The Chronicle LEVIN. TUESDAY, JANUARY 23. 1917. CARLYLE AND THE GERMANS.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 23 January 1917, Page 2

The Chronicle LEVIN. TUESDAY, JANUARY 23. 1917. CARLYLE AND THE GERMANS.

la Great Britain, a few months ago, a ooiitiovery tluit was gathering volume concerned the writings of Thomas Oa.rl.v.l© in their application to Germany's resent potitiun and aspect amongst and towards the nations. Some interesting references to the matter in dispute were made l>y 3lord Guthrie, last November, at the unveiling of a statue -to Carlylo at Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow. .Lord Guthrie referred to a. contention that had Carlyle lived now lie would have had to side (to be logically in keeping "with, his publish ed views) with Germany, Austria, Turkey, ami liu'garia. They were told that C'arlyle's books exorcised a powerful influence on the youthful Kaiser, I)Ut did Hint other youths nearer home ( onie under C'arlyle's spe'l? His Lord •ship should rather have thought that, if Ua.rlyle had .seen his views issue in the gratuitous liorro.rs which the Central Powers had introduced into warfare lie would have made short work of bis views. They were reminded, to that Carlyle had written to the Times on the side «f Germany during the I'Vanco-German war. At that time Carlylo onlyi advocated views whir' • •right or wrong, commended tliemselveto a very large number in these islands. And let them remember that, whatever views C'arlyle expressed about Germany, ho consw'tieml! v denounced the Turk and championed the 'Russian, when, sad to say, our country was bolstering u]) the tottering Ottoman Empire. and when cur wisest statesmen were filled with morbid fear of the Czar and 11 is. dominions. Besides, C'arlyle was against France chiefly because lie believed fas many others in the country believed) that Franca began the war. If so oji the same ground he would necessarily hare denounced Germany now. He had stippor+od Genially and opposed France, bee nut rightly or wrongly, h 0 thought Gtr many possessed ancl Prance la-Ji«;.l the very qualities and powers which dur-

ing the present war Franco had so couspecuously displayed, and of which Germany had as conspicuously shown herself to bo destitute. Why, then, should it be previous to the logic of facts What mattered if that- amid the thousands of pages written by him during half a century of changing conditions, there were some things that we should have wished unwritten Car_ lyle was emphatically a man of heroic mould, of whose character and writings a. large view must be taken. Whatever his defccts and failings, the root of the matter was in him as a man and as a writer.