Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1918-07-02
GERMAN IS WORLDS
DOUBLE SUPER BOOB
Huns Freely Confess Themselves
"Michels," Which May Be
Translated Goose or Fool.


mains fool There is the catch-phrase of
all Germany. 1t is singular that, in
all this analysis of Germany, her
thoughts, plans and ambitions. it has
not occurred to students and contempt
raneo,ls historians that the German peo-
ple call themselves fools and insist upon
1T. For, In Germany. Michel If.
freely translated, o fool, clown, a
weak-wit of great physical power when
aroused, but wholly dominated by his
masters of higher intellect or greater
power. You hear il every day and every
where in Germany,
Der deutsche Michel is what all
Germany calls her great man power, and
it means. in plain United States slang,
the German boob" And they seem
10 take pride in the title Whenever
anything goes wrong with German he
yehemenfIv excIains: Michel bleibt
Michel | fully believe that every in
telligent person will agree with me that
the German is right. He has proved 1t
in MANY WAYS in n thousand instances
of diplomatic and military hlunders dur
inc the war. lie is Michel boob
Although | had lived in Germany for
half a dozen wears, tins fact never struck
me forcibly until heard it, under very
dramatic circumstances. on the day that
Austria declared a state of war TO exist
between her and Serbia That was on
July Is. 1914. and ! was sitting in the
Cafe Tromels. in Paucn. Saxony in
company with distinguished manufac-
turcr. There were several others nj the
table, some Germans. others English. and
one an American We were chatting on
the likelihood of war because of the at
tt,de Of Austria toward Serbia and the
mobilization of the Russian army.
HUNS All. FOR WAR.
The Germans were all for war unless the
demands Of the kaiser for the dc mobiliza-
ton Of the Russian Army were imme-
diatclv met by the car; the English
were insc-utahly quiet. and the tmeri-
can approaching the dislike Of his coun-
try nv the average German and having
no direct personal interest in the matter
also kept Quiet and listened. We were
interrupted by commotion and quickly
everybody in the place grew excited and
began 10 gcsticulate and talk voluhlv
The cause was the arrival Of newspa-
Der extra" containing the official gov
eminent telegram announcing a state OF
war
It was a great hour for Germany. the
hour for which the nation had waited
for more than forty years It was der
Tag"
lIy friend the manufacturer, rapidly
read the news aloud Austria had dc
clared war on Serbia. and. since Russia
the newt item continued. was rapidly
modelling. It would be necessary for
Germany 70 act quickly
.'Gott Sci dank." nc ferventlv ex-
claimed Der Michel muss jetzt auf-
wacheu and losschagen," THANK
Codi Michel must now awake and
strike :"
But" I calculated in amazement.
won don't mean 10 say that YOU want
Germany 10 60 10 war because Of some
thing that does not concern herr War
means death poverty. misery. especially
for women ard children. who viii NOT
share any II the So-called elories n
war This Is A,IstrIa's quarrel and. in
my opinion the German would be truly
Michel as YOU call hIm. i he inter
fcred in something that did MOI concern
him
HEvER ARGUf WITH GERMAN
But he was firm in his attitude and
I never argue with a German. i was
war he wanted he said because Aus
tina was the ally OF Germany. II was
war that was wanted BY ali Germany
Therefore. said TO myself in the Cafe
Tromels as have said many times
being Michel and he not only con-
fesseS il but forever seeks to prove il
And have concluded that there are
three grades Of Michel which classify
as follows The kaiser Is der crosse
Michel. the great boob; he Is followed
By der bunker Michel, comprising the
great landowners and rich manufacturers;
and thirdly, the mass Of the people are
simply der deutsche Michel" All three
together constitute the power of Ger
manv-hence. power and Michel, in the
German mind. are synonymous terms
OF course. the German could not under
stand that he was calling his people
clowns and ounces. nor could the Ameri-
can mind grasp the German point Of
view. All | could comprehend was the in
sUfferable conceIt OF the nation that could
calmly believe its power superior TO all
the world and that power comprised OF
COMPOSITE football kicked here and there
bv It's master whose bidding IL was ever
ready to DO al any time supInelv stupid
~. and without protest And I told my
friend that he would possibly change his
views. which ] think he has, for Just be-
fore | left Germany for home my eve
caught, in daily paper the announce
meut Of the death. on the field Of battle
Of the third son gIvea By tins hre-eater
ms laIGFrlafO tiFt atl~P AUST ria haQ
started a row with Serbia ] sent hun
card Of coincidence but never received
an acknowledgment and wonderd
whether ne recalled that day al the Cafe
Tromels when ne hoped the German
Michel would awaken ana strike
coPYIsT NEVER INVENTOR
Der deutsche Michel is mimic
never an originator of anything good or
useful Every man, woman and child
in Germany has some one above him in
the social, military, commercial, or in
tellectual scale, some one whom he adj
mits TO be his superlOr-aH save the
kaiser himself, who declares that he is
responsible TO God alone. J ct the Ger
man socialists call the kaiser the biggest
'|AIichel" Of all, while the masses kowtow
in serviIe genufeodon and initiate in all
things these acknowledged masters Of
their destiny.
When the kaiser grew his mustache
countless representatives Of the "deutscher
Michel in the empire followed-l4is lead
until all Germany became q land Of hir-
suite lightning rods and nearly every
officer a staggering Draggart who pushed
the lesser "n1icheIs' off the sidewalk Or,
if the kaiser painted his motor car red.
countless owners of cars followed the
imperial fashion until the emperor for
babe it.