sions Whether the Saxons and Ba-
varians hold them is an open question on
the answer to which the fate of the
largely depends. ID.
No one who wishes to get an insight
into the German mind can afford to
neglect either Of these important books.
THE vANpAT Of EtRoPE by Wilhelm
Muehlon. former direeior. In krupps. New
York: G. p. PutnnIn.s Sorts: 81 so;
FROM THE WORLD WAR. |
BY Lieutenant General Baron von Frey |
tag-I.oringhoven., of the Imperial German !
STAFF New York; G. r. Putnam Sons.