Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-24
DECLARES GROUP OF NATIONS
MUST SHARE BLAME FOR WAR
DIR. Seymour Holds Calm Survey Shows Kaiser Just
Blunderer Who Adopted Wrong Methods in
His Efforts to Keep Peace of Europe.

harbor in the recesses of their intelli.
gence a conception OF the late war
that would run something like this:
1t was caused by a diabolical Ger
man people led by an arrogant, ire.
sponsible, war.lustful Kaiser, who
with his junker military lords had
schemed and plotted for decades to
bring about an opportunity to stick
their swords of world conquest into
the vitals of humanity.
Kaiser just Blunderer.
And yet only week preceding I
had sat across from one of Americas
historical Scholarship. Charles Sey-
mour, editor Of the now famous men,
oirs of Col. House-in the quiet of his
study, and listened to the verdict of
historians who have performed an au-
topsy on the late war now that the
smoke has cleared away. And here
are few Of the conclusions that
would have probably incensed my
friend at Union Square:
The Kaiser was a we'll meaning
blunderer whose influence has been
much exaggerated. So far from plot
ting to cause a war, he was appalled,
by the prospect. He lacked the wit
and the authority to alter the tide of
events. The German government Off.
Gals were just as anxious to prevent
war as those in the other countries.
The war was not the result of any
sinister design, but came from the sin
ternational anarchy" shame for it
must be divided among a large num-
Der of individuals and nations.
While l was eliciting these conclu.
sfons from DR.. Seymour 1 was won
dering if 1 had been one of those MANY
toilers under the blistering sun in orr
Army cantonments nine years ago. or
on board vessel slipping silently
out OF the path of torpedo destruction.
or even a soldier in the front.line
trenches, what / would have thought
II the truth of later years had been
movable then-how much less would
nave been the prevalent inclination to
stick bayonet into a devilish Fms
body. How terrible the truth would
seem to those 100000 who went to
their graves, not in a religious cru.
SADIE, but because of laundering stu.
pldity. Such thoughts could not be
stopped. l sat fascinated as DR.. Sew.
mour said:
History Must Be Rewritten.
World War history that was writ.
ten prior to the publication of the
German and Russian documents DUR
ing the past six years must be rewrit.
ten and many gross errors corrected.
L 90 not accuse historians prior to
that time of designedly telling histori.
cal untruths. On the basis of the in.
formation then available they gener.
ally told what they honestly thought
10 De the truth. But. there are many
impressions of the late war still cur.
rent that ought to be corrected"
DO historians find that the respon-
slbility OF the Kaiser for the late war
was negLg1ble?" I asked. when /
speak about the Kaiser's responsible.
lty l mean the popular notion that he
Planned the war to satisfy his mo.
narchical ambitions of world con.
quest"
1.-The KAISER" replied DR.. sey.
mour, and the part he was supposed
TO nave played in bringing about the
late war has been very much exag-
gerated. The Kaiser enjoyed the mill
tary aspects of emi-Byzantine court,
out ne did not. want war. The worst
we can say about him is that he was
stupid and temperamental. He
thought peace could be best kept in
Europe by putting the fear of God
into the hearts of Germany's foes. He
thought by q big stick policy Ger
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