AMERICAN VERDICT.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 6, 22 January 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

AMERICAN VERDICT.

A REPLY TO THE GERMAN PROFESSORS. SPIRITED INDICTMENT. LONDON.. Dec. 3. Ninety-three of the most prominent men of Germany, distinguished m various branches of science, art. education and literature, have recently circulated broadcast throughout America a letter entitled "An Appeal to the Civilised World," in which they attempt to change public opinion in the United States on the subject of the •war. Mr Church, president of the Carnegie Institute at Pittsburg, and author of "The Life of Oliver Cromwell. has made reply to the German appeal, which is addres ed to Dr Fritz Schaper of Berlin. He says: It gives me a feeling of pity to not? tlie importunity with which the people of Germany are seeking the good opinion of America in this strife, it is greatly to their credit that they wish to stand right in the judgment of this ■nation.; but Germany need have no fear that American public opinion will lie perverted by the lies and calumnies of her enemies.' We aire all going deeper than the surface in our i.earch for the truth. Your letter speaks of Germany as being .in a struggle winch has "been forced upon h'fr." That is the whole question; all others are subsidiary. If the struggle was forced upon. Germany, then indeed she stands in a portion* of mighty dignity and honour, and the whole world should acclaim her and succour her, to the utter confusion and punishment. of the foes ■who have attacked her. But if this outagreous war was not forced upon her would it not follow in the course of reason that her position is j.vithout dignity and honour and that it is her foes who should be acclaimed and supported to the extreme limit of human i ympathy ? * I believe, deair Dr Schaper, that the judgment on this paramount question lias been formed. That judgment is not based upon the lies and calumnies of the enemies of Germany, nor upon the careless publications contained in the newspaper, but upon a profound studv cf the official correspondence in the case. What do the official documents prove? After reviewing the evidence, Mr. Church concludes: Who began it? Was it England?— Scarcely so. for England in so far as hep army is .'concerned, had yielded to the popular plea for arbitration; she was not ready for war and will not be ready for another six months. Was it France? War, it Russia? Not one of the 93 distinguished men who have r ent me this letter, if they will react the evidence will say bo. It was Austria, who. by her unreasonable and inexorable attack on Servia, began the war, supported at every step by Germany, wlio in her turn gave notice to the Powers of Europe that any interference with Austria would be resented by German? to the full limit of war.

Mr Church proceeds: THE CRIME AGAINST BELGIUM. The next point in your letter reads thus: "It is not true that we trespassed in neutral Belgium." Have these 93 men studied well the letter they hnv ? signed? Could intellects go superbly trained deliberately certify to such an unwarranted declaration? Has any one of my 93 honoured corresponreiits read the appeal to the American people by Imperial Chance Mar von Jiethman-Hollweg, published in the American newspapers on August 15? 1 fear not; for in that statement the Chancellor said: "We were compelled to over-ride the just protests of the Luxemburg and Belgian Governments. The wrong—l speak frankly—that we are committing we will endeavour to make good as soon as our military goal lias been reached."

AY hat will the good conscience of the German people eay when, in. spite of its passion in the rage of war, it grasps the awful significance of the confession of its Imperial Chancellor? "The wrong that we are committing!'' The wreck and nun of a country that has done you no injury, the slaughter of her ■ ons, the expulsion of her King and Government, the blackmail of her substance, the destruction of her cities, with their happy homes, their beautiful monuments of historic times and the priceless works of human genius ''The wrong that we are committing!'" Worst of all, when the desperate and maddened people, seeing their sails wlain and their homes in namers, fired from their windows in the last instinct of nature, your troops, with barbaric ferocity put thorn to the sword without distinction of age or sex! The wrong! Oh. Dr. Schaner. if tho~e conditions should ever be 'reversed and these foreign soldiers should march through the. streets of Berlin, would not you. would not all of my 93 correspondents, if they saw their homes battered in ruins and their sons dead in the streets, would they, too, not fire from their windows upon the merciless invaders? I am £ur e I would do so! GERMAN MILITARISM.

Your reference to German militarism brings up in my mind the conviction that this war began potentially ?.j years ago. when your Emperor William 11. ascended the throne, doctored himself supreme War Lord, and proceeded' to prepaire his nation for war. Hrs own children were raised from their babyhood to<on. ider themselves soldiers and ,to look forward to a destiny of slaughter: and here in America we know even hi s daughter only by her photograph in a colonel's uniform! And as wih his own children, so all the vouch of his empire were- brought un.

Going far away from your groat philosopher Kant, who, in h ,s Categorical! lmp?rativ e lias taught us all a new •golden rule 1 , the national spirit of Germany lias boon fed on the. r.enmal materialism of Nietzsche, on the undisguised |>loodthirs+ of General von Bernhardt', on the wicked wrr dreams of Troitsohke. and on the weak morality of von Bulow; and we behold in every scrap of evidence that we can gather from your Emperor, his ch ]dren. hi.s soldiers, his statci men. and his professors, that Germany held herself a nation apart from the rest of the world end superior to it. and predestined to maintain that superiority liy war. In contrast to this narrow and destructive spirit of nationafl sm we in America have learned the value of humanity above the race so that we cherish all mankind in the bosom of oii'r country; therefore we can do nothing but oxer-rate the conduct of your Emperor, who has driven h:.s iroops to slaughter their brethren and be slaughtered by them in this bloody and unspeakable conflict. And so, at last, mv dear Dr. Schaper. ire find ourselves shocked, ashamed and ourtaged 'ha a Christian nation should le guilty of this criminal war. Thero was no justification for ft. Armed and defended as you wvre, the whole world could never have broken into your borders. And while German culture has still something to fain from her neighbours, yet the intellectual progress which Germany w.v- making seemed to liebftng up heir own people to bettor things for themselves and to an altruistic service to mankind. Your greit nation floated its shins, in every ocean, sold its wares in the uttermost nnrts of tho. w+h <ind enioved the goorf favour of humanity, because it was trusted as a humane State. But now all this

achievement Kas vanished, all this good opiii'on has been destroyed. You cannot in half a century regain the spiritual and material benefits which \ou have lost. Oh, that we might have again a Germany that we could respect, a Germany of true peace, of true progress, of true culture, modest mid not boastful, for ever rid of her war lords and her armed hosto and turning once more to the uplifting influence of f-uch leaders as Luther, Goethe. Beeihe-veii, and Kant. But Germany, whether you win or lose in this war, has fallo'l. and the once glorious nation must continue to pursue its course in darkness and murder until conscience at last bids it withdraw its armies back co its own boundaries, there to hope for the v.-orld's I pardon upon this inexpiable damna- ! tion.