The Press. THURSDAY, MAY 9, 1912. "AN AUSTRALIAN IN GERMANY."

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14350, 9 May 1912, Page 6

The Press. THURSDAY, MAY 9, 1912. "AN AUSTRALIAN IN GERMANY."

i Probably no country in Europe possessi os so many points of interest to ' English-speaking peoplo to-day as I Germany. Apart from the outstanding j fact that she makes no secret of hor | intentions to wrest the supremacy cf the command of the sea from Great I Britain, and with it supremacy in | trade, her system of education, her technical proficiency in manufacturing industry, her advanced social I schemes, particularly those relnting to I insurance against invalidity tuid unj employment, aro subjects of close study by. English studentn and statesmen. In these circumstances it is interesting to read tho impressions gathered by * a young Australian who has spent about j two years in Germany, and has evidently taken great pains to acqutro I first-hand knowledge of tho actual conj jlition of affairs iv that country. Mr I A- D. McLaren, who has relatives in I Christchurch and who wo gather is engaged in tho teaching profession, has given an excellent account of politics, I education, and the social condition generally' of tho German Fatherland. Ho tells ns that so far as relations with Great Britain aro concerned, there are two parties in Germany, ono desirous of peace, and the other—-much larger than many English democrats .think, and by no means confined tcj the oligarchy of AVilhelmstrasae, which dreams of a great maritime Empire, nnd thinks that Great Britain stands, or will stand, in tho way of German oversea, expansion. Air McLaren's views on "ihis subject are very carefully and judiciously- set out, ami merit closo attention. He quotes careful foreign observers such ns Admiral Malum, Vice-Admiral . Besson— whom ho describes as ono of the keenest observers of the world's naval chess board—and the great Italian authority on naval affairs, Commaudante Limo, all of whom are quite convinced that Germany's naval programme is unintelligible except on the assumption that sho intends at her own timo to challenge Great Britain in tho North fcjea, that i» in all the Sens. Atimy Herman authorities whose speeches aro quoted frankly avow that Germany's aim i,s to outbuild t-ho British Navy. Arr McLaren gives some in-ei-citing particulars as lo the extraordinary growth of tlio German Navy League. At tho end of' JOOO it jiumVnued 1,031,331) members, and it# «>ffi- ' eial journal. ''Die Flotto," has &lo.o_o subscribers —more than the number of J subscribers to any daily paper in thc I Empire. The membership of the Bri- ! fish Navy League is about 20,000, and ! it.s official organ, '"The Navy," has a circulation of 18,000. Part of the educational work of tho Navy League is to conduct of school teachers from the interior of the country to the sea coast, with a view to inspiring them with enthusiasm for the German Navy, based on personal information. Ah- .McLaren was in Wilhclmshaven iv .June last year, and saw a party ot 300 teachers returning from oi;j of these educational excursions. ! Admiral yon Koster sent them a gri-et-I ing by ■ telegram, which was received with irroat enthusiasm. The author's remarks on political parties in Germany and their objects are very interesting, and he gives a valuable account of the system of education. The method of teaching languages i.s far .superior to that in vogue in most English schools. Corporal punishment has Ix-cn practically abolished, and with good results. The author evidently does not consider the gymnastic exercises, which are a prominent feature ot all the Gorman .-chords, equal in value to the outdoor sport* and games which nro a characteristic of school life among the English-speaking peoples. No ono who notes carefully the effect of sport on

the English-speaking peoples wilt deny, he sayi. that field pames evoke a spirit of comradeship and loyalty that can never bo tlio outcome- of gymnastic and I indoor physical exorcises- Drill and fencing and turns on thc bar have not given thf. German the ease and supple-n-'>.s of tlio Englishman, or tho American, or the Australian. "Lot those, who wish to tost this statement,'' ho says, "compare the movements of tho German sailor with the British or American tar. The Teuton in regular, stiff, and automatic, tho Briton full of swing and as lithe as a willow twig." Mr McLaren gives a favourable view of the general conditions of lifo in Germany, although ho is evidently strongly opposed to the' system of protection. The system of national insuranro and the stringency with which loafers aretdearod off thr- streets, and made tv work, lift'",, tho effect of banishing the more outward and visible signs of poverty and slumdntn. Still, there is no doubt that poverty exists, and tho author gives a description of what ho saw at the Night Shelter in Berlin, an institution which iui says is not jvf erred to in Baedeker, or pointed out by the guides. Ho also found the system of "Beamtenbele'dignng," or tho tyranny of tho officials, very irksome. ft is. however, the question of tho relations between Germany and England, which is ni especial interest to us at the present time, and tho author is emphatic on the importance of our keeping 'toujours en vedette." In regard to the Bagdad Railway, which is again being mentioned iv our cable messages, he says that nothing could show more conclusively the present mind of Germany towards Great Britain than tho statements which have appeared in every section of thc Press recently concerning the possibilities and stirriitg prospects which tho new lino will open up. Admiral Mahan has pointed out the gn» vo danger to .England if a foreign power got control ot tho Persian Gulf by a fleet in being there, based upon a strong military port. The "Vossisrho Zeitung" recently asserted that the railway is one of tho triumphs of German diplomacy, and will bo carried to thc Gulf with or without tho consent of Great Britain. Dr. Paul Rohrhach, who is considered the greatest authority in Germany, it not in Europe, on this question, says it is impossible to bring England into a dangerous position by a direct attack in the North Sea. He argues that there is only one place where England can be attacked on land by a European Power, namely, in Egypt, and that tho strengthening of Turkey means that England will ultimately lose tho control of tho Suez Canal and" all influence in Persia; possibly also Central aud East Africa and India. McLaren scouts tho idea that Germany is likely to agreo to a limitation of armaments, and thus place herself in a position of permanent inferiority. His book is well worth reading, especially by thoso who are not yet convinced as to the need cf a strong Navy and an efficient system of national service if tho British Empire is'to hold her own in a struggle which dispassionate observers aro beginning to regard as absolutely inevitable.