Evening star., 1921-10-20

cradle up, training for war at his
mothers knee, training for war at
school, in the university. in the army,
training for war in every walk of life.
Germany turned toward war as flowers
turn toward the sun.
Had Accumulated Wealth.
In France there were some who
took heart, saying, Germany is too
rich to make war" A poor under
standing indeed of the nature and
origin of her wealth. Germany has
accumulated prodigious wealth in less
than half of century. But this
result too rapidly attained has not
been unaccompanied by crises. The
first had fallen in 1901, memorable
year of bankruptcies and failures. In
1911, and the following months the
situation. although less critical, re-
mainAd tense, so tense indeed that
more than one German. familiar with
history and remembering the great
impetus given by victory in 1870, be-
competition to be neither the best
nor the sureSt means to conquer
markets. settle balances and feed the
treasury. Suoh Germans. saturated
with their national tradition, looked
upon war as business: just as their
government conducted business as if
it had been war. Thus grew up that
close union of politics and economics
which is so typical of the German
public mind. Some dreamed of domi-
mating an enslaved Europe; others
like Wagner's "Libelung"-lusted for
the possession of gold. Both We're
agreed that. at certain hours of a
nations life, victorious war offers the
shortest cut. both to domination and
to gold. On the one hand. the intel
lectualS of the universiticS-all ready
to draft-remember the ninety-three
and their odious manifesto of 191i-
the philosophical justification of a
war of plunder: on the other. the
great captains of industry equally
ready to furnish the military chiefs
with the elements of the famous plan
for the destruction of French fac
tories.
Industries Answer Call.
Bernhardi's call was answered by
the six great industrial concerns of
Germany. who several months later
demanded the annexation of all the
special iron ore of Briey, including
the fortresses of Longwy and Yer
dun, without which the mining region
could not be protected" as well as
the coal basins of the north of France.
For" they very frankly added, the
possession of coal is at least as i'm
portant as that of iron ore
Such the Germany of 1911. She is
unanimous. The notion of war, re-
jected by all other nations as the last
vestige of a bygone age, is ever
present in her mind. One finds it
everywhere associated vaguely, but
intimately, with their every concep-
tion of national and international
life. 1t presents itself to them with
all the glamor of the past. all the
hopeful promise of the future. When
ever the government decides to pass
from the notion to the act of war,
the whole people will unheSitatingly
follow. This is what happened in
1914. Blind. indeed. must he have
been who, three years earlier did not
see.
Besides. where was the risk? Ger
many's national industry, could but
be victorious, for France was not an
adversary to be feared. I said just
now that before the war France did
not know herself: but how much less
did Germany know France. l know
no instance of political information
so totally and utterly false as that
which the imperial German govern
ment collected concerning us during
the ten years prior to the war. This
lack of understanding appeared in
the suggestions which the emperor
and his satellites sometimes ventured
to let fall in the ears of French
visitors: Let US be friends. Let us
unite your graces to our might" Ger
many. dupe of her desires. deeply
despised France: She believed France
many the pleasure resorts of Paris
mostly frequented by Germans
seemed by comparison with her self
estimated virtue to be typical of
Modern Babylon"
Military ShortcOminE Exaggerated.
Our military and other shortcom-
fngS were exaggerated by the reports