The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1937-08-23
Hitler Hesitates
PHILADELPHIA Record

philadelphia Record
Two winters ago the National Socialist Student
League held a convention at Darmstadt Its religious
keynote neo-pagan One of the student leaders,
according to the Associated Press went SO far as
to say that true Nazs must fight Christianity las an
that is destructive to society" The error is
giving Adolph Hitler great deal of trouble. Mass
demonstrations almost unknown in the Third
Reich public protests, when they take place at ALL
furtive hurried or silent: few men shout red
'front.' and scatter; workmen whose wages have been
cut stand silence before factory managers Office
until the local Labor Front official frighten
cajole them back to their jobs; audience takes
advantage of darkness to applaud line of Schiller
that pleads for liberty
But the sight of several thousand people defying
the police is new to the Third Reich Sunday nights
spontaneous parade in Dahem fashionable suburb
Berlin protesting the arrest of the Rev Martin ME-
moeller was without precedent. It's sequel surpris-
ing Niemoellers trial charges of sedton has been
postponed.
dictatorship in power may make concliatory
gesture and win friends But indecision, the waver-
ing between the mailed fist and the mild hand is
dangerous.
1t is clear that the Nazis don't quite know what
to do about often-arrested but never slenced Rev.
Nemoeer.
On Sunday night they first tried repression The
Ciestapo shut the Church of Jesus Christ in Dahlem,
where Niemoeler breaches when he is not in jail and
forbade scheduled meeting of prayer for the pastors
release But when the ngregation instead of obey
ing paraded in protest when it continued to demon
strate while scores being arrested and taken
away in police vans Naz authorities hesitated to take
stronger measures; decided instead on temporary re-
treat.
1t would be premature to conclude from the Re-
gnes sudden streak of moderation from the acqult-
tai of another Confessional church leader by an
emergency court last week that Hitler is prepared
to give up his fight to control the Church. This con-
fict between Church and State in the Third Reich
seems to be theological The roots go deeper
The insurgents say that the States ban against
non-Aryans" in the Church is contrary to scripture
But if Hitler allows those of Jewish blood to preach
from the pulpit can he continue to bar them from
the professions the army. and the Government? The
opposition takes its stand on the text Render to
Caesar the things that + esar's, and to God the
things that are Gods Big IN the Totalitarian State
all is Caesars If the &C sience be free in religion
can it be enslaved politics. philosophy and science?
The Nazis hate the Catholic Church because 1t
opens arms all men, recognizing no distinction OF
race or god They hate the Protestant Church be-
cause its very origin is the individual conscience the
eoose-sep would extinguish. 1t is easy to drive few
hundred thousand Jews to despair. But how handle
millions of pous Germans Protestants and Catholics?
The Propaganda Ministry attempts to pass off
the Dahlem incident lightly "Seyenty-fve old women
and 40 old who expressed their sympathy for Me
moeller were arrested by the police.
Some day new Germany, free Germany may
remember with gratitude these IT'S old women and
40 old men.