New-York tribune., 1918-01-05
The Decline of the Berliner
By Adele ~ Phillips and Russell Phillips
From The atlantic Monthly for january

must not be confounded with the insA.,
denies Christianity and the truth - al
Scriptures. And heaven knows that a
are hosts of them in Berlin, blasnb.Nen en!
hordes who attack the very tenets of ca
anity in public places, without moles.s.
by the authorities.
What can stem the tide of hI.s,,
which is sweeping over Germany? Fos
unbeliever there is hope--for the blssph.s
none. In the past year the Berlin ,.a
papers gave a great deal of space to sew,
undoubtedly brilliant writers Whit 8
own papers were discussing the more ~,
questions of the moment--the problem, :,
peace before and after the war-thes. 49,
ers consumed space in debate on -
prediction of the Divine Presenc. -.
either combatant. The discussion c,r'1
forth lively reply in the "Morgennnrs
from the noted freethinker, schlunsen.
The Only God
"Of what use is a debate on the er;x,...
Of the Deity?" he wrote. "The invisjbls =.
assume no earthly obligation, can hss. q
mortal burdens. One might as reasorsk]
say that the ether bore a message MI
there was Divine ordination in the sonvhss
Of the night wind over the battle iefeld ~.
God was mere road TO some desired ..,1
that peace could be found only at the tam
nation Of that road. There is onlv =.
God-fear. There is another god-annjha
ticn. Expcdiency is the intercessor ~,
lies in that trinity.
"All hope in invis bic insercession NM
be put away. Fear of the doom that av,,.
l.. 81
who oppose Germany In that lies he, -,
vation. She must trust in no othe. VI.
struggle for unity would be it's own co,,
pensation. When that is accomplish.d c.r.
many can dispense her favoss and can d.,,
her enemies and the invisible God"
And what was the result Of this reisiar,
relapse?
The terrible record of suicides which ~.
peared daily in the newspapers, especial.
Of women. According to statistics, secresd
passed about in medical circles for fear
repression by the government, suicides h,a
increased to to.2 per 100000 inhabtants \
Saxony alone, and throughout the empire l
24.5 per 100000, an increase of from Is !
IS per cent
Deprived Of their faith, and in desp,J
these nervous, highly strung people relal1
their hold on life, when perhaps word y
tered in the right spirit would have sayI
them. People forbidden to mourn in pubI
for their dead crowd the cemeteries, whid
do not contain the remains of those I'D
mourn, but which are the only places wheI
they may seek relief from their grief. ID
portals of the Church are open TO them, ID
the spirit they seek is not there.
! Recnma Creatures of the Wild
In great sadness, day by day, We hs
watched this bitterness Of spirit gra
Hitherto we had found the Berliner
lustig. so genpiitlich, that it distressed
to see the change. Whatever charge y
might lay against the Berl;ner, YOU COT
not say that he nursed gludge for Z,
length of time. They were an attsartr
genial, forgiying lot, with an inextingu shah
sense of hu3nor, not always in good tass
taking their pleasures rathe: seriously,
torting much JOY from life in ways not
ways conducive to the comfort of their nei.
bors, optimistic to the point of moons idel
ton. But they were a chivarous set, he
pitable to strangers, making fetch Of soa
forms, correct to a fault, somewhat stilted
manner, with hearty welcome for 1
stranger upon whom they centred their SON
what demonstrative affection.
Now they had grown like creatures Of ii
wild, beasts of ravenous instincts The do
trnes they advocated were appalling. Frol
q fairly liberal Interpretation of the Code
Rule they suddenly narrowed to "Do WIS.
say and in such way as please" The who
world must bend to their Will, and in the d
fort to enforce that VIII they would wr.t
the whole world. Treitschke's motto, See
man every ibre,' became the watchwoT
They had coarsened brutalized II was ,
longer Il pleasure to meet them