Gems (?) of German Thought Part 2

29. Germany is precisely--who would venture to deny it--the representative of the highest morality, of the purest humanity, of the most chastened Christianity. He, therefore, who fights for its maintenance, its victory, fights for the highest blessings of humanity itself, and for human progress. Its defeat, its decline, would mean a falling back to the worst barbarism.--"War Sermons," by PASTOR H.

FRANCKE, quoted in H.A.H., p. 68.

30. No nation in the world can give us anything worth mentioning in the field of science or technology, art or literature, which we would have any trouble in doing without. Let us reflect on the inexhaustible wealth of the German character, which contains in itself everything of real value that the Kultur of man can produce.--PROF. W. SOMBART, H.U.H., p. 135.

31. We have in Germany the best Press in the world, and are in that respect superior to all other countries.--PROF. A.V. HARNACK, W.W.S.G., p. 19.

32. Germany's fight against the whole world is in reality the battle of the spirit against the whole world's infamy, falsehood, and devilish cunning.--"On the German G.o.d," by PASTOR W. LEHMANN, quoted in H.A.H., p. 81.

33. German patriotism strikes its deep roots into the fruitful soil of a heroic view of the world, and around its crown there gleam the rays of the highest spiritual and artistic culture.--PROF. W. SOMBART, H.U.H., p. 71.

34. This combination of clearness of purpose and heroic spirit of sacrifice was unknown in world-history before August, 1914. Not till then was the new German human being born.... Is this new creation to be the human being of the future?--O.A.H. SCHMITZ, D.W.D., p. 103.

35. Verily it has long been an honour and a joy, a source of renown and of happiness, to be a German--the year 1914 has made it a t.i.tle of n.o.bility.--"War Devotions," by PASTOR J. RUMP, quoted in H.A.H., p.

133.

36. When Luther, in the domain of religion, characterized as unevangelical the conception of merit and reward, and energetically banished the huckster-spirit from religious feeling, he opened to the German thought the widest possibilities of victory.... A specially Germanic way of feeling, a Germanic modesty and distinction of thought, was here powerfully promoted by means of the Gospel. True distinction is always modest, in the sense of being un.o.btrusive and not bragging of deserts!--K. ENGELBRECHT, D.D.D.K., p. 56.

37. Since the great German Renaissance of the new humanism, the h.e.l.lenic has become the truly German.... As the Peloponnesian War divided the States of h.e.l.las into two camps, so this war has divided the States of Europe. But this time it will be Athens and her spiritual power that will conquer.--PROF. A. La.s.sON, D.R.S.Z., No. 4, p. 40.

38. After the conclusive victories for which we may confidently hope ... the whole habitable earth will far more than hitherto bend its gaze upon us, to marvel at (_anzustaunen_) our standard-setting [artistic] achievements.--G.E. PAZAUREK, P.K.U.K., p. 23.

39. A theory of the origin of species remained in England a series of isolated observations, which pointed to certain conjectures; in Germany it was transformed with resolute daring into an all-embracing whole. PROF. A. La.s.sON, D.R.S.Z., No. 4, p. 33.

40. Never have ye seen a strong people and Empire in whiter garments of peace. We offered you palm branches, we offered you justice, ye offered us envy and hate.--J. HORT, quoted in H.A.H., p. 51.

41. Take heed that ye be counted among the blessed, who show declining England, depraved Belgium, licentious France, uncouth Russia, the unconquerable youthful power and manhood of the German people, in a manner never to be forgotten.--"War Devotions," by PASTOR J. RUMP, quoted in H.A.H., p. 131.

42. We may be sure that our French adversaries, when at Metz and St.

Quentin our hosts hurled themselves upon them, saw above us in the clouds the Germans of 1870, and even the Prussians of 1813, once more swooping down upon them, and shuddered at the spectacle. And, in spite of all the boasting of Sir John [Bull], our cousins from beyond the sea must long ago have recognized that it is better to fight _with_ Prussians against the French, than _vice versa_.--PROF. G. ROETHE, D.R.S.Z., No. 1, p. 29.

