The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-13

as presented unless they are modified.
That is the only recognizable note
arising out of the nations indescrib-
able agony of soul. There lie an al
most incredible mental confusion and
CONSERVATION in all official circles
as to whether that is the true note
| and as TO whether II will sound
above the mere lamentations and
protestations when the hour comes
to drink or to refuse the bitter cup
perhaps to be confronted upon re-
fusal with one still more filled with
NORWOOD.
The humiliation Of it all Is an
other matter. Official Germany
shrinks with horror from the mo-
ment Of its decision to sign Ger
many's own death warrant, to sub
scribe to the Germans own guilt"
as patient shrinks from the operat
ing room or a condemned man from
the gallows. Germany is slowly
coming to-: the first shock was
stupefying; now the realization Of the
scope OF 1t all is slowly dawning on
arms stretching heavenward vainly
| crying for a sign of deliverance from
the dreaded hour Of fate while at the
same time voices swear that rather
than drink the cup they will go to
the depths of hell and carry their
enemies with them.
Due allowance must be made for
| the manifestation OF these agonies Of
despair. for while the one time great
nation is going down one of the great
est soul dramas OF history is tran
spring in Germany. Harnessmaker
! Friedrich Ebert. first President Of
the German Republic. ordered a
| weeks mourning over the entire coun-
| try as sign OF sorrow for the ma
tional tragedy. This began to-day.
Berlin especially. where gayety borne
largely Of hopelessness and indiffer-
ence has been manifest, was i'm
pressed with the gravity Of the hour.
CAbarets and dance halls were closed
and theatres and Aim shows might
present only the serious things zap
propriate to the gravity Of the times"
Soul storms and Despair.
Until these soul storms on the one
hand and the blacklist despair on the
| other subside no clear decision from
Germany can be expected. With no
army. no navy. no food, no raw ma
terials. with no faith in their own
Government or leaders, with little
that can be called heroic left in the
people. and lacking both desire and
courage to carry out the threat to
turn the country Bolshevik, It is diff
ficult to figure out how Germany can
escape the destiny marked out at
Versailles.
TO sign or not to sign-that's the
question that haunts the Scheide-
mann government. Eyes in VIII
elmstrasse and Behrenstrasse
showed signs of sleeplessness; Of
fetal faces were pale and haggard ;
Count Won Bernstorff looked as If he
had aged years. Usually the most
accessible OF officials, the dismissed
Ambassador to Washington after the
terms were made public refused tc
see any one; he would not discuss
the situation even with his office
staff. Count Won Bernstorff's politi'
cal position has been rendered more
difficult because his constant refrain
has been do everything that Wilson
and House want" which is nov
being thrown up to him.
The general CONSERVATION and laci
of leadership was reflected for day.
in the editorial leaders in all the
papers under such headings as ''Th'
Garotte," what Shall We Do?
Sign or Not Sign Peace of Enslave
ment?" With the exception Of Di'
Freiheit, organ Of the Independent
Socialists, the entire Berlin press
calls for the rejection of the terms
Die F'reiheit insists they be signe'
but under protest and with the inten
ton. that they be not kept.
Count Raventiow's Views.
Count Reventlow in the Deutsch
Tdges-Zeitun9 characterizes the term
as uncomfortable and unfulfillable, an