The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 1928. MAKING HISTORY.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 August 1928, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 1928. MAKING HISTORY.

In a series of lectures on the “Study of History” recently published by Professor Ernest Scott, of Melbourne University, an anecdote is introduced which seems to t,he Auckland Sta'r to throw a great deal of light on much of the comment and explanation forthcoming in recent years on the origin and character of the Great War. During the German occupation of Belgium an eminent Belgian literary man ventured to protest to a German military official against the murders and outrages committed l>v the German soldiery. Wliat, he asked, would be the effect of these things upon the reputation of Germany throughout tlw world, and what would be the verdict that history in future days would pronounce upon Germany’s conduct ? “History 1” replied the German, with contemptuous indifference, “we will write it 1” That is precisely what the Germans are doing to-day. An illustration very much to the point may he taken from the controversy over the destruction of Louvain recently revived by the restoration of the famous University library. 'ln the last issue of “Current History,” Professor Meurer, a distinguished German scholar, states the ease for Germany, and in effect reproduces the fantastic and incredible stories iput forward by the 1 Germans at the time in justification of their conduct. According to Professor Meurer, not only were the Germans driven to exasperntioif by brutal and treacherous attacks of Belgian civilians, hut they were so hard pressed for several days bv the murderous onslaughts of the whole population that to protect themselves they were forced to destroy the town. All this lias a curiously familiar ring, and Professor Florin sky, replying to these charges, reminds us that Professor Meurer’s story is only a modified version of the report published by the German Commission set up to investigate the destruction of Louvain Library in 1914. Now uie chairman of that Commission, who framed the report, was a certain German jurist and lawyer, Dr Mers, who was subsequently charged at Berlin with extortion and embezzling clients’ trust funds. It was urged on his behalf that he was so hopelessly addicted to alcohol and morphia that he had no moral sense left, and his counsel pleaded for clemency on there grounds. This is the man whose report that German Government accepted as nuthoritfitire, and who is now quoted

by the Germans as a conclusive witness against the Belgians. The same number of “Current History” supplies yet another example of the effective fashion in which the Germans to-day are carrying out their threat to “write history” for their own justification. Led by Professor H. Elmer Barnes, jx?rbaps tho most energetic apologist for Germany in the world to-day, a number of writers, including some of tho principal German and Austrian diplomats of the period, maintain that Germany did not incite Austria to war in 1914. This case might be argued at great length, for there is ample evidence to show that Berlin knew well what was happening in Vienna and Budapest during the eventful weeks before the final explosion. But tho point is not whether Germany encouraged Austria to make war, but whether the Kaiser and his Ministers attempted to restrain their Austrian allies. By laying stress on the precise form in which the question is put, Professor Barnes and his colahorntors dexterously divert attention from the real point at issue. For it is impossible to show that Germany, though infinitely the stronger, ever attempted to restrain Austria— in fact, most contemporary German historians lament this failure as the worst and weakest feature of Germany’s foreign policy; and therefore the moral responsibility for tho war still rests on Germany’s shoulders. If it is by quibbles and evasions of this pitiable kind that Germany expects to reconstruct history in her own defence she need not expect to produce any favourable impression u]>on the rest of the civilised world.