Evening star., 1922-04-18
Barring the Hymn of Hate.


When the new ambassador to Ger
many begins to apply what the st.
Louis Post-Dispatch Independently
calls his gospel Of good will' toward
our late enemy to counteract the in
f1uence OF the hymns of hate" he
Will be given the encouragement and
support Of the American press. Be-
fore sailing for his new and prob
ably difficult post. Ambassador
Houghton made a speech which Is
interpreted editorially as statement
of his policy In dealing with German
American relations. the outstanding
point of which is that hate serves no
useful purpose. 1t leads only
to confusion and distrust." and has
mo moral, spiritual or even economic
value"
Such a declaration suggests to the
New London (Conn.) Day (repub-
lican) that Mr.. Houghton takes the
very sensible view that one Of the
most important duties he has to per-
form is to win the friendship OF Ine
German people," and an ambassador
who has that ambition, the paper
thinks, "is sure to prove valuable to
the country he represents, as We'll as
that to which he goes"
Curiously enough. most OF the edi-
torial comment on the new ambassa-
doris gospel" is inspired not SO much
by the speech itself as by the criti-
cism 1t drew from the New YORK
Tribune (republican). Mr.. Houghton,
the Tribune thinks, has seen mt to
discuss German American relations
in a manner which he viii scarcely
expect will make a great hit in Amer
lea, even though much admired in
Berlin" for his discussion OF the doc
trine Of hate is largely "paraphrase
Of the favorite preachment OF Vier-
ick"
Nevertheless, it is evident that the
Buffalo News Crepublican), for IN
ion when 1t declares that the good
feeling and good sense" of Ambassa-
dor Houghton's policy will be recog-
sized throughout the country, and.
the Jackson (Mich.) Citizen Patriot
independently remarks, as a state
ment of principles" it is pleasing.
Criticism of his attitude arises, the
watertown IN. W Standard (re-
publican) thinks, because of his! lack
of "bitter anti-German feelfng
from the many persons Tor wnom
the war is not yet over. but ofnclai-
ly the United States and Germany
have wiped out the war days" and
since the relations are such that we
are automatically represented IN
Berlin at all, the Standard commends
as entirely proper the spirit IN
which Mr.. Houghton goes to resume
those relations w..
Taking direct issue with the new
York Tribune, the World (demo-
cratic) of the same city asks: Must
an American diplomat. before leaving
his own country, seek to render him
self obnoxious in his new post
abroad? Must he take up old issues
and tear open old wounds IN order
1If p
sentative of the United States at
BerIin?" Rather. it replies, the time
is mast for tanning old passions as
the best proof of patriotism. lt is
no disloyalty at this day to practice
common sense and observe the ordi-
nary rules ct sI,, conrtesy sSync;,,.tion with
the new Germany docs not mean
any concession to the German spirit
that was so offensive, both before
our entrance into the war and after,
the Cincinnati Times-Star lrepub-
lican) adds. There is sucn tnins
being diplomat. Mr.. Houghton
proffers the hand Of friendship. That
does not make him less of an Amer
ican, and certainly it makes him
better ambassador" :,
. After all, at will be better for all
of us not to dwell too much on the
misguided Germany that was led
astray by the force Of fantastic ideas
and brought down to the depths by
wrong-headed leaders. in whom it
had placed too much of trust and
nower," for. the St.. Louis Globe
Democrat (republican) points out.
there is another Germany we may
dwell on to much greater advantage
the clear thinking Germany that
struggled for reiigious light and
freedom, that showed US sympathy
during our own battling for inde-
pendence,s and that has been our con-
sistent friend for 141 years" And
toward this Germany the new am
bassador has suggested the attitude
which all the world. and especially
this country, should be prepared to
assume"
sound. sane and sensible" one to take
is the opinion OF the Fort Wayne
Journal Gazette stdemocratic), for
"the American people want the
friendship of Germany and they want
AZ much OF the trade of Germany as
they can get The comparatively few
who would perpetuate the hates Of
the war are doing humanity dis
service and their country no good"