The Twin City star., 1919-01-04
Future of Europe
Is Dependent on
Reconstruction Of
Ancient Nation
F Germany had natural
eastern frontier-as she has
natural boundaries to west


natural boundaries to west
and south-the establish
- ment of permanent peace
might not require such extraordinary
safeguards. But, Germany lying
where she does and her people being
what they are the future Of Europe
depends on one thing-the reconstruc-
tfon of Poland"
The speaker was no less person
than Roman Dmowski, for twenty
years leader of the submerged west
ern Slavs In their aspiration toward
q renewed national life, long the rep
resentative Of the city Of Warsaw in
the Russian duma; today, by virtue Of
his position as president Of the Pol
fish national committee, recognized by
the governments Of Great Britain,
France. Italy and the United States
rs the official representative and
spokesman of thirty-fve millions of
people.
ITO take up the German-ness Of Ger
mans first" he went on In the course
Of an interview with Rowland Ttomrs
appearing In the New York World,
"they are a people capable of talking
about their drang mach osten-their
expansiveness toward the east-as If
It were something scientifically inev-
table and sacred. like the law Of grav-
itatiOn or the budding Of trees in
springtime. No such peculiar ard spe-
cific force, of course. now exists. Ma
ture no more drove the Germans to
the expansive eastward than up or
down In any other direction. What
did drive them was an alluring oppoc-
tunity. Whereupon they invented
mystical force which was supp Dscd to
be above even their own ideas and
emotions-just as they later invented
special and sacred kultur when they
felt the need of justifyipg overween-
ing ambition in their own eyes and
the sight Of the world, and still later
con1ured i3p an ancient German Gott
to make expediency and morality mu-
tually .sslf-supporting.
"Such worship Of mental straw rlen
such confusing OF formulas with
forces, the sound of words with veri.
ties, exculpations with justifcatlons-
is the natural refuge Of sentimental
lists who shrink from looking their
own impulses In the face.
"By special drang mach osten,
then, Germans have sanctified for
themselves their cupidity of territory
and trade in certain directions. Many
such canonized phrases will confront
and trouble the peace builders in their
coming work, for an orthodox formula
may be deadly thing. Witness what
was justified in revolutionary France
by the cry of liberty, equality and fra
ternity-what IS happening under the
same watchword now in bOlshevistic
Russia. To guard the future against
the force Of the ancient and haloed
dogma CT cranS mach Osten is there
fore vitality necessary.
Would Safeguard Future.
"And," interpolated Mr.. Dmowski, a
faint smile lowering about his firm-set
lips, IF certain step is taken the
future will be effectually guarded.
Germans hereafter will have to take
their drang mach osten out in plain
drang-ing. They will find themselves
butting their heads against wall, to
be colloquial. And that wall will be
Poland-the strong Poland which can
and must be constructed, not easily,
perhaps. but surely and firmly, If suf-
ficiently intelligent and foreseeing
craftsmanship Is used at this time.
'That brings us to the second stand
ing menace to permanent peace In Eu-
rOpe-the fact that Germany for gen.
erations has had no natural eastern
boundaries, that a tantalizingly easy
way to aggression and conquest has
lain always open before her-and, now
that Russia is chaos. is easier than
ever before. t
'Tf this were not the case, II Ger
many faced to the east some we'll
defined physical obstacle. as she faces
the Rhine gorge, the Alps, the Bohe-
mian and Carpathlan highlands to the
west and south, the potentialities
might not be so grave. But as 1t is,
Asia, through Russia, lies open, un-
guarded and dangerously inviting to
Germany's thwarted ambitions.
LET us not in this exhilarating mo-
ment of victory permit ourselves to
become unduly optimistic or too cred
ulous. National psychologists do not