New-York tribune., 1919-07-04

M ERLIN, June when Hiadenburg an
n nounced about a month ago that he
would resign soon as peace is
signed 1t seems to me remarkable that so
little was made of it in the press. Here
is man who is really liked by the German
people Hardly. anybody has anything to
say against him-all the harsh things aimed
at .nilitarisrn are reserved for LudendorfF.
The worst that "Die Freiheit," the rabid
and rancorous Independent Socialist organ,
could say against Hindenburg was this:
"Hindenburg may have his merits as mill
tary man, but the proletarlat will not reckon
him among those of whom it is proud" But
even the papers that are still upholdlng
military traditions showed what seemed
rather perfunctory enthusiasm in writing
Of Hindenburg. 1t all impressed me as a
remarkable reversion from the old militarist
spirit, its dolatry for great military names,
among which Hindenhurg was the greatest
during the FIRST three years Of the war. Does
it mean that military spirit is dead for the
present?
And now Hindenburg is problem to Ber-
lin in another form-as an etfgy. Ameri-
can readers will perhaps, still recall the
great Iron Hindenburg" that figured ex-
tensively in press reports of about four
years ago-the huge forty-foot-high statue
Of the general that was erected out near
the Victory Column in the Tiergarten. Ii was
really made chiefly Of wood, but called iron
because it was proposed that the people
should come and drive nails into it till it
should wear a complete coat Of nails. So
much was paid for each nail driven-with
corresp spondngly higher fees for silver and
gold nails Ito be carefully pulled out after
their capitalist or princely purchasers had
driven them). All this was a means to an
end-the collection, namely, of big fund
to help war widows and orphans.
But time wore on. and the war wore on
the peoples nerves; interest finally Jagged
and Il ceased to give patriotic pleasure 10
drive nails into Hindenburg Then the
concern handling the undertaking failed;
and now it is trying to get rid Of Hinden-
burg without too great cost. First he
was offered to the City Of Berlin, but the
aldermen declined the gift Then happy
solution, it was hoped, was found he should
be set up in the Stadion, the great play
ground out In the Grunewald, where there
also is great racetrack. But the managers
objected that the effgy--nobody speaks of it
as work of art--would be out of keeping
with the surroundings there, besides pre-
venting the public from seeing the races
to advantage.
And so the Hindenburg problem is still
live one. What shall be done with him ?
One wise contributor to the press offers the
practical suggestion that the wood, picked
alde.wood and eighty cubic metres of it,"
could we'll be made use Of by many in
dustries; it might be worked up into
souvenirs snd sold in that form
Meanwhile Hindenburg stands at the head
Of tire Victory Alice, with feet wide apart,
and stares glumly down upon the Kaiser's
ancestors. 1t is hard, unhappy look that
ne wears.
But IS the ex-Kaiser himself so unhappy
as this wooden Hindenburg looks? The
mos Of US like TO imagine that ne is. Ac-
cording to the letter of clergyman Of the
! Moravian Brethren that has reached Berlin,
however, his ex-majesty has taken to re
ligion more strongly than ever, and his
chief unhappiness now is that the German
people DO not 5etake themselves to their