Evening star., 1925-03-15

fairs; not, above all, if the conviction
survived and expanded that the
French purpose was to destroy Ger
many, and no fulfillment would make
any difference.
The impression of the visitor who
comes here without any exact knowl-
edge and must necessarily depend
upon such information as he can
collect must be that there is a tre-
mendous amount of confusion in all
minds. 1t is not merely that opinions
differ That is not quite the case, fo-
there is an area of agreement in ali
views. 1t is that there Is a frank
statement by all that the situation is
too obscure to permit any really au-
thoritative judgment. Those with
whom you talk have, after all, the
appearance of indulging, quite openly,
in guesses rather than in forecasts.
Great Country Confused.
You must see Germany as it is-a
great country; II years ago the great
est country in Europe; now absolutely
without power. incapable of enforc-
ing any of its views, stripped of all
that made it a force and a great force,
conscious of defeat in the war and of
cruching disaster. in the postwar pc
riod, only very slowly coming out of
the time of utter prostration. only
recently released from the most prf-
mary problems of existence-food,
heat and clothes-barely gaining a
renewed sense of life and perhaps of
strength.
What Will this restored Germany
be when the restoration of strength
is complete? Will it be the old Ger
many of the Junkers and the mill
tarists? VIII it be a new Germany
of the western democratic stripe? Will
it be a Germany different from both
conceptions? These are questions 1
do not believe the wisest German him
self could answer, let alone the most
observant foreigners resident in Ber-
lin. The truth Is, think, that Ger
many has not yet sufficiently recov-
cred to make an answer possible.
If you believe Germany is to be the
old military and aggressive country,
certainly you can find voices, German
voices, to confirm the belief And in
precisely the same way, if you believe
Germany Is to be a new, democrat tic
State, you will not lack evidence You
can believe anything you want about
the Germany of the moment and find
confirmation for any preconceived
Judgment or prejudice. But If you
come with an open mind, seeking to
form judgment without any bias, it
seems to me that in the end you will
hardly get beyond the view that it is
too early, much too early, to form
any sound decision.
LudendOrn Not Factor.
One further point: There has been a
notion in America that Ludendorff
might, with the aid of the army, stage
an overthrow of the republic. But on
the ground it is clear not only that
politically Ludendorff does not count.
but on the military side the army has
quit him. He has become, not the
hero of lost cause, but the culprit
whose folly and obstinacy made it a.
lost cause.
On the military side the situation
lies all in the hands of Gen. Won
Seeckt; he commands the army, he
could throw it where he would, but
no one believes he is planning to
throw 1T anywhere. Certainly his
mission is to organize and maintain
the army, to preserve public order, to
crush any rising. Probably his SYM
pathy is quite with the old regime, in
which he was a considerable figure.
Beyond much doubt he would not use
the army to crush nation wide move
ment toward the restoration of the
monarchy, but on all sides there is
testimony to the fact that he is play
ing the game fairly and keeping out
of politics. He Is, one says, the
great enigma of cotemporary Ger
many, but he commands respect and
seems rather to invite confidence than
suspicion. Certainly he is not a cheap
plotter, a man on horseback; at least
he is a silent man, who takes abuse
from all political sides and goes about
his business, which is maintaining or
der and reorganizing German mill
tary strength so far as he is able,
which is not too far now.
The outside conception of a Ger
many united, resolved to renew the
last war, committed to a struggle of
revenge, waiting it's moment. on the
point of overturning the republic and
replacing a President with a Kaiser
seems to me to lack any confirmation,
here. The mere notion that Germany
is, intellectually speaking, united,
knows it's own mind has reached a
decision, seems almost ridiculous on
the spot~ Rather Germany seems the
arena of many contending influences
and desires, of every sort of political,
domestic, political maneuver. Of end
less foolish speech making, dominated ID
rather by fear of French purpose. fear