Evening journal., 1918-01-25

Mr.. John Burroughs. the famous Oc-
togenarian naturalist, who G books are
widely read in this country, sends 10
he New York Tribune" a powerful
plea for the oslracism Of all things
German" under the title, Can Peace
Make Us Forgct?' He recites the un-
speakable atrocities Of the Germans,
and asks n after the war the world
VIII be willing 90 say. Never mind
let 70 all pass; business Is business,
and 10 Will all be the same in a hun
dred years"
For himself, Mr. Burroughs says -
| VIII never again use an article made
n modern Germany. n ! know lt;
VIII never look into a modern German
book; ! Will favor the exclusion Of the
German language and literature from
our schools and colleges; and ! would
drive every unnaturalized German from
his country.
We do not want their ideas or their
methods Their ideas are subverslve OF
our democratic ideals, and their meth
DDS enslayc minds and lead 10 efficiency
chiefly I'm the Held OF organized rob-
berry. They are efficient just as Krupp
runs, asphyxiating gas and liquid fire
are e1iclent They invent nothing. but
they add Satanic touch to the inven-
tions OF Others and turn them TO IN
fernal uses.
They are without sentiment or imag-
ination; they have broken completely
with the old Germany Of Goethe, Kent
and Lessing, 90 whom we all owe a
debt. They are learned In the roots
OF things, but their learning is dusty
and musty with underground condi-
tlons; they know the Tree OF Knowl-
edge at the bottom but not at the top
In the air and sun, where are its leaves
and flowers and fruit
They run to erudltion, but not 20
Inspiration. They are q heavy, materi-
alistic, grasplng race, forceful but not
creative. military but not humanstlc
aggressive but not heroic religious but
not spiritual, brave, 1t may be. but not
chivalrous utterly selfish and thor
oughly scientific and efficient on a low
plane. as organized force Is always ef-
llcient
Kant was a great philosopher but
he had a Scottish mother. None OF the
great musicians was Prussian. Luther
threw his ink bottle at the Devil but
the Devil got even with him, and made
the Christian outlook blackcr than 1t
was before.
From current reports, which, know
ing the Germans, one readily credits,
they are at this moment taking means
TO increase their birthrate by methods
Identical with those Of stOckmen and
dog breeders That German women do
not defend themselves with liquid fire
and asphyXiating gas shows that their
morals are as low as those Of the men,
and that they are victims Of the same
civic slavery.
The Germans have not fought this
war like brave and chiyalrous men.
they have fought it like sneaks and
cut-throats. They have respected moth
ing human or Divine; and so far as
they could make it so, it has been an
orgy Of lust and destructiveness When
their armies are forced to retreat so
far as they can do It. they destroy the
very earth behind them. They have
done their utmost 90 make the recon
quered territory OF Northern France
uninhabliable for generations.
II they could poison all the water,
an the air, and all The food Of their
enemy, is there any doubt they would
quickly do so? If they could have
scuttled or torpedoed the British Isles.
and sunk them like ships, would they
not have done it long ago2
OF course they would have wanted TO
plunder the treasures and violate the
women before doing so; and then the
Kaiser. piously lifting his eyes before
his people, would have again thanked
God for His faithful cooperation.
and again would have praied how he
would continue to carry on war with
humility and chivalry.
This indictment of the wretches
could be made much stronger and
longer but individually thes
are below the Turks, collectively they
are on a par with their ancestral Huns
Blood will tell. 10 is time that they
were barred out Of the family Of de-
cent, self-respecting nations; or at
least that the doors were closed against
them for two generations.