THE SWEDISH VIEW

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 107, 6 May 1916, Page 10

THE SWEDISH VIEW

MR. BEGBIE QUOTES BELGIUM,

SWEDES RETORT: "LOOK AT

GREECE,"

Mr.- Harold Bcgbie has been in Sweden collecting Swedish opinions. Here are some of them: —

"Why are your newspapers, and even your politicians, so stupid," I was asked, "as to imperil Swedish neutrality, which is very valuable to you, by using your blockade in a pettifogging way? Look at the case of the Stockholm. Your newspapers make great play of the fact that 140 tons of meat were found on board this ship. But for the sake of that meat, supposing it had no right to be there, is it wise to irritate our nerves' and' wound our pride? We were very proud of that ship. It was a great experiment for us. And you take it into Liverpool; you keep it there; you force the passengers to suffer enormous inconvenience in getting back to Sweden; and then you cry out as if you had done something splendid, 'Look, 140 tons of meat!' Isn't that rather stupid? Was it really worth while?" ,

It is a very curious experience to pass from England, where the atmosphere sings with moral indignation, into these bright, happy, and beautiful cities of Scandinavia, where everybody -appears to bo detached and philosophical. Speak of the Lusitania, and they say, that she carried ammunition. . Contradict this, and they say, "Come, be honest; what is the difference between sinking a ship and starving women and children, whose menfolk you cannot overthrow in open fight?" Speak of atrocities, and they smile. "You have only heard one side," they tell you. Speak of Belgium, and they ask you what we are doing in Greece. Speak of Bernhardi—"He is not the German nation."

But, pray bear in mind that all this is said without offence, and with the greatest possible kindness. Indeed, many people here who want England to win have almost implored me to abandon every argument of this kind, to abandon all criticism of the Germans, and to go to the root causes of our present perilous position. '„,■■ "You ara a great people," one man said to me, "but you carry more weight in this race thin any of the others. . . Get this war over as-soon as you can, and set to work at once to alter these things. You must have a real educational system. You must have a real physical" culture. And you must have more willingness to learn from other nations. England roust stand for something that all men can admire, if she is to endure. Abuse of the Germans will do you no good. Take a look at yourselves in the looking-glass of your friends, and—well, make a few changes." One of the ablest of Swedes, a devoted friend of England, said to. me: "You always think you can muddle through. But there cannot be any muddling through when you are opposed by a most efficient and a highly scientific people. You must be terribly in earnest, you must be immensely serious, if you are to beat( tho German. England must put her whole soul into this war if she is to win. You cannot be beaten. Everybody aces that. But you have not convinced us yet that you can win.','

Here in a few words is a true expression of Swedish opinion. If on occasion the Swedes shock an Englishman by a certain detachment from the mora)-ques-tions of the war, very often they make him wonder whether perhaps we had not done better by keeping oar moral indignation to otrrselves , I was told before I left England that. I shoidd suffer great inconvenience in Sv/sdan,*aT;d that possibly I might bo insulted in public. Let "'mo-say that I have'experienced nothing but the. greatest kindness, and that' I "believe the great majority of the . Swedish people, not only wish us well —and wish us well from their hearts—but honestly dislike Germany.

But they do cot want the German nation to bo destroyed, and most of them think that the belligerent nations should stop fighting before they are utterly exhausted, and before European civilisation is further imperilled.