43. He who, in these days, sets forth to defend the German hearth, sets forth in a holy fight ... in which one stakes life itself, this single, sweet, beloved life, for the life of a whole nation, a nation which is G.o.d's seed-corn for the future.--"On the German G.o.d," by PASTOR W. LEHMANN, quoted in H.A.H., p. 78.

44. Our enemies are fighting us in order to restore to the world the freedom, the Kultur, which we threaten. What monstrous mendacity!

Reproduce if you can the German national school teacher, the German upper-master, the German university professor! You have lagged far behind us, you are hopelessly inferior! Hence your chagrin, your envy, your fear! Powerless to rival us, you foam with hate and rage, you make unblus.h.i.+ng calumny your weapon, and would like to exterminate us, to wipe us off the face of the earth, in order to free yourselves from your burden of shame.--PROF. A. La.s.sON, D.R.S.Z., No. 4, p. 38.

45. We take refuge in our quite peculiar idealism, and dream--alas, aloud!--of our ideal mission for the saving (_Heil_) of mankind.

Foreign countries turn away enraged from such unheard-of self-glorification and are quite certain that, behind the high-sounding words, the arrogance of "Prussian militarism" is concealed.--H. v. WOLZOGEN, G.Z.K., p. 64.

46. The future must lead France once again to our side, we will heal it of its aberrations, and, in brotherly subordination to us, it may share with us the task of guiding the fate of the world.... As we feel ourselves free from hatred toward the kindred Kultur-people of France, we have taken up the gauntlet with Teutonic pride, and we will use our weapons so that the admiration of the world, and of our enemies themselves, shall be accorded to us.--K.A. KUHN, W.U.W., p. 26.

47. When we were attacked, our German wrath awakened, and when we could not but recognize in the attack a long-plotted treason against our love of peace, our wrath became fierce and wild. Then, no doubt, some of us spoke, in our first excitement, of hatred; but this was a misinterpretation of our feeling. Seeing ourselves hated, we imagined that hate must be answered with hate; but our German spirit (_Gemut_) was incapable of that pa.s.sion. Lienhard rightly ... deplores the form of the popular Hymn of Hate against England, which, characteristically enough, proceeds from a poet of Jewish race.--H. v. WOLZOGEN, G.Z.K., p. 68.

48. Under the protection of the greatest of armies, we have laboured at scientific, social, and economic progress; our enemies trusted to the rule of force and to chatter.--O.A.H. SCHMITZ, D.W.D., p. 44.

49. Work as untiringly as we, think with as much energy, and we will welcome you as equals at our side.... Imitate us and we will honour you. Seek to constrain us by war, and we will thrash you to annihilation, and despise you as a robber pack.--PROF. A. La.s.sON, D.R.S.Z., No. 4, p. 38.

=The Gentle German.=

(AFTER JULY, 1914.)

50. The German Army (in which I of course include the Navy) is to-day the greatest inst.i.tute for moral education in the world.--H.S.

CHAMBERLAIN, K.A., p. 78.

51. It is true that the breast of every soldier swelled with a n.o.ble pride at the thought that he was privileged to wear the German uniform, which history has made a garb of honour above all others; but as for arrogance, not one of them, thank G.o.d, was capable of the stupidity which alone can engender it.--K. ENGELBRECHT, D.D.D.K., p.

32.

52. From all sides testimonies are flowing in as to the n.o.ble manner in which our troops conduct the war.--"War Devotions," by PASTOR J.

RUMP, quoted in H.A.H., p. 124.

52a. We thank our German Army that it has kept spotless the s.h.i.+eld of humanity and chivalry. It is true we believe that every bone of a German soldier, with his heroic heart and immortal soul, is worth more than a cathedral.--PROF. W. KAHL, D.R.S.Z., No. 6, p. 5.

