Nelson Evening Mail WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1918. THINGS GERMANY CANNOT UNDERSTAND.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 249, 16 October 1918, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1918. THINGS GERMANY CANNOT UNDERSTAND.

PERHAPS the greatest mistakes made by Germany have been i n misunderstanding the :characters of- other nations and ' the teaching of history. The present peace move and t]«j continu-1 ance of frightfulness on land and sea furnish another example. A' conspicuous principle in the Prussian State is a-'blind arid belief .in the superiority ot the German race, and in the destiny- of the autocratic Germanic State eventually to dominate .the world "by force of arms. As is well I known, the State to modern Germany-; is a non-inoral predatory , organism, j .whose primary function* is the acquisition of power in order that it may prevail .in " the struggle - for existence with other States. The law of its being is not the law of truth; justice, and ; honour, but the law that ..might is right. Hence the noblest duty of the subject is dedication and. sacrifice to the will of the State, without criticism and without question, and the " noblest' function of .the State is. to exj press it s power by domination, repression, conquest and war. We -have seen the immoral doctrine in operation for four years and it lias- brought Germany into collision with those Of the world States who valued their freedom and were strong enough to resist her will. "What the rulers of Germanyeven yet do not- understand i 6 that other nations value their liberty, and rather than acquiesce in a- diplomatic tyranny, of Europe by a great militarist State or any State .that could commit .the outrages Germany is evennow committing, " would fight on to the •last. They misunderstood Belgium, and and 'blundered "badly in consequence; ' they misunderstood Russia, France, Britain, Italy, and America, and these misunderstandings may mean their - ruin. The only peoples they seem to have successfully gauged are those of Sweden and Holland, Denmark and Turkey, and perhaps Spain. Even- Greece, .and Bulgaria mu&t be added to'their list of failures, with more to follow. This inability of the German mind to understand human nature or to learn, from history is summed up in one sentence by the Argus—it can.no,t distinguish military preparedness from strength of character. It proceeds: In moral strength the dominant factor is endurance or tenacity. How much - "gruelling" can a man ,stand, how much defeat and knocking about and severe punishment can he take "without -losing his head or his heart, without giving up or giving in? That i 3 the ultimate question both in ethics and in ; religion. Endurance is always the crowning - qualiity.. The German does not realise this, jHe did not understand either the j weakness of Russia- or the' strength ,of j Britain <Jr .the marvellous tenacity of | France; he did not- understand the j meaning of the word- "America" or Ithe hopeless heroism of Belgian and {Serbian. Above.all, he did not underl stand the . underlying -forces' in Bulgaria | and Greece; so he left his back door [unguarded, arid now his' enemies are S upon him.. Was it ■ arrogance, or i-just stupidity, or was it judging others from. . himeslf? Has ;ho German- 'himself relied upon tenacity of character or merely upon .military preparedness? Is the Giav 'man who - goose-stepped, over Belgium, and who. now runs- about with his hands up' and' with. pathetic calls of .' 'Kamerad,'' -really a 'brave and tenacious fighter, or is ho merely the raw material of the most wonderful military machine .the- world ever j knew? Or is lie a .mere bull}"? There |is somejustification- for this last question, for a bully always cringes when he -is tackled. ' When every thing was going: well, with ;. the' Germans the Kai-

I ser and TinSea-studies "loudly and arjrogaiitly - itliat they- wet? i fitting to'realia* Germany's destiny

as ruler of the world; now, when things are going badly for them, the snivelling monarch says that all along .the Germans have been fighting a defensive war to save their own country! The Allies demand such a military decision over Germany as will make the machine crack, the people go back, to the day s of 1848, the whole nation explode from within, and expel -the IHohenzollern, and settle down into a decent life with the rest of the world.