The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1924. GERMANY OLD AND NEW.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 224, 20 September 1924, Page 6

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1924. GERMANY OLD AND NEW.

c For the caute that lacks assistance, s For the wrong that needs resistance, ( For the future in the distance, And the good that we can do. * a

When at the close of the Great War revolution broke out in Germany and the Kaiser was driven from the throne, many people hoped and believed that this political transformation betokened a genuine "change of heart" on the part of Germans in general. The new German Government certainly represented political ideals entirely different Irom those of the Kaiser; and at first it adopted an attitude strongly antagonistic to the programme of. aggressive militarism which the Imperialists of the old regime had so long followed. The new Germany officially repudiated the Kaiser and all his works, and at Versailles its delegates formally—under pressure, certainly—admitted the responsibility of the Kaiser and his supporters for the war and all that it entailed. But the Republicans went a great deal further than this. For under the direction of the new Government one of the ablest public men in Germany searched the Imperial archives for evidence as to the outbreak of the war. In due course Kautsky published his revelations, and though they told the world little that was not known or guessed before, they had some sort of official endorsement. But all this happened five years ago, and in the meantime a great many things have taken place. Germany has unexpectedly found defenders amongst the Allies, who, for various reasons which we need not now discuss, object to the rigorous enforcement of the sentence pronounced upon her at Versailles. At the same time, a considerable number of writers and politicians belonging to the large class of people *■ who are constitutionally incapable of blaming anybody for anything unreservedly for long, have been assiduously striving to prove that the Germans alone could not be morally guilty of this monstrous "crime against humanity," but that everybody everywhere was more or less to blame. Encouraged toy thi3 accession of material and moral support, the new Germany has, -changed its tone once more, and the people and their Government are just now supplying a good illustration of that well known biological tendency, "reversion to type." Vastly encouraged by the sympathy and help that they are receiving from pacifists and internationalists everywhere, the people of new Germany are now, more than at any time since the war, disposed to repudiate responsibility for the war. We need not spend much time iv diagnosing the strange and depressing mental and moral processes by which the self-appointed apologists for Germany to-day have worked tiicmselves into their present frame of .mind. In some cases their ignorance, in others shortness of memory, in most instances that lack of moral fibre which renders so many men and women incapable of deciding whether any given thing is good or bad, right or wrong —these are perhaps the primary sources of the

epidemic of perverted thinking and maudlin sentimentalism which manifests itself so painfully in certain quarters just now. Not long since a paper published in New Zealand asserted in cold print that the Germans never bombarded RJieims Cathedral, and said that British $ calumny against Germany was one of L the most shameful things in history. The disease is widespread, and we can hardly wonder that the Ger--8 mans of to-day, remembering how * .politicians like "Sir. Ramsay MacDonald championed them in the early stages of the war and knowing that , politicians like Mr. Morel are ceaselessly " instilling into the public mind the theory that France rather than German is and has -een the worst enemy of the world's peace, are taking heart of grace once more. The facts of course stand where they stood five or ten years ago, Nothing has been done to counterbalance or invalidate the immense mass - of positive historical evidence which B proves incontestably that Germany and her allies brought about this war, work ing deliberately and methodically foi their own end and choosing their owr h time. But the German denial of respon t sibility may increase the difficulties ir • the way of peace and reconstruction.