ANTI-GERMAN FEELING.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 67, 20 March 1900, Page 2

ANTI-GERMAN FEELING.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —I seek to enlist your sympathy against an abuse which threatens to become general. A few individuals take this present war cloud as an opportunity to create ilh-feeling, and stab in the dark a race of people who have always been friendly to the British. To show to what extent these idiotic outbursts influence some narrow minded members of this community, permit me to' cite an incident. In answer to an advertisement appearing in your paper, I applied for the position as per advt. After exchange of ordinary civilities, the question was suddenly put.to me: "What countryman are you?" (The gent, had evidently detected a foreign accent.) "German by birth," said I. That was enough for him. Pointing to a flag flying over his establishment, he bombastically delivered himself as follows: "I a.ma Britisher, and I fly the British flag, and I wouldn't have anything to do with aGerman. Lookatthe trouble in South Africa now. No! 1 wouldn't have anything to do with a German," Contemptuously turning his

back to me, he stalked off. Now, Sir, this gentleman may be British by accident of birth, but he is not British m deed or spirit, for no ordinary intelb-e-ent Britisher would without cause insult a man on account of accident of birth and for that for which he is notresponsible, his nationality. I have been in many lands, and met Britishers everywhere, and I know that is not the true British spirit. If any German who is a naturalised British subiect and resident under the flag for over 20 years without interruption, married to a colonial, and whose children are so English that they do not know a word of German, and who has proved himself a bona fide British colonist in every way, is not to be counted British, and denied the right to make an honest living, then I say it is time indeed the fiat went forth "No German need apply." But it would be more charitable and humane to let it go forth before we come here and spend our little all trying to make a home Tn conclusion lot me say that; the large majority of German colonists. all over Australia love the good old English flag a great deal better by reason of the freedom they enjoy under it than some of those blustering mis-; ! chief makers of the windbag type.— S I am, etc.,

LIVE AND LET LIVE