HUN FACE DRILL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 126, 21 February 1919, Page 5

HUN FACE DRILL

: '■ , ' . I THE POLISHED SMffiE .OF -DECEIT, j •Trust no. Hun! More than evei* should j this be our watchword at this* hour iff!; 1 .? 3 f 8 " r) " de Halsalle in the London \ Tjaily Mail")- Canning and hypocrisy, j have always been strong, traits in the! Prussian mental-.make-up ever since Fre- j dericlc, styled "the Great," succeeded his I iniquitous father, ■ Frederick William I. j rjie Teuton in his life—among i his friends, about his business, and on nxs, travels—rejoices in his cunning and duplicity. His;- "non-morality" easily sanctions any artifice, no matter liow\low or degrading, to. gain his own ends. When he has. gained those ends he-will openly boast of his methods, and then ask you to admire his. "cleverness."" And every German, from 'peasant to prince, remembers- and believes in this immortal" dictum of""Old Fritz"— "When it pays us to be honest, let us be honest; when it pays us better to dupe our enemies, let us.be rogues." The cunning and hypocrisy of the Teuton are invariably masked by an ever- : smiling and "iniiocent" countenance; his urbanity of manner, so assiduously culr tivated, may well deceive those who have no knowledge of his Teal mentality. Hence, as wo- have sometimes heard, Karl So-and-So" seemed 'such a pleasant chap.' Politeness, especially abroad, was, of course, .a Teutonic cult.' It is' the outcome of a national "drill." Books of gtiquette ("Koniplimentier Bucher") are multitudinous in the Fatherland, and invariably they''teach'(or. rather, remind) the Teuton of the "value" of cunning '.'and hypocrisy; . Let. me quote only one example out of hundreds, savs "The New Manual;,.- of * Politeness""Everyone' should-work hnvd to become perfect in-, the use of the •'look.'.. By 4 the open look' (smiling and trusting) we can excito confidence and affection. / The^flrm.- look shows firmness and sincerity% character; it also denotes determination and truthfulness. Thf> modest lco\ always wins the heart. The friendly look—this makes us agreeable and beloved; whilo the cheerful look'shows contentment of mind, and sometimes sneaks more eloquently than the most impassioned conversation. We cannot study' too much our facial expression if we wish to succeed in the world. Struggle to be polite, even' to those you detest." But later, I find this superbly Teutonic interpretation of the same German noliteness— "The usual civilities current in social ■intercourse are only lies by. which people -seek to-deceive oiie another." •No.-. 'Never/trust, a German; no, not one! .