The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-14
mass suggestion
PROPAGANDA CLEVER

We found ourselves, bit by bit, at
tackled by enemy propaganda by speech
and writing, through the neutral coun-
tries, especially across our land from
tiers with Holland and Switzerland, and
also through Austria Hungary and in
our very own country, and, last of all
through the air, with such cleverness
and on such large scale that many
people could no longer distinguish be-
tween enemy propaganda and their
own sentiments
Propaganda wounded us all the more
deeply in that we had to carry on the
war, not with strong battalions, but
with good ones. The value of masses
in war cannot be denied, and without
soldiers there can be no fighting. But
numbers alone are nothing, without the
spirit that animates them; this is true
both at home and in the field.
We have fought the world, and we
could fight the world with confidence,
so long as our spirits were sound. Just
so long, too, we held prospects of sue
cess, and, which is the same thing, did
not have to bow to our ehemys de-
sire to destroy us. When our mortal
strength failed us, the whole position
was changed We no longer fought to
the last drop of brood, and many Ger
mans were no longer ready to die Ior
their country.
LINES HE HATED TO WRITE
The breaking of our morale at home,
with its effect on our fighting capacity,
the war against the home front and
the spirit of the army were, 1t IS true,
the main means whereby the Entente
hoped to conquer us, after it had given
up the hope of military victory. l had
no doubt on this point
In the spring of 1918 a far-seenig
Entente statesman made the following
remarks:
In London and Paris there is today
a general fundamental belief that the
German army on the western front Will
never be conquered by purely military
means. But it is, nevertheless, clear
that the Entente will win, and that by
the international conditions In Ger
many and the Central Powers, which
will lead to the fall of the imperial
house. At latest in the autumn of this
year the revolution will break out IN
Germany. It is quite clear" to us that
there are influential circles in Ger
many who would regard nothing as so
bad as a military victory of Ludendortf.
This fitted strangely we'll the words
of Sprobel, member of the Prussian
diet, and editor of Vorwarts, In 1913.
1 confess quite openly that com
plete victory of the Empire would not
be in the interests of social democracy
I was reluctant to write these lines
and let them go out to the world. But
truth is truth, and these words were
spoken.
WANTED CHANCELLOR to- ACT
The Chancellor was responsible for
the maintenance of morale at home.
G. H. @. would have been glad to under
take direct contemporaries by
duty, 1t always approached the CHAM
and heUped him to act.
1t was his duty to remove the un-
fortunately only too Justified ground
for popular dissatisfaction, and espe-
cially to take steps against the abuses
and excuses in war industries. (He re-
fers to profiteering, strikes and favor
itism to munition workers) Tney
disadvantages. were bound to awake
much Indignation and to damage the
morale of wide circles of society in a
manner calculated to do infinite harm
| to our strength in the war.
| Profit hunting, luxury and selfish
ness overcame all honorable influences
| but short rations also blunted theil
finer perceptions. Men standing In the
! trenches fighting the enemy had tt
| fear that their jobs and their trades
were being taken from them by others
| 1t is very painful to look back and see
how the German sincerity and honesty
| the spotless personal cleanliness ane
i the selfish thought for ones country
were lost and in their place came q
wholly un-German idea, that the in
terests of oneself were the only law
| Of life.
| The chancellor should have told the
people whittier they were drifting, ano
explained to them the whole of theii
| should have explained again and again
1 what was at stake, that an endurable
peace could only be won from de-
| feated enemy, and that we would other
wise be the victims of a peace OF
! violence. Only victory could save us