The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-09-29


 and ammunition of all kinds were strewn, owuerless, over a large part of the country, for anyone to pick up; the rebel navy was sending every where it's unskilled missionaries of revolt; food for distribution suffered enormously great war industries suddenly ceased to give employment; the whole governmental machine slowed grainEly to a standstiH
 The Mental Shock of Defeat.
 In addition to all this the people as whole sustained a frightful mem tai shock. Though they had really abandoned their revised as well as their early hope of victory, Pan-Ger- man style, 1t was, indeed, a knock out blow for them to be brought so suddenly. as the brief Prince Max re- gime did bring them, to the tragic realization that the end of all was to be unreIieved disaster.
 In such circumstances 1t appeared to be only too certain that all was ripe for a crOwning catastrophe be- yond the power of man to retrieve for Bolshevism, in short, to sweep easily over the Hghtly-guarded east ern frontiers.
 But while the picture with which the world was presented had the col ors of chaos and confusion much too thickly laid on, while foreign coun- tries were engrossed in a mirage of misstatement. the new regime was performing a feat-one of the two great achievements to its credit, the other being the drawing up of the new constitution-the skill of which, I think. has not been sufficiently rec ognized.
 The runaway team was pulled up; the brand of national life was plucked from the burning. Men, quite unac- Customed Co the art and science of government children in the work with which they were suddenly fac ed, restored a certain degree of tran quIlity, aided by the general discipline of the people, by that of the officials of the public services and the munich paliries-which are not wholly un- | de- nocratic-and by that of a rem Q na nt of the army.
 The men certainly did their best; they kept at bay the violent extre- mists-the Idebknechts and Luxem- burgs, which was far from being easy between November and Febru- ary; they gained experience, and, though strike followed strike. though | ever and anon in different parts of l the country IawIessness lighted its ! grim flares. while poverty howled, while hunger ragged anl irresponsi- | bIe wealth made merry, these men did work which resulted in there being | a Germany with which to conclude | peace, instead of a burning, chaotic mass which, in the midst of the | Continent. would have cost Europe | dear
 Now, in addition to showing how relatively well the new regime acted, and how it was supported by the dis | ciplines of the broad masses of the people. it is necessary to point out | that the word "revolution'' must be | here considerably qualified.
 | The German Revolution of 1918 was not a sudden thing; 1t has never ! given any real signs of following the l example of Russia German mentality | Is not that of the Russian; nor were | two great hostile camps in Germany ] animated by such bitter antagonism | as was the case of Russia. Rather, | the Revolution has developed fairly | close on the lines of the liberal rev | olution of 1S4O in Germany; the ana | logy is. indeed, an interesting one for l the student.
 Eclipse of Socialism
 The present revolution has not so far, been conspicuously Socialist 1t is not too much to say that it ap- pears to have turned its back on So- | cialism; in reality its main feature! have been provided by the dem ocra ts | CThe new Constitution is mainly theil l work, and especially that of Dr Preuss, the democratic Minister o, the Interoir.)
 | Since the Government was purged of the Independent Socialists, thu trend of it's policy has been more ant more towards moderation. Socialism for the purpose of realizing the revo | lution. eventually allied itself witt the Democrats (with whom it has a present broken for little, but the co operation will be resumed), and witt the Catholic Centre party.
 It still, as an eminent writer ha: said. "gets all the equipment of poll tica1 formulae 1t requires from tn { arsenal of the old Liberal parties, and 1t still continues to Took nor and more for the realization of it hopes. not to some great social up 1 heaval. but to the slow process O | pacific evolution which will trans form the capitalistic order of tn society within" It has. in short. no wiped the slate clean: in German
 political development that has neve
 been done.
 Signs Before the War.
 Anyone who knew Germany befor
 the war was aware that the men O
 the liberalizing revolution" of 184
 had lighted lamp not to be put ou
 The forces of Socialism and Demo
 cracy has steadily grown: the ol
 regime and the Kaiser were reall
 net nearly SO popular as was though
 in other countries.
 Long before tho war careful obseT
 vers have seen signs which shove
 that Germany was fin peril of chang
 Nj. Henri LAtchenberEer. of the Uni
 versity of Paris. fin his great bool
 "Germany and its Evolution in Mod
 ern Times"-a volume which the stu
 dent of Germany would do well nc
 to forgst-saw. like many other
 signs that tho people were gettln