The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-30

greetings were Of the coldest"; Mar
shall FocH gave us 1.-THE German del
egatesI no word OF particular polite
LESS that In earlier times distin-
guished the most chivalrous nation
in the world" His officers were as
remote from friendly intercourse.
However, Marshal FocH, with all
his coldness," was ''by no means so
tactless and brusnue rs General
D'EsPERET at Belgrade" Marshal
FocH was represented In the confer
ence only by military officers; two
members Of the German mission were
civilians. The situation evokes from
this recorder this comment:
Military Germany thus with two CT
villains stood face to face with the now
completely militarized France"
Completely militarized France" (!
| Mllitarized to preserve Its existence
from the Germans, who, as 1t now
turns out, were on the verge Of sur
render in the field, but who seem ag-
grieyed that the commission of their
own choosing was not duplicated by
those for whose mercy they were su-
ins. Representatives of other ma
tions acted in the same manner as
the French:
The enemy maintained IN the per-
, sons Of all his representatives the same
objective.
Their coldness was mitigated by no
] single word that bordered upon the hui
I man. as had marked our reception by
the Marshal The English Admiral
adopted the tone Of the French"
Another cause OF complaint:
in the meantime, In this lonely wood,
| with its two railway trains, we were
cut off from all intercourse with the
outside world. Marshal FocH himself
| went of twice 20 Paris, and couriers
| were able in two hours to arrive with
| papers"
1t is a historical fact that the Ger
man delegates did communicate with
the world outside Of the two railway
trains, however. They sent a courier
to Spa. In some curious way, never
theless, they seem to have convinced
themselves that grave injustice was
| done 10 them because when they
! sought an arm!stice the spot desig
mated for Ii was more convenient for
the victors than for the vanquished.
This settled determination to find q
grievance, this singular establishment
over the natural sternness Of Marshal
FocH and his associates. finds other
grounds ON which to base itself:
"our enemy was able silently to give
| US Paris newspapers OF Sunday morn
| ing. newspapers in which the Kalser's
| abdlcation was announced.
las We read no smile Of triumph ap-
peared ON their faces, but we looked
into their hearts"
That is, the Frenchmen, true to
their instinct and their training. be-
haved with the most admirable re-
| straint and avoided any expression
OF triumph on this occasion; com
ported themselves, indeed, with self
| repression truly remarkable But the
German commits ioners, not content
with their unlmpeachable department,
pierced the courtesy of the French
! officers TO find cause for petty COM
plant in their hearts.
Long ago sane men gave up In de-
spair the effort TO fathom Prussian in
tsllectual processes. The psychology
Of Kultur defies analysis. In this
| transaction, as in many others. the
Germans involved displayed appar-
emily the same strange mixture Of
moral Obtuseness and pretentious by
/ pocrisy that characterized ZIMMER-
MANN when his effort 10 set Japan
/ and Mexico against the United States
was uncovered. They had no shame
! for the past. They recognized no rea-
/ son for resentment on the part OF
those TO whom they had deliberately
done irreparable injury. And as truly
as WLHELM's fleet and armies were
| crushed, as truly as Pan-Germanism
has been smashed, just so truly there
will exist in Germany for a genera
tion at least number of persons who
will say they wonder why the world
refuses to accept them as virtuous
and badly used individuals, and their
despotism as miracle of generosity
! and righteousness.