"THE JOY OF BATTLE"

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 194, 6 May 1918, Page 6

"THE JOY OF BATTLE"

A GERMAN FUTILITY DISSECTED V . GROWTH OF REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT (By H. E. AVakefiekl.) (Published by authority of the War Office, per favour of the Boyal Colonial Institute,) "The unbroken joy of battle," said Count Hertling, "inspires the entire army, officers and men." "It is now fairly certain," remarked a German sonii-ofncial statement on February 2, "ihat the strike will be over by Monday (February 4). This satisfactory result haß been obtained by tho recall by the commanders of several army corps of soldiei'B- who were on leave last week, and who it 13 believed wero concerned in the strike." Certainly the joy of battle ■must be marvellously monopolising the hearts of tne gallant Fjehl-ure.ys, if, when spending a lew days' 'cave from the most dreadful of all wars, they iinmediateiyi plunge into a liveiy contest with capital, privilege, the powers that be, and ad tne other verbal symbols of oppression in Germany. Troops impeileu by such a catholic pugnacity, such an irrepressible penchant lor hard pounding, must indeed be invincible. Yet it .can- hardly be imagined that the fine gesture of Count Hertling intended to imply quite that. That is not tiie way good, old German gods like to see their heroic ami enlightened "cannon-fodder" celebrating their vacation. Buying war-loan, or cutting out snappy paragraphs trom tne "Deutsche Tageszeituug" would be more seemly.

Again, meetings of the Fatherland Parly almost always end in disorderly scenes. An armchair hero gets up and by means of figures and arguments supplied by the party (and invested "with an almost inspired authenticity from having been previously quoted by Von Tirpitz) shows that any peace which does not provide Germany with all the desirable portions of the habitable globe will be a disgraceful defeat. He gels =o far, and then mops his brow and looks nervously round the hall, for ne knows what is coming. The stumping oi crutches is,, heard, and the orator grows pale. He "knows that tho platform is about to be stormed by specimens ot that irritating type of person who is sufficiently damaged not to have to return to the front, but not so dilapidated as to be unable to attend public meetings. AYho is, moreover, so feeble-brain-ed and feeble-hearted as to have no use for a German peace. A scuffle then ensues, cries of abuse being mingled with the crash as walking-stick meets crutch, with the result that either crutch wins and the meeting breaks up, or 'stick wins and tho cripples arc hustled out. Embarrassing Phenomena, These scenes have become so frequent that the Fatherland Party Press lias been reluctantly compelled to the conclusion that a fool hit by a bullet docs not become less a fool, and a Coward who has lost a limb or two does not become less a coward. At the same time it is easy to read' between the lines that these scuffles nre embarrassing phenomena. "Joy of oattlo" has disturbing safety-valves. And it is an amazing spectacle for the rest of the world that the learned and polite in the land of kultur can positively beat and spit upon the cripples who have lost limbs in their defence. Phrases nre poor substitutes for ideas, they are still feebler substitutes for realities. . Tho German strikes were (so German authorities declare) organised by German soldiers. That is a reality. The Fatherland Party finds its firmest 'opponents in wounded German soldiers. That is a reality. The phrase "joy of battle" is merely one of those monstrous fuiiiities which the soldier in tho trenches greets with sardonic and indecorous laughter. No man outside a comic newsnaper office would deny the German soldier courage. One can but espect him for his moral courage at Fatherland meet lilfjs. How should one dlVnos" his _ present attitude of mind?' «i l lS i ~ disciplined and readv to tight, but he is deeply uneasy. He is half.,ray o believing that he has been stoned with lies and cynically exploited. But ho does not like to act on that assumption in tho face of the enemy A sudden great victory would rostorn'him to jingoism, but defeat or even stagnation may make him a revolutionary Hrf is equally prepared to chant "Deutschland Tiber Alles" of the anthem of tho Internationale. .So he still fights steadily enough when braced by contact with the enemy, but when ho gets home sees conditions there, an dis suibtlely stirred by a political atmosphere, he becomes a menace .to autocracy.

The Revolutionary Spirit. The German snirit has'been revolutionary before, though success; and prosperity have made it sleek and accommodating. Jhe revolutionary spirit nee( i s something stiff and hard to react asainst. It thrives best on great, irremediable grievances, devolutions die still-born iu ree countries with flexible constitutions, from' a mora lack of resistance. Just as the revolution raises its arm to strike, it finds its objective spirited away by the wand of the magician who invented the ballot-box. It linds it has boon striking at a shadow. But autocracies command no machinery lor compromise and adjustment, if they yield too late, when their strength ana immobility have stirred their victims to a fury of assault. So when tho German strikes, ho is promptly arrested or fined, because, he is weak, if he ever grows strong he will make, must make, an end of autocracy. There is no compromise for him between surrender and rebellion. Tho history of the German striken illustrate perfectly this artificiality of German 'democracy." The German workman has his union and his vote, but the one cannot protect him, and the other has no sanction. The tiny spark of freedom he dares to. strike is trampled out at once by a jack-boot. The Example of Russia. We havo waudeietl souio way from tho "Joy of Batlie," but not too far. If German democracy is ever to rovo{t successfully it. must be organised and led by the Army. , The Army must supply the initiative, the courage, and the plan. There is, therefore, great significance in these stories of soldiers leading strikers and breaking up Fatherland Party meetings. They are already providing that militant strain without which a tkwarter democracy has nover yet gained its freedom, it was the liussian Army which turned the scale. Perhaps Count Hertling will one day regret that "Joy of Battle." Last and most significant fact of all: A careful study of tho German Press has not yielded for a long time now a single instance of a jingo or even a patriotic letter, .'peech, or any pronouncement from any German soldier under the rank of colonel. Tho "Joy of Battle" lias apparently ceased to bo very vocal among the : auk i nd file.