BOOKS OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 193, 4 May 1918, Page 11

BOOKS OF THE DAY

Germany's Real Mind. Under the title of "Deductions From the World War" (Constubl.s and Co., per Ueorgp HoberUon and Co.), them lias been published a most rumarkable book, possibly the must remarkable book for which tho war has recently been responsible. It is the work of an eminent Herman soldier, Lieut.-General von Freytag- | Loringboven. The chiel' and most vuluI ablo feature of Von Treytag's book is I that it affords the peoples of the Allied J hations a deep and instructive insight into the inner workings of the German mind—especially on the subject of the war—and explains what Germans hope, and still firmly follow the war. Savo for a quite stupidly mendacious charge ■ of deliberate brutality against the British Boldier, and an equally false accusation of unfairness toward? Germany on the part of the British and American Press, there is little to which the English reader can tako exception. But never have we had ;i more cynically frank and instructively open declaration of Germany's real aims in this war than that afforded by tho author. This, fact has been fully realised in Germany. Immediately after the appearance of tho book, tha German Government strictly prohibited its export, and tho publishers assure us that only three copios of the original are know.n to have reached England. The true reason for this desire to prevent the book reaching the Allied countries was not because the author praises Lord Kitchenor'a "creation of a strong English Army" as being "unquestionably a great achievement," declaring . that the English Army -'is anything but a hasty and loose improvisation," but because the author lets the whole German cat out of tho bag and destroys, with a fety strokes of his pen, tho carefully built up fiction that Germany did not want w.ar, and that sho is anxious to live at peace with all tho world lvhen the war is over. Von Freytag commences by examining tho political nnd. economical situation of tho Central Powers previous to tho war. With regard to tho import of raiv matenals, foodstuffs, and certain manufac tural articles, the outbreak of war, ho says, found Germany "insufficiently prepared. Germany must, ho contends, have world power in order to preserve and improve her commercial and indus. trial position, and that eanio'world powermust, he says, be won and kept by the sword, and tho sword alone. "Now, as always, it is tho sword which decides in war; it is victory on tho battlefield that Rives the decision." Luler on, j u Chaptor V, lie makes perfectly clear tho conviction oi the ruling class to which ho belongs that 'so long as Germany remains under Prussian domination, undjjr tho flolioiuollern rule, she will never relin. quisli tho spirit oF militarism-militar-ism, (no, of a distinctly aggressive typo, lie ,«uys: The Bpiril of German militarism which has enabled us lo stand tho I«sb of tho ■world war we must proeervo in future, liccnuse with it our world position stands or falls. ■- Of any scheme of international pacifism he will not Jhear. It is interesting to con. trarffc the German view of war, as here expressed, with tliat of America, as set forth in Mr. van Dyke's book, "Fighting for Ponce." Hero are some extracts from tho chapter entitled "Kondy for War": "Moboily can undertake to guarantee .a long period of ponce (following the world war). A lasting peaco is guaranteed only liy strong- armaments." "World power is inconceivable without striving for expression of power in the world aud consequently for sea power." "War has its basis in human nature, and as long as human nature remains unaltered war will continue to exist, as it has existed for thousands of years." "We misconstrue facts if wo imagine that it is ixissible to. rid the world ot war by .means of mutual agreements." "Tho idea of a universal league for the preservation of peace remains a Utopia, and would be felt an intolerable tutelage by any great and proud-spirited nation." "As regards us Germans, the world war should disencumber us, once and for all, of any vaeuo cosmopolitan sentimentality.,' "In the future, as in tho past, tho German people will have to seek firm cohesion in its glorious Army aud in its bolaurellsd young fleet." It may and probably would Iμ said by unreasoning pacifists of tho Banisay Macdonald, Hobhouse, Ponsonby, and Trovelyan typo aud their prototypes in this country and Australia that these ara merely tho views of a Prussian militarist, and that the German democracy would disavow them. But the trouWe is that tho Allies and the world have to deal first and foremost with the Pni6siar. militarists, and that what the allegedly peace-loving German democracy havo to do or say in tho matter counts for nothing 60 long as the Hohenzollern and Junker military party remains in power. And in power that party' will certainly remain until the German armies are finally defeated. If Germany triumphs there will bo scant chanco of the German democracy planning out a policy o world peace, even ehouid that democracy honestly desire it. Ton Prey tag's hook shpuld cloar the' minds of the Allied nations, of, to uso tho German nithor's own words, "any vague cosmopolitan' sentimentality." All through the war the German democrat, even the German advanced Socialist, has ken a German first and a democrat and a Socialist a long, long way second. It is high time it wero recognised by tho real democracies of tho world that German democracy is a sham and a fraud. The "spirit of German militarism" may perhaps die when Germany is completely crushed as a firstclass military Power; bu,t even then, as Von Freytag shows us, the world will have to take every possible precaution against an all too possible resurrection. Von Freytag's book is 'one of the most important unofficial national documents tho war has produced. The mail or woman who reads this book and.docs not como to the conclusion that the • "mad dog of Ewopo" must lw permanently muzzled is only fit for a mental hospital. "Gil Bias" in One Volume, "When a new book comes out I road an old one," said Hazlitt. 'j'ho brilliant essayist did not liinan us to adhere strictly to any such rule, but it is none the less astonishing lijw many leaders of the present day negiect the Ulerary masterpieces of earlier times in thoir rage for "something new." How many people must there lie who have never read that finest example of picaresque fiction, "The Adventures of Gil Blue of Santillauu." Lo Sage's famous story has not, uf course, tho mollow richness of "Don Quixote," but its weaith of amusing incident, its vivaciously-drawn character sketches of all sorts and conditions of moil, ite vivid pictures of Spanish life, make it one of the most icadaWo satiric romances. "J.-'ber's" liret introduction to "Gil Bias" was in a three-volume edition, ponderous tomes published in tho last century, the translation being done by Smollett, wlio.so own novels of "Roderick Random" and "Prcgriue Picklo" owed not a littlo to Ilio Le Sage influence. To-day you can liuiy the v/ork complete in one volume, beautifully printed in large clear type, a volume of over 500 pages, and yet Email enough lo go into tho pocket, Greening and Co. (with whom are associated Stanley Paul) having added this volume to llieir excellent l,otuß Library, int which so many nxcellont foreign classics of fiction havo been rendered nvailablo lo English Toadeis. There is more wit and humour in one chapter of "Gil Bios" than in a round dozen of modern novels, and iu liis new and wynely and handy garb tho famous Spanish adventurer should make a host of new friends. (N.Z.. price, 35,). "Napoloon and the War." Mr. E. Goorgo Marks, of Up ■ literary staft of tho Sydney "Son," is, it ap-

