HATRED FOR GERMANY

Evening Star, Issue 20422, 1 March 1930, Page 27

HATRED FOR GERMANY

A TEUTON COMPLAINT Hatred of Germany still burns in Belgium and Franco. And what is more, declare influential Berlin dailies, the animosity against the Reich increases rather than diminishes. In Belgium, it is claimed, hostility against Germany has become a cult.’ By way of illustration the 1 Koelnischo Zoitun# tells of a Helgiau publication which is called ‘ A School Outline History of Belgium. From this book, it is alleged, Belgian pupils are taught that the Germans in war times systematically cut off both hands of Belgian children. One child, it is charged, had its hands cut off because it could not tell a German ofiicor how to reach a certain town. Then a verbatim quotalion from this Belgian history is cited by the ‘ Kooluisohe Zoitung ’: “ At Antwerp a woman implored mercy fur her husband because bo was the solo support of her eight children. The German officer gave instant orders that five of the children ho put to death. Thereupon ho turned to their shrieking mother and cried; ‘ Now you’ve got only three children—your problem is solved!’ ” By way of comment on the foregoing citation, this Cologne newspaper remarks : “ Tin's incitement of hatred is not as bad as it seems. Its very exaggeration lakes some of the poison out of it But any endurable mutual relation of people to people, or oven of government to _ government, is unthinkable while, it is kept up. “ Not the World War. not the warguilt problem, in a deeper sense not oven the march of the Gorman troops through >elghuii, can ho said to stand between the two races. Where historical evolution is concerned, indeed,

even whore historical tragedy itself is involved, the subconsciousness of the peoples is profoundly comprehending. “ It is only the fomenters of hatred, their misrepresentations, and their lies, that stand in the way of reconciliation. “ As regards the underlying motives for the hatred of Germany, bo it noted that they are graver in Belgium than they could bo in Franco. They carry more weight than they do in England, or oven in Italy. Belgium suffered more, and she was not in any way responsible for the catastrophe. Yet a; regards Brussels or the Walloon country, to say nothing of Flanders, the fires of her hatred would long since have burned out were it not for the systematic feeding of the flames.” France may be less venomous than Belgium in its hatred of Germany, observes the Berlin ‘Vonvaerts,’ yet it is worthy of notice that French hatred forms a political bond among certain antagonistic political elements at Paris. A classic example, according to tin's Social-Democratic newspaper, is the detestation Poincare bad for the late Clemencoan. There was only one basis of agreement between these bitter political foes, we are told, and that was their intense hatred for Germany We read : "Poincare and Clcmenccau were two haters of Germany who hated each other. " If Georges Cleincncoau once undertook to lay a political enemy low lie followed him with a fanaticism and a cruelty proverbial in all France He knew neither restraint nor relenting ‘‘ For this reason he was dreaded Few, indeed, were the men who ventured to take up the cudgels against him. Just why he hated Poincare so furiously is not clear. “ In essentials Poincare and Clemencenu had many points of resemblance. Both were ardent patriots. Both repudiated all idea, of understanding with Germany. Both wore ice-cold natures. Both could hale.” Hatred of Germany, some other Berlin newspapers assert, drew the

enemies of Briand into a combine against his Ministry, and thus the way was paved for the Tardieu Government. Tito first thing Tardieu did, alleges the Berlin ‘ Kreuz Zeitung,’ was to make a speech in the French Chamber of Deputies, advocating a policy of “ keeping Germany down.” Such talk was all that keeps the Tardieu Ministry alive, according to the ‘Kreuz Zeitung, which adds; “The fireworks lizzie of Briand’s phrases only served—like all the oratorical outbursts of this artist of words—to beautify and disguise the triumph of the French jingo policy of, hate.”