Evening star., 1922-11-23

tria, backed and even pushed by
Germany, seized Bosnia and HerZego-
Vina.
Part Of kongo Price OF Peace.
We came within an ace at that
time of the long war from which we
have recently emerged. In 1911 the
German war vessel Panther dropped
anchor before Agadir. To this new
provocation France. more than ever
devoted to peace. to peace which,
alas! had come to be composed but Of
by abandoning part OF the kongo to
Germany. The author OF these lines
was not responsible for that. !ntimt-
dation. demonstrations Of force
nothing during those forty-four
years was spared us. France was
under the perpetual menace Of Ger
man cannon. Bismarck had in 1875
seen two countries, Russia and Great
Britain, coming TO our side. Against
France. therefore. he decided to
of Europe. on October !. 1879.
he signed the treaty with Austria
Hungary; on May 20, 1882, the
treaty with Italy. The triple alli-
ance was complete. Germany was
at the head of 170.OOO.OO0' men who
from the North sea to the Mediter-
ranean cut Europe in two. COM
manded all the lines of communi-
cation and imposed their will. Ger
many had become the center Of
bors against that country which she
had ever regretted having let sur
vive after 1871.
simultaneously, the military
strength of Germany grew in formi-
dable proportions. In troops. mate
vic nd 10
across the Vosges became the most
powerful In history.
France Jagged Behind.
France. held back by its feeble
birth rate and by an opposition re-
fusing to see the danger ahead. fol-
lowed long way behind. Each of
her defensive moves was, however
received in Germany with general
Indignation. 1t is France which Is
the provocative force. 1t Is she who
dreams of re-establishing her domi-
nation by blood and iron! She is
responsible for the directing of
strumentS of death. for the fact that
military budgets held back the appli-
cation Of social laws for the better
ment of the working Glasses. The
national state Of mind in Germany
had become monstrously out Of
focus. A form of Nietzschian mystic
ism had descended upon the entire
nation. Universities, schools, news
papers.' books, did nothing but exalt
Deutgchland ueber allies" Germany,
ar form Of civilization to the world
In general. under the aegis. naturally,
Of the Hohenzollerns and of all the
Dig and little. junkers of Saxony.
Bavaria and Prussia. The world re-
Proached them for their. barbarity
It. They pretended to represent the
primitive virtue of the young and
strong races in corrupt old Europe.
They had their own God, in their
image-the old German God. They
had their science. their art. They
were like an immense tribe of those
Teutons who. 1000 years before. by
blood and iron had sought to re-
generate the world in the destroy
ing Of it.
Germans Welcomed War.
When the war of 1914 was inflicted
upon us by the German aggression
(Americans then in Europe can
scarcely forget the facD, France re-
ceived the conflict with religious
emotion. and. trembling with despair,
Germany saw red. Not German but
shouted. ''Hoch" as II the burden
OF peace had suffocated him all too
long. Noblemen. workmen, sayants.
bureaucrats, even socialists, threw
themselves into the combat with fury.
prepared to throw their life, their
honor. their conscience into the caul-
dron. Germany threw what remained
of her honor into the holocaust when
she violated Belgium. The German
savants cried. Bravo Beneath the
doctor. scientist and the philosopher r
whom all means to an end were JUS
tined: At the outbreak of the war
OF 1914 Germany was ready. her
full force mobilized. her plans made,
her powder dry. her weapons starp-
ened-an Incompatible army in num-
and trained for long completely to
forget the laws of humanity. Hence
the martyrdom Of noble and unhappy
Belgium and of ten French depart
ments in the north and east. The
generals Of William II had only to
for forty-three years in the German
war schools. They executed them
faultlessly. But there was one acci-
dent the French soldier before
whom the whole plan collapsed.
Took Europe By Surprise.
Germany had been ready. Europe,
on the other hand. had been sur
prised. despite many warnings, and
under the guns OF the enemy had
feverishly yet slowly to build up its
electives and war material. Hero is
what we witnessed in 1914: Russia
trying to hold up the Germans with
her unorganized legions, without can
non or munitions. England hastily
improvising a national army and dis