New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-05
Art at the Peace Table


drawn to the assets upon which Ger
many could draw if she were COM
PEELED to pay part of her indemnity in
works of art. Rapidly surveying the
great galleries at Berlin, Munich and
Dresden-and properly including Wen
na-Mr. Cortissoz estimates the paint
ings and other treasures available at
S1,000,000,00O, asserting that this would
be a conservative valuation of the works
desirable for distribution among the
Allies. Whether the idea of thus REIN
bursting the worlds artistic losses, an
idea steadily advocated in The Tribune
since the war broke out, be formally
adopted at the peace conference or not
depends upon the extent to which the
powers carry out their purpose of i'm
posing not simply financial PREPARATION
but moral punishment If Germany is
truly to be taught to repent, then requi-
stions upon her art galleries should
come first among the penalties inflicted.
1t is our own conviction that nothing
could be more efficacious if she is to be
really disciplined.
Paradoxcally, it is not because we
believe that the Hun would feel the loss
of artistic masterpieces as civilized ma
lions would feel them that we urge
this subtraction from his possessions.
1t is rather because, in taking from him
what he knows mankind everywhere else
most prizes, the Allies would hurt him
where he feels a hurt quickest and long
est, namely, in his vanity. There is
where your true German, be he of high
or low degree, suffers as he suffers no.
where else, when fate goes against him.
One Of the stories brought back from
the American army overseas relates to
a German colonel taken prisoner by our
troops. He had cried "Kamerad" as
cheerfully as a boche could when his
captors approached him, but on being
sent to the cage he revoted with pas
sion against receiving only an humble
doughboy for an escort. So violent
was his mode of protest against the in
dignity to his rank as he was taken,
willy-nilly, to the rear, that when the
doughboy returned his report ran:
"Prsoner died of wounds on the way
to camp"
The tale illustrates the temper Of
race. What German pride is like we
know from the flight of the Kaiser and
Crown Prince at one end of the scale,
and, at the other, from the men of We'd
digen's U-boat, who might have saved
her with honor but preferred to give her
up for the sake of the bonus offered
them for taking her to Britain. What
German vanity is like we may know not
only from the anecdote just cited but
from kindred incidents with which the
history Of the war is crowded to over
flowing. We knew it for trait wide
spread and constant, the one trait in
which every German from Hindenburg
to the obscurest wearer of the Iron Cross
is instantly and eternally vulnerable
1t is the one trait certifying that all
Germany would vince when the popu-
iation was virtually designated as unfit
70 appreciate the works of art on which
IL mad plumcd itself. Every painting in
European gallery labelled as "From
the German Indemnity" would advertise
forever the national sim The sin might
be forgotten by the German, but never
the advertisement of it.
In a Enthusiastically sardonic pas
sage Of his Education" the late Henry
Adams describes himself as pleading
with a Cabinet officer in 1869 for pa
thence and tact in dealing with Repre-
sentatives. Impatiently the Secretary
broke out: "You can't use tact with
Congressman! A Congressman is
hog! You must take stick and hit
him on the snoutl" With apologies to