The New Zealand Times. MONDAY, JUNE 17, 1918. "GERMANISM."

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 9999, 17 June 1918, Page 4

The New Zealand Times. MONDAY, JUNE 17, 1918. "GERMANISM."

The peculiar psychology of the Hun stands clearly revealed in .the latest published utterance of Admiral von Tirpitz. Speaking recently at a Bismarck celebration at Hanover, this instigator and initiator of Germany’s ruthless, piratical submarine campaign, stated truthfully enough that Germanism is threatened by Anglo-American-ism; but, with characteristic mendacity and effrontery, he balanced this statement with the downright lie that Anglo-Americanism claims to monopolise the world. The truth, of course, is—and that truth cannot he too often repeated nor too persistently hammered home —that Anglo-Americanism only threatens Germanism because Germanism stands for world-domination, -for the monopoly of the whole world by and for Germany. America, in fact, stood’aloof from the conflict, taking no part whatever against Germany, till she was absolutely driven into the war by the utterly unscrupulous and infamous attacks upon American and other neutral shipping organised by the arch-pirate, von Tirpitz himself. While Germanism —better and more generally known as Prussianism—stands blatantly and brutally for autocracy, for world-domination, for might as against right, Anglo-Ameri-canism stands for the very opposite principle, for democracy, for right and justice as against the sheer tyranny of might, for free self-determination, self-government, and self-development by all nationalities, whether great or small. Germanism, in short, is the thieving, murdering, bully; AngloAmericanism is the police constable who will bring him to book and make him disgorge his ill-gotten gains and expiate his crimes. What a searching sidelight, again, is thrown upon German mentality and upon the, Gorman point of view by the doughty Admiral's further declaration that Germans cannot hope to win Anglo-Saxon friendship and recognition as equals, except by demonstration of their power. Tile truth, of course, is that before the outbreak of the Kaiser’s war—a war absolutely forced upon tho Entente by Germany when Austria and Russia were turning towards peace and setting out on the way towards an amicable settlement of ‘the Austro-Serbian ombroglio—before tho war Germany already possessed, in only lesser degree than Prance, Anglo-Saxon friendship; and, as Prince LichnoWsky’s revelations have emphasised, England was earnestly endeavouring to secure an Anglo-German Entente, complementary to the FrancoBritish Entente, thus effectively guaranteeing the world’s peace. Indeed, even so late as July 30th, 1914, Sir Edward Grey (then British Foreign Secretary) instructed Sir Ernest Goschen (British Ambassador at Berlin) to state “most earnestly’’ to the German Chancellor (Bethmann von Hollwegg)

Ono way of maintaining the good relations between England and Germany is that they should continue to work together to preserve the peace of Europe; if (he added) we succeed in this object, the mutual relations of Germany and England will, I believe, he ipso facto improved and strengthened. For that object His Majesty’s Government will work in that way with all sincerity and goodwill. iAnd I will say this: If the peace of Europe can be preserved and the present crisis safely passed, my own endeavour will be to promote some arrangement to which. Germany ■could bo a party, by which she could be assured that no aggressive or hostile policy would be pursued against her or her allies by France, Russia, and ourselves, jointly or separately. I have desired this and worked for it, ns far ns I could, through the last Balkan crisis, n nd, Germany having (then!) a corresponding object, our ■ relations sensibly improved, llhe idea has hitherto been 100 Utopian to form the subject of definite proposals, but if this present crisis, so much more acute than any that Europe has gone through for generations, be safely passed, I am hopeful that the relief and reaction which will follow may make possible some more definite rapprochement between the Powers than has been possible hitherto.

Germany, however, flouted Britain’* proffered friendship; she refused to work together with England to preserve the peace of Europe. Nay, more, sho deliberately and wickedly forced on the war, well knowing that the Entente bad not sought, and wore not prepared for war, while she herself was prepared “to the last gaiterbutton.” In the course of the war tho Germans have given ample “demonstration of their power”; and, it

friendship and goodwill could possibly be won by mere- demonstration of power, Germany must, assuredly, long ere now have won tho undying friendship and the ovorlast-ing goodwill of the whole world.- But friendship and goodwill are not to bo won by brute force. If they were, tho. biggest bully would t)0 of till tlio most beloved and revered. It is well to have a- giant’s strength, but Germany has yet to learn that to use it as a giant is not so well. Germany's “demonstration 0 power” has been the most inhuman and bestial demonstration of sheer brute force; and that demonstration, in which Admiral von Tirpitz, to give him his due, has co-operated to the utmost of his ability, has won for her tlie hatred and detestation of the whole civilised world. Except for the neighbouring small nations, too near at hand to ‘ the mailed first” of the Hun, to dare make a move, practically the whole civilised world is in arms against Goimany, and fixedly determined, come what may, and no matter how long tho ® ruggle may last, to bring to naught her “demonstration of power.” She herself hag compelled them, in selfdefence,- and in vindication of the rights and liberties and of the highest and holiest ideals of the race, to take this stand against her. It is quite true that, as the egregious von Tirpitz states, even if German vital necessities are secured by a peace, hard work, privations, and economic snuggles will continue; but Germany has only herself to blame. She wilfully brought it upon herself. It may well bo, as ho declares, that only a German victory and its full utilisation can give Germans opportunity to-com-pensate by future labour the enormous Air G j t H v have suffered. But the w , tVn-T 1 ? 0163 know on, y too well what hellish slavery tho full utilisation or a German victory would mean for tuo vanquished, by whose future labour <,3 n iv Ily i " OU , d make Sood her losses; and the knowledge, and every fresh exhibition of German frightfulness, only xes still more firmly their determinarion to utterly smash the Prussian war-machine, and rid the world once tor all of the menace of Germanism, 1 russianism, call it what you will Germany must suffer, since sne will learn only by suffering. She learns that°r Until ■ by suffering she learns that Germanism does not pay. ?h° wickedly willed war; and as Mr Mid S the ( f, men , can Secretary of State) said the other day, she shall have war verv^bo 6 ? + ar ’* tiU she eic keii3 at the ' er y thought of war.