New-York tribune., 1919-01-11

III. Won Mach also attempted t
prove his "Americanism" by citin
praise Of book of his by Colone
Roosevelt and his correspondent
with Garet Garrett, associate editor o
"Everybody's" in 1914. The latter ha
written him asking to prepare an arti
Gle for an "eXperiment in emotiona
understanding" an indictment of Eng
land written out of the deep of Gel
man feeling, and, provided only tina
it is done by some one like yoursel
who is big enough to assume the mora
responsibility, it may be as harsh, a
bitter and as unrestrained by affecta
tions of neutrality as the writer like
to make it,"
Commission Refused
The commission had been refused
and the witness read from his lettte
of refusal, because 81 believe toS firm
ly that Incorporate speech has been
strong contributory cause of war;" am
"however wrong England is to-day
some day the Germans and the Englisl
will have to face the world again d
brethren, and / do not wish to max
the task Of readjustment more Difficult
them
The correspondence in full follows
every body's Magazine,
Spring and Macdougal Streets,
"Ncw York,
November II, 1914,
editorial Offices.
professor Edmund Won Mach,
as Shepard Street,
cambridge, Mass.
Dear Dr.. Won Mach:
'Everybody's Magazine wishes
to undertake an experiment in emo
tional understanding. 1t requires an
article-a short one, say, 1900 words
which shall be an indictment Of
England written out of the deep of
that it is done by some one like
yourself, Who is big enough to as
sumo the moral responsibility, it
may be as harsh, as bitter and as
unrestrained by affectations of neu
trality as the writer likes to make it..
That is to say, it shall be not de-
fence of German policy, nor a dis
cussion of the historical, political
and social causes Of the war, but a
human indictment of England; for
more and more we see, or, think we
see, that fundamentally this strug
gle lies between England and Ger
many.
"The people in this country are not
as much interested as they perhaps
ought to be in the facts of the his
torical evidence, but they respond to
the facts of human feeling with
which they are supplied from the
other side by English writer's, e. g.,
Chesterton, Shaw, Begbie ct al. And
in our judgment, the sentiment
created by their human and emotion
al indictment of Germany is not ef
fectively counteracted by the schol-
arly arguments that are coming from
the German side. 1t must be met
by the counter Indictment. So we
think.
Germans View of Britisher
"How does the German visualize
the Britisher? I think / know. If
! we're writing the Indictment, I
should say that to the German the
Britisher is the colossal hypocrite
of the world; that he affects to dis
believe in militarism and seeks to
impose himself upon the world by
his naval supremacy; that, as Cramb
says, he goes about saying: Let us
keep the peace for the sake of God
and because it pays; that he has
purloined his empire, and that he
no more entered this war because
Germany violated Belgian neutrality
than because Prussia may have not
played fair with the Empress Maria
Theresa, but because every trade re-
port for, twenty years had been a
cause for war with Germany, and
that he is the smuggest creation of
God. The accuracy or inaecuracy of
this indictment, as Cramb thought
may be determined in the dueness
Of time; the important fact for the
present is that the German believes
tiff he really does.
ut is. furthest from our purpose
to stimulate racial hatred. But you
cannot understand Germany without
knowing the England of its magma
tion any more than you can under
stand England without knowing the
Germany of its Imagination. The
Germany of England's imagination is
we'll known to us. The other is not.
"And that is what we want to
show. Will you do such an article
for US? We wish to have it for the
number of the magazine that closes
at the end of next week. That will
require haste; but it is an easy
thing to write from feeling. 1t comes
to you at once.
"lf you can do it, will you be so
good as to answer at once?@ We
should leave the remuneration to
you. Yours very truly,
(Signed) "GARET GARRETT"
Won Mach's Reply
"Mr. Garet Garrett.
Dear Mr.. Garrett:
81 have given your offer serious
consideration. Such an article can
be valuable only if it expresses the
honest convictions of man, as we'll
in style and form as in thought.
believe too firmly that Incorporate
speech has been strong contribu-
tory cause of the war to yield to the
temptation of putting into catch
phrases my very strong feelings.
However wrong England is to-day,
some day the Germans and the Eng
lish will have to face rne world again
as brethren, and l do not wish to
make the task of readjustment more
difficult then.
81 believe, on the other hand that
strong case can be made out to
appeal to the emotions of the read
ers, and if you care to have me un-
dertake this task in my own way, |
shall be glad to do it---or, better,
to try. it.
~ shall spend Saturday forenoon
with Mr.. Roosevelt in Oyster Bay, and
expect to call on DR.. Dernburg at the
Ritz Carlton in the afternoon. IF
you care to leave word for me there
l shall doubtless get it. But letter
to me here will be quite enough, be-
cause ] could not begin the article
before Monday.
II greatly appreciate your offer,
and am, very sincerely yours,
"EDMUND Won MACH.
"48 Shepard Street, Cambridge,
November 10, 1914"