BRITAIN AND GERMANY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LX, Issue 143691, 12 January 1912, Page 7

BRITAIN AND GERMANY.

PLEA FOE A SPIRIT OP BROTHERHOOD. A reference to the recent German war scare gave to Dr. F. Schone’s introductory remarks to his lecture at Victoria College on Wednesday evening considerable interest, as coming from a thoughtful and accomplished student, who is at once a patriotic citizen of the Fatherland and a sincere admirer of the British people. “There has recently been friction between the respective Governments and nations that you and I belong to,” he said, “and there is no denying the deplorable fact that this friction was not a mere single transitory controversy about a diplomatic difficulty, but only the most recent link in a le.ng chain of more or less severe outbreaks of quarrelling which have in the last ten years—if wo are to believe allegedly well-informed authorities—more than once brought to the verge of war two great nations, for the steady development, yea, the very existence of either of which even a successful European war would, as everybody knows, be disastrous and ruinous. I am pleased to state that all earnest members of the British nation I came across during my travels did not leave me in doubt as to their sincerely deploring this state of things.— (Hear, hear.) They mostly agreed with me that one of the main reasons of this calamity is the lack of genuine information on one another’s conditions, feelings, aims, etc. Many people on both sides gain practically all their information from the newspapers, in which they arc only too ready to believe firmly, unable or unwilling to take the trouble to discriminate between the probable and the improbable, between the genuine truth and sheer impossibility. Tliis is a human ryeakness which will be, let us hope, more and more overcome as general education, political comprehension, and the general sense of 'responsibility advances. “To-day,” he continued, “it is still a fact to be\reekoned with, and it cannot be too seriously condemned that oh both sides part of the press most unscrupulously spreads the most appallingly irresponsible newte of no substance whatever, and scandalously misrepresents facts, witli the result—if not the object—of embittering the mutual feeling between two nations which, if only by their common origin and racial stock, ought, in a spirit of brotherhood, to be able to find room in the world, one beside the other, as peaceful neighbours and friends, and not to believe the expansion of the one to be the necessary encroachment on the other.— (Applause.) I, therefore, harbour the firm conviction that things can be bettered a good deni by a more frequent intercourse between the members of tile respective nations, and of recognising and appreciating the many common traits in the lives, feelings, and aspirations of the two nations. So.” concluded Dr. Schone, “I welcome the onnortunity—at the same time feeling obliged to avail myself of it—of coming in touch with you here, and so, perhaps, contributing in a small way to the great end of a better understanding between our nations.”—(Applause.)