52b. We see everywhere how our soldiers respect the sacred defencelessness of woman and child.--PROF. G. ROETHE, D.R.S.Z., No. 1, p. 23.

52c. The German soldiers alone are thoroughly disciplined, and have never so much as hurt a hair of a single innocent human being.--H.S.

CHAMBERLAIN, K.A., p. 69.

53. The depth of the German spirit displays itself also in _respect for morality and discipline_.... How often, in these days, has the German soldier been subjected to the temptation to treat the inhabitants of foreign countries with violence and brutality. But everywhere he has obeyed the law, and shown that even in war he knows how to distinguish between the enemy to be crushed and defenceless women and children. The officials and clergy of conquered territory have frequently borne express testimony to this fact.--PASTOR M.

HENNIG, D.K.U.W., p. 57.

54. The losses we suffer are--even if the losses of the enemy were ten times more numerous--infinitely greater in value and infinitely more painful.--PROF. A. La.s.sON, D.R.S.Z., No. 4, p. 8.

54a. One single highly cultured German warrior, of those who are, alas!

falling in thousands, represents a higher intellectual and moral life-value than hundreds of the raw children of nature (_Naturmenschen_) whom England and France, Russia and Italy, oppose to them.--PROF. E.

HAECKEL, E.W., p. 36.

54b. When one of our s.h.i.+ps has to sink, its going-down is even more glorious than a victory.--PROF. U. v. WILAMOWITZ-MoLLENDORF, R., pt.

iii., p. 48.

55. Where German soldiers had to seize the incendiary torch, or even to proceed to the slaughter of citizens, it was only in pursuance of the rights of war, and for protection in real need. Had they obeyed the dictates of their hearts, they would rather have shared their soup and bread with the defenceless foe.... This spirit of humanity we will preserve and cherish to the end.--PROF. W. KAHL, D.R.S.Z., No. 6, p.

5.

56. Lastly, we must not forget the German humour.... It sometimes proceeds from a firm faith in G.o.d, sometimes from a cheerful optimism, always from a serenity of spirit which nothing can disturb. Thus German soldiers out in the field, the moment there is a pause in the fighting, set about trying to ride on the camel which they have taken from the Zouaves.... So, too, a non-commissioned officer, during a fight, admonishes a soldier: "Shoot quietly, Kowalski, shoot quietly!

You'll frighten away the whole French Army of the North with your confounded banging!"--PASTOR M. HENNIG, D.K.U.W., p. 59.

57. Apart from the fighting quality of these troops, their peaceful work behind all the fronts bears witness to a thorough spiritual culture (_Bildung_) and a living organization such as the world has never seen, and this again indicates an average level of culture in all grades--of spiritual development and moral responsibility--to which no people in the world can show anything in the smallest degree comparable.--H.S. CHAMBERLAIN, D.Z., p. 19.

58. Even when, for once, a Latin writer is favourably disposed towards Germany ... he can see in what moves his admiration nothing but animal vitality. "This terrible Germany," he says, "like a wonderful beast of the jungle, springs upon all its foes and fixes its fangs in them."

How sadly he here misinterprets the nature of German heroism!--G.

MISCH, V.G.D.K., p. 9.

59. It is characteristic that our cruiser _Wilhelm der Grosse_, in order to spare the women and children on board, let an English merchant s.h.i.+p pa.s.s unharmed,[9] which by International Law it has the right to sink ... and then come Messieurs the English and repay this act of magnanimity by sinking the same cruiser in a neutral harbour, contrary to all International Law.--PROF. G. ROETHE, D.R.S.Z., No. 1, p. 23.

60. The absence of any sort of animosity towards other people is a striking characteristic of the Germans--and of the Germans alone.[10]--H.S. CHAMBERLAIN, K.A., p. 12.

_See also No. 497._

=The Great Misunderstood.=