pears, an enthusiastic collector and diligent student of Napoleonic literature, Under the heading "Napoleon and the War" (Dyraockj, Sydney), he had collected a series of articles contributed by him to the "Sun," all dealing with parallels and analogies between tho Napoleonic wills and tho present world war. The volume betore me contains tho second series ot these M'ticlos, all of which show wide historical .research on. the part of.tho author and a decided i.igemuty in llio tracing uf historical parallels. With perhaps txcusablo selfcomplacency, llr. Marks informs his readers in his preface to the present volume that "a libellous statement concerning the author and the book (tho first series) in what purported to bo a review" led to his suing tho offending newspaper, • and obtaining a verdict in his favour, Ihe author, being, by tho way, "under cross-examination for nine hours," After this I mu.it plead guilty to a certain timidity in referring to Mr. Marks's writings. The author's style, however, it may not be libellous to consider, is somewhat too jerky for my taste, but there is no denying Mr. Marks's industry in assembling his facts, his power of vividly presenting historical events, and his shrewdness in decerning and setting forth parallels. His Ijook is well worth rending, but should it, as did its predecessor, reach a second edition, 1 trust tho author nill correct tho extraordinary blunder he commits oil pngo whoro ho gravely alleges that "DonnaJOugc-nia do Montijo," whom Napoleon 111 married, "was tho widow of a Spanish oral itho had served' under Napoleon I." It is alike charitable and reasonable to assume that this is a mere slip of the pen, and that the author meant, to write ."daughter" instead of ''widow." Mr. Marks's articles havo enjoyed considerable popularity in Australia, and his book is a welcome addition to our war literature. (Price, 2s. 6d.)