HUN POET SEES RED.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 10526, 2 December 1916, Page 12

HUN POET SEES RED.

OUTBURSTS FROM AUSTRIA. DESPONDENT NEWSPAPER. 'I In- Austn'an poet, Ottokar Kernstock, has published ;i volume of war verses with ilk.' queer title "Styrian Blessing of Arms." The profit! from the book are to go to ;i wa.i eharitv. The Vienna Arbcitei: Zcjlung feels :i loathing for these verses "with their hombastii and romantic trappings/' which are neither more nor less f.hari a ';,rur;,l hate writings which belong tq the stock-in-trade of tl'jo clique who have this war on their Consciences."

There is .one "poem" called "Prayer Before the Battle of the Hups." in which Kornstock informs us thai ii is their own fault that God has nol lone; ago assisted th'e Central Powers in their struggle against Serbs and Italians. Russians. French, and English. If is because they were "slack'' thai- they must now suffer. In another "poem." 'called "Ideas." Germany and her allies are "heroes and pure as angels..'" and the enemy "an army of devouring vultures, ' dehumanised horde's of the lowest land devastators and barbarians," "ruffianly robbers and cunning, lustful felines." Coming to particulars; the Russians are "depraved hordes of Slavs." the Serbs a "brood," the French "wild game of Paris." the Italians "foreign foxies," and the British "the cruel sons ol Mammon and En's." Eris., it will be reiucinbcrud, wits fclre lady in the llesiodic theogony who threw the famous apple of discoid among the guests at a certain marriage festival. FIELD MARSHAL ST, MICHAEL. Kernstock, who is a clergyman as well as a poet, apparently finds infinite delight, in calling on the Almighty for assistance; and implores his Malcer "to bo deaf to the entreaties of our enemies." (To is certain of victory, for "the Celestial Hosts are with us.'and St, Michael is our FieldMarshal." His description of the battle in the Masurian Lake district contains this passage. "Then God nodded, and the Revenger came and drew his vengeful sword, and those who escaped the sword were choked in the mud of the swamps." This victory, he says, should encourage the Styrians, and in a fine frenzy of wild writing he asks his compatriots to strike, thrust minder, and burn, and the vine dressers especially are conjured to press the "bloodried nine" out uf the Italian foreigner. The Arbeiler Zeilung asks: "Is this publicly uttered delirium of blood fever, accompanied by cries for God's assistance, not open blasphemy " "For two years," continues the writer, "1 have been fighting at the from in Galicia and in the ('arpathians, in Poland and Volhynia. I have fought against the Russians, in Slavonia ugainsl the Serbs, on the l-on/.o and on rho Lava rone plateau against the Italians. But never, nol even in my bitterest moments, have I felt any feeling of hatred or contempt for my enemies. I was unable to withhold my sympathies for their sorrows,, or my deep respect for their bravery." ••'! HE WOULD AGAINST L'S." The Dusseldorfoy Auzciger." one of the leading journal-; of Rhenish Prussia, shows Mens ~| j| despondent spirit. Discussing i lie '_; ,icral situation* i' writes: "However great may be our confidence in our might, ii would be foolhardy to regard wiin excessive optimism the entry of Roumania into the war. which i-. sure to he followed soon In the intervention of Greece. "I, is jtisl this occasion thai has been seized upon In the Social Democrats lo set on foot a widespread propaganda for peace. To-day the whole of Furope, nay, more, the world i- against us. Fven those who are not arrayed in anus againsi ihe Central Powers—Switzerland, Holland, Denmark. Sweden. Norway and Spain have shown their sympathies for our enemies, while I 'jig Ia nd and Latin America, lodge in Greai Britain's camp." ZEPPELINS AS PEACE PROMOTERS. In an article more than usually foolish the Kreutz /.einm-. the favourite journal uf Prussian army officers, studies the psychological efl'ecl of the recent Zeppelin raid on London, The British pre**, it says, admits thai this was the most "frightful raid" of all, and after previous raids neutral obsei vers noticed the growth of a peace spirit in ihe countries which had bei n bombed. The effects of the London raid are hj dy lo be men more tremendous and the panic that prevails is shown by the "cunning" device adopted in England of

priming one version of their newspapers I'oi home, and one for foreign consumption • the latter concealing the damage done l>.\ the niid.«. Itut perhaps the end of the article i-' more instructive, hj deals with the late of the lost airships. This incident was regrettable, but probnbh unavoidable. War. the loader-writer in the Krnu V.ov rimy courageously points out, i- made up sit' risks. And in am case -here ;i nolo of anxiety seems to creep in—the raids -tiiu«t, hj will he noted thai the "respcorahh"' Conservative j -nal adopt- the idiotic story dI two edition- ui English newspapers first propounded by the notorious Schwoiiner. the uriscrupnlou representative of the Vis sisohe Zcirun.; ~i Amsterdam. GERMAN SHIPBUILDING. _ The Vossische Zeilung. in ;i lengthy article on Gorman shipbuilding, informs us that during ihc lirst year of the war shipbuilding for private account practically ceased, and all that was done in the yards done lor the Government but as lime went on shipping circles began to see that they had a inagnilicenj oppor I unit;. afforded ihoni of increasing the German mercantile marine, and From that day to this uninterrupted work has been carried on. Ii was a question with shipping circles whether they should enlarge existing yards or whether nv\ establishments should be built. Itn the « hole the decision lias been te build new yards. A number of these are mentioned, and in addition, it is star« d that several existing shipbuilding concerns have increased I heir capital—one of them, the Itowaldtswei-ken of Kiel, from £145,000 to £7)50.000. and another, the Blohm Company of Hamburg, h-oni £600.000 to a million. German shipbuilders are absolutely certain, we are told, that after the war they will reap a magniticcni harvest, as British ships will be largely worn out, and, besides, tin havoc caused among British •-hips by German submarines will have erented ii scarcity of tonnage winch can only be to the advantage of the new Gorman van!-.