THE GERMAN SPIRIT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 139, 8 March 1920, Page 8

THE GERMAN SPIRIT

JUNKER JOURNAL'S BLASPHEMY

POTSDAM IDEALS

The Berlin correspondent of the "Mornwriting on January 12, gives some views expressed in German papers regarding-, .the peace terms. _ The Independents..' paper "Die 6ays that the comnlefco fulfilment of tho of the Allies'is not within tho "range of possibility," but Germany must show that she,seriously desires peace, by ban-

ishing tiie spirit of militarism and Kai-

serism. The Pan-German "Lokalanzeiger" dilates on-Gorman innocence, and assorts that tlie* Entente Powers have imposed on unforttiiiiite ( Germany all these burden?" and'humiliations to indemnify

themselves for the fact that no foreign soldier set foot in Germany during the whole war. All energies must be set to work, it contends, to prevent submission to such peace, otherwise there will be no-

thing left of proud Germany in ten or twenty years. <

Professor Dietrich Schafer, one of Germany's leading historians, who attained political fame during the war, contributes to tho "Lokalanzeiger" an article on peace, which ocou'pies "tho front page of a special supplement, headed "Under the Peacß Yoke." and adorned with figures of two men with chains round their neck. The professor declares: "We went to war with tho proud hope of being able to assure Germany's position in Europe and in tho world and her place in the sun." He Droclaims as an apostate and traitor to his oo.untry every German who does not maintain that this striving was justified. Ho describes at length the benefits that conquering Germany would have bestowed on tho rest of the world, and shows how greatly the development of mankind is retarded by the fact that it is . Germany's traduecrs who havo succeeded. and that Germany lies prostrate and overwhelmed not only with inexpressible misery, but also , with disgrace and shame. "We must start again," he says, "in the cause of mankind, for German JKultur' has something td give tho world, but she can eivo this only when she. has cower behind her." The words "Gott mit Uns" a're still; conspicuous in the heading of the Junker journal the "ICrouz Zoitung," though it admits that "wc Christian? aro disanpointed in our hopes and expectations. "We had confidently anticipate!! that God would havo helped tho German people, and would have saved them now from hate, and envy and from brutal oppression: - Our enemies aro for tho most part Godless and immoral. 'Why should God not bo gracious to our people? The spirit of Versailles, that is, the materialistic spirit, has for a time triumphed over the spirit of Potsdam, which is based on idealism. But the spirit of Potsdam is not dead. It lives not only in history, but, abovo all, in tho hearts of the Prussian youth. The Entente and tho 'Revolution/ which are both and in an eijual measure its enemy, may Tender this spirit for tho time being contemptible. Tliey majr bind it,-in fetters, but they cannot kill it. It is too tough for that. Wo shall endeavour to fulfil tho conditions of the Versailles Treaty until we believo we have collected sufficient • strength for a fresh fight." / Herr Walther Ra then an, whose name is' so closely' associated Ti'ith plans for economic regeneration, contributes to tho "Vossische Zeitungr" a noteworthy article on the present situation in Germany, from which I extract the . following points:—

"The immediate task which facts tho world is to catch tip work, andl if the task bo taken conscientiously in hand it may bo accomplished within a dfccade. The world, however, is not inclined to work. Hours of labour are rcdueed and efficiency has fallen to loss than half. Large classes live on illicit trading, and gambling, ,laziness, and dosire tor pleasure recall'times of pestilence.

"Production is misdirected and misused hero, in that fancy fabrics instead of articles for general wear are manufactured from-the scanty stock of textiles, in that-, fancy articles are mtwle instead of machinory; in short, in that the superfluous is produced instead of what is accessary and indispensable. We have imported raw material to, the value of dozens of milliards of marks, but of what nature? English cigarettes, American chocolate, French jiipons and perfumes, and- as f<jr lack of workers we pay millions daily to tho unemployed." Herr Rathenau describes the illogical economic policy pursued by the Government, and maintains that order pan be restored in the economic system and Germany-, placed, in a position to meet her obligations only when the economic system is made productive, and this, in iiis opinion, can be accomplished if the following measure's are adopted, namely: (1)-Nothing., inust be exported that is indispensable for production; (2) nothing must bj imported that is superfluous; (3) nothing superfluous must be produced for"the' homo' market; (4) the transport SflJttooTiaust'bo restored to working order; 1 (5)-, coal production must bo Taised bj. every possible means; (6) all available watemiyS' must be made navigable- at once;-and (7) aIK works and factories consuming coal and material unnecessarily must lis closed down.