Evening star., 1940-12-15
The Meaning of History

The Meaning of History
When the weary centuries have
passed and the character and per-
sonality of Adolf Hitler are appraised
by those who then may be qualified
to judge of them, what will the YER
dict be? A clue to the ultimate find
ing perhaps could be discovered in a
few brief words from Der Fuehrer's
own book. Readers of that remark
able volume will recall that, when
he describes the ordeal of his youth,
he says: II learned to understand
the meaning of history"
Suppose that his guess were true,
suppose for a moment that he had
stumbled upon the great reality-the
mystic verity-for which scores of
generations of men have sought in
vain: would not Hitler have reason
to be proud? All, yes; to compre-
hend the causes, the purposes. the
hidden significance of human ex-
perience would be to possess such
powers of genius as would raise any
individual to a godlike status. If
the chancellor of the German Reich
were endowed with the wisdom to
appreciate the destiny of the chill
dren OF earth, then, certainly, he
might aspire to change that fate.
But nothing in the record of Der
Fuehrer's career suggests that he
does excel the seerS of long ago, the
prophets of ancient times or even
the moderately gifted political lead
ers of his own bewildering era of
confusion. He is not admitted to
the company of Socrates or Plato,
nor that Of st. Francis of Assist or
st. Thomas More, nor that of Luther
or Erasmus, nor even that of Henry
George. These were Utopians,
dreamers, builders of ideal states in
which the race should have pros
perity and peace, freedom and happi-
ness because of merit, because Of
virtue, because of civilized instincts
put into practice Systematically for
the benefit of a society deserving to
survive.
Hitler, however, is unacquainted
with the literature in which the
hopes of the great reformers are
preserved. He testifles that as boy
he was an ardent reader, yet search
of his memoirs fails to disclose the
citations one naturally would expect.
Der Fuehrer seemingly never en-
countered Francis Bacon's New
Atlantis" Neither did he fall in
with Tommaso Campanella, author
of "Civitas Soils; James Harrington
of "Oceana" or Samuel Butler of
"Erewhon." 1t might have been an
ticipated that he would mention
William Morris News From No.
where" and Edward Bellamy's Look
ing Backward" He does not show
that he has any knowledge of Karl
Marx. Granted that much of his
manuscript was prepared in prison
and that reference works were not
readily available to him there, it still
remains a matter of wonderment
that the 'revolutionist who seeks to
"shatter all this sorry scheme of
things entire is so ignorant of the
thought of other innovators, other
rebels against the ordinary processes
of social growth.
Yet Der Fuehrer, whose book is
alleged to be a new Bible of the
people," insists upon an understand
ing of the meaning of history! His
claim is set forth without apology.
1t is announced with a naive assur-
ance which could be regarded as
innocent and childlike If it were not
so arrogant. And therein lies the
danger of such personality and
such character. Hitler is deluded.
1t is not by accident that he harps
incessantly upon "Mein Kampf."
Throughout his writings and his
speeches he employs jargon of
contention. He sees life as battle,
achievement as conquest. Labor,
honest toll, peaceful evolution: these
assets of the race he denies.
The meaning of history to Hitler,
then, is war, aggressive war, the
frightful and hideous brand of war
which reduces sentient human crea-
lures to the level of the lowest
beasts. If he were right and Jesus
wrong, this planet might be left to
spiders and to bats. On the eve of
Christmas in 1910 only two nations
have the strength to challenge his
Interpretation. The answer to his
theory of mankind's past and man
kinds future must come from Eng
land, with the unstinted aid of an
America tardily rising to the defense
of the positive philosophy of life.
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