New-York tribune., 1918-02-17
John Borroughs
Stirs German Ire
From lie Pele-MeIs

TIE Ne1c Yor', Tri1r
Foreign Press Brs
Az American Burlesquc Sermon" bs
heading under which the "K0lnische Zsrs
prints on January 4 a translation OF jbu
Burroughs plea for the ostracism. ofssrr.
thing German, which appeared in The rr;b.
une on December IA, 1917 The article !,
quoted in full from The Tribune and Il srl
ceded and followed b. comment vilely insuI
ing John Burroughs for his stand sgsir]
Germany
The article in the "Kolnische Zcitune,' ID
OF the principal organs OF the pam -Gerns.|
begins as follows:
The war intoXicatien in the United Sul
which has reached the stage of a gens5
mental disease, mas also affected writer n
belongs to the celebrities over there and u
enjoys great reputation, especially beesrs [
he has worked up without any deeper school
aad has now entered his eighties. His ns
Is John Burroughs. and his specially
nature descriptions. But during the war i
has devoted himself 10 folklore. and is III
publishing in The New York Tribune .al
gate Germans, their unworthiness and bass
ness. / carries the heading Can Pesal
Make Us Forget AS an introduetion, ~
horrible crimes of Germany arc quoted, in
order 10 add to it the question whether The
world Will aftcrWard say: Well, let's 1t 4
60, it IS to-day a thing of thc past; busnsi
Is business, and all will be the same i |
hundlcd years
But this is not his view Therefon
sncaks at length and supertlcially about Vi
nc thinks OF the Germans, what he elps4
o. them. and what accounts he would lih
settle with them. His sources spring u
I9ot Of the gigantic mountain Of ignons
end III viii. of lies and deceit, of slanden +
all Kinds, which IN enemy countries are
ing heaped upoa the Germans, and have
pecially been spread over the world by IN
bsh papers and English statesmen. As
apparently complete collection of such just
ments and opinions this treatise ought
OF especial interest to the German reaes|
but we do not have TO fear that any one Z
be so foolish as 20 be worrying over It y
stead Of laughing. We know our crrs]
thoroughly, not from our own obserTsues
but from the often repeated insulting y
cabulsry Of our enemies; therefore, M y
be satisfied with the customary statens1' 4
Judgment OF Herr Burroughs
After quoting more or less litersl tfass!
lahon Of the article, the panGerman esp
concludes:
The American has succeeded in havins'
burlesQue sermon. in which the insolent y j
is replaced by vinegar and gall, received
welcome prey by the English papers. Ane
The Times for example, which knows III
the story circulated by it about the usl'D
tlon of war corpses has long ago been deSs1
quotes the literary pot-boiler (Maehve'
without any comment. But the German rev
viii understand it if he knows that lIie''
Judgment praises Burroughs especlslV 1
the naive painter OF nature Everything
very naive, but in the sense of that chau'
naiveness which dwells in darkest ignoi's1
and credulity. In spite OF his eighty ~
Burroughs has remained fool; we De's
rather vain fool than a lying scoune..
lhe reader will also understand that We I
gard refutation as .uperfluous; this WI
weaken the happy state of mind in whea /
places even the one whom he attacks.