Life, 1914-11-12 · page 20 of 48
Life — November 12, 1914 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This editorial argues against German imperial ambitions while acknowledging sympathy for Germany's desire for colonial territories. Published early in World War I, it uses a Nietzsche library book anecdote to mock German propaganda efforts in America as ineffective ("doesn't get under my skin"). The piece concedes that Germany's yearning for colonies is understandable, but contends Germans lack the qualifications to rule effectively. The author cites a railroad anecdote suggesting established colonial powers (like England), though flawed and greedy, have become gentler through experience. Germany as a "new broom" would sweep destructively through continents. The critique peaks sardonically: rather than debate colonial rights, war is "sacrificing by the hundred thousand" Germany's own young men while killing French, Belgian, and English youth—a waste of valuable human resources that undermines any colonial project's rationale.
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NOVEMBER 12, 1914 “While there is Life there's Hope"* Published by LIFE PUBLISHING COMPANY 17 West Thirty-first Street, New York English Offices, Rolls House, Breams Bldgs., London, E. C. J. A. Mitcwett, Pres't, MAN who returned a book by Nietz- sche to the Public Li- brary re- C) marked as he passed it in: “This does not get under my skin.” The remark applies to the efforts of the German apologists in this country. Some of these gentlemen have done better than others, but none of them has got under the American skin. Their best has been to bring some ideas and arguments to American at- tention that later on may help to in- spire sentiments that may be useful to Germany. A good many of us, for instance, think with sympathy of Germany's yearning for good colonial possessions, where Germans may de- velop as Germans and the German language will not have to yield to English. That seems a natural aspi- ration for a crowded and energetic country, but while, in a way, we sympathize with it, we are not ready yet to help break up and make over the various continents in order to fur- ther it. No doubt we understand and like the English civilization better than the German because it is based in democracy and is more like our own, but we are not finally committed to the idea that the English are the Chosen People and ought for the world’s good to inherit the earth. We would be glad to have the Germans have greater territorial possessions if it could be accomplished without in- tolerable disturbance and if the Ger- mans showed any considerable qualifi- cations for successful colonization. But nobody seems able to endure Ger- man rule but Germans. They can .y ugh! A. Minure, Sec’y and Treas. stand the German method when they have to. Other peoples hate it, and even Germans, once they have escaped it, stay away. It is related that when Dean Rich- mond was president of the New York Central Railroad some one said to him: “TI see all your conductors have gold watches and diamond pins. Those men must be knocking down fares. I should think you'd discharge them.” But Mr. Richmond said: “These present conductors have al- ready provided themselves with dia- mond pins and gold watches. Do you really think we would do well to sub- stitute for them a lot of new men with diamonds and watches still to get?” So, in spite of our sympathy with German desires, the profit to the world of having Germany supersede England as a colonial power seems very dubi- ous. England has been greedy and is now pretty well glutted; she has been harsh and has grown almost gen- tle; her manners have been bad, but they have improved. In so far as she rules colonies now, she does it chiefly by persuasion. The thought of having Germany, the new broom, sweep through the continents, :excites far more dismay than enthusiasm. 'O doubt there should be organized a great holding company to take title to the outlying portions of the earth, and give deserving peoples privileges of residence and exploita- tion in spare lands that would suit them. If there were such a holding company it may be that Germany would get good openings, for there are vast regions which her widely advertised Kultur might very much improve. Instead of which we see it now devoted to an appalling destruc- tion; sacrificing by the hundred thou- sand the lives of its own young men— very good young men, most of them— killing also by the hundred ‘thousand the valuable and rather scarce young men of France and Belgium and Eng- land, and wasting in like manner the youth of illimitable Russia, who has room for them all, and involving Austria and, one after another, the other outlying nations, in correspond- ing sacrifice and destruction. It is bad, bad, bad; and all grows out of the vice of nationality, which is so nearly a virtue and yet raises such particular hob. And here in these States all we seem able to do about it is to say how dreadful it is, and moan, and give something to a fund, and go home to dinner. How are we going to get our medicine? How shall this enormous discipline the world is undergoing be brought home to us to our spiritual profit? OF course we have been pinched in the general squeeze. A great deal of our business has had and is having a hard scramble to get along. The collapse of the cotton market is cnly one of many troubles growing out of the war which put people out of their habits of living, and involve loss of employment and distress. The war does reach us and may yet pinch us hard enough to compel great co- operative and perhaps governmental measures for reltef at home as well as abroad. But it might, and may, go further than that as a disciplinary ex- perience and yet not exceed our na- tional needs. The seeds of it seem to be very deep. It is the culmination of a world-wide unrest, due to something more than armament and the jeal- ousies of nations, and felt in this comicbooks.com