Evening star., 1922-04-14
BY GEORGE WITTE.

BY GEORGE WITTE
Special Correspondence Of The Star and Chicago
Daily News.
BERLIN, Germany. March 25.-"The
German" well known playwright said
to me not SO long ago, hates surprises.
He is phlesmatic. and wants everything
to be carefully planned in advance He
wants ample time to prepare for what is
going to happen. An analysis of the
German drama proves that conclusively.
For what is a nations stage but a re-
Election Of the nations character? And
this most marked characteristic of the
Germanic race accounts for much that
has happened and has not happened
since 1914"
We were discussing the things every
correspondent discusses whenever he
finds a really clever German who, in
talking with foreigner. tells him frank
ly what his ideas are. Most Germans
nowadays either try to play hide and
seek with you and leave it to your in
genuity to make out just how much OF
what they say they really mean, or they
hand you propaganda, more or less
subtle.
The argument of my friend the dram
atist was that the German people had
imperial Germany, and that, having been
taken completely by surprise. contrary
to all rules of the game, they had not
responded to the call Of the new era of
democracy in the spirit of grateful en-
thusiasm the outside world had expected.
All Expected the War.
Even today, several years after the
coup d'etat took place" said my
friend, "the majority of the people
still are unable to grasp the new
scheme of things. SO deep-rooted in
their character is the idea that any
thing that takes them by surprise
must be unreal. 1t was a German
who Invented the Baedeker. with
footnotes and asterisks and minute
directions as to what to see and not
to see while travelling; the 'verboten'
signs the foreigners eye met every
where were not meant for him, but
for the German, who had to be told
blow his nose in certain surround
ings: it was the German who from
his cradle had been brought up In an
atmosphere of militarism, which he
was taught to love-. honor and OBEY.
And the cue of every German was
war That he was taught to ex-
pect, and when the great war finally
came after twenty or thirty years OF
careful preparation for 1t. 1t came as
the expected climax to all his teach
generation of Germans would have
passed out of this life with the feel
ing that they had been cheated.
A review Of political developments
in the new German republic reveafs
its superficiality. Its foundations are
80 weak that it threatens to topple
over whenever an unfriendly breeze
blows. Very often 1t has seemed as
If a single political party or one OF
the federated states or even lone
industrial magnate would upset Ine
social democratic government headed
by Germany's first president. Fried
rich Ebert. But the republic mas
proyed time and again that Its back
bone was elastic and tough; It's Ioes
might succeed in bending 1t, put
break it they could not. however,
even though the new government mas
thus weathered the many storms OF
the postwar years, 1t has falied 10
strike deep root among the masses
of the &C, 900, 900 people who had oeen
delivered from what the rest o, ime
tarism."
Uncertain as to Future.
On,v. q few rallied around the new
German flag. The majority remained
preiudiced against the new order OF
things. Why? Because they blamed
the sins of the kaiser's mflitarlstic
government, the lost war and its bit
ter consequences, on tine new govern. n.
ment. which by circumstances was
tor accentinr the Versailles peace
terms. The masses were filled with
hot resentment when the new man
agement raised the curtain and the
scene was so totally different from
the 9lorfes of a war victory which
they had been taught to expect
Has Germany forsaken the path OF
miIitarfsm and imperialism to choose
that of democracy and peace Tor
good? That is the question asked py
xa1, ,f,,v
many herself doesn't know. AS a
matter of fact, Germany Is more OF
a sphinx to herself than she Is to the
outside world.
Nevertheless, it can be said quite
safely that the chances of a return 70
insIorious exit from Germany spoiled
that. The people expect anything be-
fore q new era of Hohenzcllerns.
Communism, too. is out OF the race
after having failed SO completely In
Russia. Germany's future lies some-
where between these TWO exsremes; a1a
Those who have studied develop
ments in Germany since the revolu-
tion have arrived, almost without ex-
ception, at this conclueion:
Aside from the fact that military
service has been abolished by the
of the people. there have been few
notable changes in Germany. To look
in Germany for broad spirit of de-
mocracy is almost futile. 1t cannot
be found Of7icialdom still carries all
the old autocratic insolence and red
tap. And with the same men who
served the kaiser acting as outriders
for the republic, the few honest demo-
cratic leaders who are holding the
reins have little to do with the actusl
managsment OF the new government.
They are little more than figarAheads.
Striking examples OF how inSignid-
can't hsye. he6n the changes wrought
~ the ana the overthrow