Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-10-23
Editors Letter Box
The Blond Beast.

ter It is not-far from it. 1t is
personal appeal to you to help do for
your country what no one man can
do, and yet what must be done; If the
great struggle Of civilization is not to
prove worse than useless-and recoil
in awful revenge upon our children.
A year in a German factory fol-
lowed by eight years of almost con-
slant business and social contact with
the German in various parts of Ger
many. Austria and the United States
has taught me these truths. as four
years in Germany taught Gerard, and
three years in Belgium taught Whit
lock.
1.-THE Blopd Beast that persona
fies modern Germany the terrible
soulless half-blind THING. mad
with Authorizations OF world domin-
ion-IT cannot comprehend. Forty
years it has been Systematically
trained to be blind to every duty ex-
cept IT'S selfish gain (thc survival of
the most ruthless), to every virtue
except IT'S pride, to every right ex-
cept IT'S might. Bred in the bone,
sucked at the breast. taught in the
schools. preached in the pulpits and
venerated ct the graves of the Ger
man people for two generations, 1T
has entered into the modern German
in place Of soul. and you cannot
hope 10 cast it out in a few years, or
by change in form of government.
The meaning of a nation is not its
political system. but the ideal of its
people.
No permanent peace can be hoped
tor that is not founded squarely on
the absolute destruction of ITS god
Might. Also the ways of peace must
provide for the re-education of every
individual German by some form of
personal restitution until the worship
OF the Blond Beast is purged from his
creed. The individual German (not
merely the rulers) must learn that
might does not make right. that the
war lords cannot order God about or
suspend the ten commandments. that
being a decent member of the human
race is paramount to being loyal to
any government, that culture in
wolves gentleness which is not
weakness but is diametrically op-
posed to kultur, that scrap of paper
IS well worth dying for il it repre-
SCENTS honor. and thousands Of other
like things down to the everyday code
that good sport is no squeezing
welcher and surrender Is not a legiti-
mate means to knife your enemy in
the back. Today the German mind
the mind of the ordinary German in
olVldual has no comprehension of
these things. His answer is Ger
many over all" or Military neces-
sity." or The Fatherland can do no
wrong" or THE spread of Kultur."
or 1T Is best for me, myself" or my
religion is made in Berlin Among
other things. he must be painstaking-
~. slowly. thoroughly taught that
religion is no more made in Berlin
than the white flame of heroism is
manufactured in a drug factory. but
descend upon the humble worshipper
at the altar of selfsacrifice. The race
OF Huns must be re- educated from
the cradle up.
Failin: that, you may be sure
civilization will have to fight 1T
again. for if the BLOND BEAST
however whipped, can stink away to
the lair he has today in the mind of
the German people, lie will come
packard next time will make no
mistake in the manner of his com
ing.
How can this regeneration be ac-
compiished" Mere money indemni-
ties only foster bitterness for wears
by their blind burden of taxation.
The countries that have been de-
Vastated have right to such poor
restitution as can now be made and
america has the power and the duty
or seeing that it is made. Let the
, work or compensation be personal
and individually instructive to the
German and let it be carried out in
all possible kindness under the di.
rection of an International Allied
Board as an educational program not
as revenge. To secure this Ger
many must be taken under Allied
military control for at least a wear
and all the machinery. farm eouip-
ment. household utensils and works
or art looted from the other countries
should be searched out and returned
and all the destroyed works OF art
and learning should be as far as pos
Slpie replaced from the German store.
certainly the greatest step toward
'fCe repentance is to make good the
tneit. Meanwhile every member of
the German military machine from
the private up should be compeIled
under military guard to give his own
service in the devastated countries
lot term increasing progressively
win MS military rank. to the work
Oh reconstruction and every German
male thereafter be compelled to give
portion of his time each year for
twenty Years to completing as far s
possible the restoration until the cost
OF Germanys war lust has been re-
palo to the world. Finally. and most
important. every German child from
hNe 10 ,tteen years should be edu-
Gated abroad out of the atnosphere
or kultur. away from the lair of tho
bcast. SO that he may have chance
% grow up human. The cost of do
ing 1t would be far less than the cost
OF another war. OF the price exscted
ny the fostered hate of a growing
nation.
me only possible prelude to such
program is that the Allies insist on
the absolute and unconditional sur-
render. and complete disarmament of
germany. To the assurance of such
program with its lesson to tho
world we would gladly give orr
money. our service and our lives.