The sun., 1918-10-08
"The VIII to Destru elton"

Ine VIII 10 DestFuCIOu'
This phrase belongs to the newest
lingo of Teuton pseudo-psychology.
II has been repeated over and over
tgain by the German Kaiser in his
communications to friend and foe !;
repeated in his hypocritical cant I'M
til 1t is scarcely possible to contem-
plate the words without nausea. In
the sense in which the phrase is
habitually employed by the Hohen-
zollern IL signifies a fixed purpose on
the part of his adversaries to destroy
the German nation as a political en-
tity, TO destroy the industrial and
commercial future Of the German
people. Attributing this Twill to de-
struction" to the Allied forces Of civil
lization, the Kaiser pretends to be
inviting his deludrd subjects to de-
fend themselves and their own for
tunes against extinction, while he is
actually inviting them to sacrifice
themselves and their families and
their fortunes in defence of himself
and his fortune and his dynasty and
its selfish ambitions.
There Is truer sense in which the
"will to destruction" is now exem-
plified and illustrated. Speaking
through his personally appointed I'M
perial Chancellor, Prince MAMMALIAN
OF Baden, the Kaiser tells the Reichs-
tag that
Whatever this outcome may be
tmeaning the reply Of the Allies to the
note proposing negotiationsl I know 1t
win find Germany firmly resolved and
united either for an upright peace which
rejects every selfish violation of the
rights OF others or for a closing OF the
struggle for life and death to which
our people would be forced without our
own fault IL the answer to our note Of
the Powers opposed to us should be
dictated by a will to destroy U.S."
At the moment when the Kaiser is
thus prating Of his desire for ''an
upright peace which rejects every
selfish violation of the rights OF
others'-GoD save the mark the
real twill to destruction" Is mani
Testing itself in wanton savagery in
northern France along the line of his
beaten and retreating troops. Cam
brai Is burning or burned, ST. Quen-
Tin Is burning or burned. Doual is
burning, Laon is afire, Lille is men,
aced with the torch. Mt least twenty
places between Lens and Rheims are
reported in flames. A more hellishly
conceived and ruthlessly applied eff
fort Of the will to destruction has not
heen witnessed In warfare since the
days of ATTILA the earlier Hun. AT
TII.A spared some things. some towns,
some persons. WILHELM the War
Lord spares nothing, either on the
"brave troops who under splendid
leadership have accomplished almost
superhuman deeds throughout the
whole war" have been transformed by
that splendid leadership into almost
superhuman thieves and incendlaries
Every movable and valuable piece OF
private property within their reach
during the period of occupation has
either been stolen and sent to Ger,
many or is now on its way thIther
in the vans that accompany the bel len
and retreatlng divisions. Every dwell
ing house or cottage which the torch
can reach, every home of business or
industry which the law Of nations
holds sacred against everything but
absolute military necessity, is doomed
and destroyed by these superhuman
incendiaries acting under the kaisers
commands.
II is not lovely picture which the
world Is getting to-day of the spirit
Of that military autocracy which now
proposes, through Prince MAMMALIAN
to cooperate with the civilized Gov.
ernments in "a league based on the
foundation Of equal rights for all
both strong and weak" 1t is not an
attractive certificate of the qualifica
tions OF WILHELM and his almost
superhuman soldiers to act as special
constables for the maintenance OF
ian upright peace" and the proven
tion Of every selfish violation of the
rights of Others" Their contempo
raneous deeds Of raplne, Of pillage
Of arson, OF enslavement of women
are speaking much more plainly than
the artistically contrived words of
<NAxIMILIAN's suave periods.
Even, the atrocities of the advance
beginning at Liege and Louvain ant
reaching twice quite to the Marine
are mora Ineligible, If not more ex