New Ulm review., 1921-06-01
From the I'm. 1'urnzeitung
Among the Dead.
Robert Steiner.

among lne 1edu'
Robert Steiner.
IF Edison succeeds in communicating
with the dead, he may be able to locate
Americas spirit Of patriotism, Z one OF our
highly respectable, 100 per cent loyal
and eminently patriotic local con-
temporaries mischievously remarks.
What is the meaning Of it? Does it
mean that Americas spirit OF. patriotism
is dead, that it did not outlive the great
fight for liberty, democracy and humanity?
docs it mean that Americas spirit OF
patriotism was no spirit at all but merely
Ia phrase? Does it mean that the reah-
zation of democracy puts patriotism out
OF business?
Maybe it simply means that we have
OF brain storms and artificial exaltatlon.
But it may also mean that the reality
/ OF the things we thought we were fighting
I for had a SOLDERING effect upon the Amerl-
can people and made them realize that it
was not only the European people that
had been duped by their rulers.
One thing is certain: the patriotism
of our Four Minute men, the patriotism
Eof the self-seeking politician, the patriot
ism Of the 100 per cent model citizen, the
patriotism Of the demagogue, the hypo-o
critic and the spy cannot survive war; 1t
] dies with the victims of war.
| The horrible realities Of the war and
the nasty consequences Of the bloody
struggle are the mortal enemies Of that
comedy Of emotion which found such
large audience during the time OF our
war terrorism at home.
Let your patriotism be the expression
Of the real feelings and thoughts and emo
tions Of the masses Of the people and it
will never die. Let your patriotism be
the breath Of your nation, and it will be
immortal. War kills everything, men, JUS
| tice, democracy, liberty, humanity and,
finally, blood patriotism.
"Since its religious daily lasted &c
days, Chicago probably will claim recog-
milton as a Christian town. Pittsburgh
Dispatch.
| It seems to us that Chicago is just as
much Christian town as Pittsburgh Or
New York or Buffalo. They fleece their
fellow men there as efficiently as any
where else in our modern capitalist world,
f and invest a very minute part OF the spolls
| of exploitation and profteering and legal
lied robbery in religion, morality and pa
triotism
Capitalism and religious hypocrisy
form the same partnership in Chicago as
in Pittsburgh, New York and Buffalo;
the Sermon on the Mount is quoted as
fuently and ignored in practical life as
thoroughly in Chicago as in any other
capitalist city; and real Christians, Chris
tians who try to live their religion, Chris
tians who take Christ's teachings and his
|example seriously, are ostracized, perse-
|cuted and hunted in the. great Western
metropolis just as ruthlessly as in the steel
city between the Allegheny and NJ non
(gahela rivers.
The fact is, you have destroyed what
ever Christianity you called your own and
retained nothing of it but it's name, and
that you abuse shamefully.
Your hypocrisy is as despicable as
your brutality in dealing with your fellow
men is srepulsive And the masses of the
people are having their eyes opened to
your tricks. They learn to understand
the motives of your pseudo o-piety. They
come to realize. that you'll accept anv
form Of religion and idealism that NAV
serve you as a screen behind which YOU
may hide your Unsuitable greed, your lust
OF. power, your mania for playing with
the economic existence, the future and
thpgg1iUas nf tho }xunrl,infr ,,a,,,lo ae IL