The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1936-06-19
TREND OF WORLD AFFAIRS
Prepared by
Lucy Meacham Thruston

Things are now more quiet in Eu-
rope than they have been for many
months-so comes foreign report.
A private communication from
careful student of European affairs
states the whole of Europe, and GER
tainly Central Europe most of all, is
suffering from severe case OF the
filters. The cause is that ideal of
pan-G Germany which for Germany is
an ideal but for the small neighbor-
ing states is a lowering and giant
bugaboo.
The statements of this fear of
great Germany taking in all the
neighboring states where there is
preponderance of German-speaking
people and of people of the German
traditions is as old as the emerg-
ence of the Teutonic races from their
forests. AS old as Europe itself,
hat is Europe with its divisions
into Italy, Spain, France, the Meth
erlands, Scandinavian peninsula,
Great Britain and so on, as these
took shape from huge territory
divided into small duchies, princi-
palities and even into separate es-
,ates. The divisions of France were
not united, nor were those Of Italy,
nor the states of the Netherlands
drawn out into separate entities un-
til we'll within the present historical
era. And in all these changes and
emergencies there was this threat or
possibility of great central German
Empire or State straddling mid
Europe and controlling most of it.
Most students are told that the
Germany of today is the achievement
of Bismarck ideal and is not older
than the last quarter of the nine
teenth century. True the Germany
which went into the World War was
the Germany Bismarck had envisag-
ed and been so strong in creating
or rather in huntingdon the new
whole was made up of many old and
long existent parts. But the goal of
this unity was as old in tradition and
ambition as the emergence of the
Teutonic Tribes from their primeval
woods and of their overruning of the
land down Italy, into the Spanish
peninsula, over France and into
Britain. Over 200 years ago Prince
Eugene of Savoy urged the union
not only of the Germanic divisions OF
Prussia, Bavaria, Hungary and other
partitions of the country, but also of
Austria and its Italian divisions all
into one great empire.
This old everchanging, ever-exist
ent tradition, ambition-call it what
one will-fnds it's expression today
in the distinctly voiced Hitler ambi-
| ton and it's echo in the century-in-
stilled fear of the surrounding states
where the Teutonic element is
strong, but is not in the majority,
where the Slav predominates or the
Latin. So, especially since the re-
militarization of the Rhineland,
Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia,
Hungary, Roumania-the Central
European states have felt that jittery
feeling growing. Today it is pow
erful factor in all Central European
adjustments, the underlying basis
thought of all conferences and con-
versations, plans. Should a Pan
Germany emerge it would be the
strongest state on the continental
area, Russia not excepted, and it
would gobble up the smaller states
carved by the Versailles Treaty,
which gave to Europe 81 States, in
stead of the 10 of pre-war days.
With acknowledgement of such
conditions, with understanding not
only of present conditions and ambi-
tions, but with historic and long
rooted hopes and traditions, and fear
what can be done to meet this jit-
terry condition? Certainly the start
ing point is understanding. The
second step might be in readjust-
ments, and the third would as surely
be revision of the Versailles Treaty
Yet any study or understanding or
readiustment must take in considera-
ton the Slavic, the Latin and the
Magyar traditions, culture, ambi-
ions, as we'll as the Teutonic.
-O