Life — September 9, 1915 — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

460 Wanted: Democratic Discipline 'HE interesting question about the war is, what it will do to the world. For months the great question has been, Can the Germans beat all creation? But all creation seems to be neither winning nor losing. It is hanging on like grim death, and scems likely to continue in that posture even if it docs no better. Consequently concern about what the Germans may do is giving way a little to inquiry and conjecture as to what the war may do. Evidently it is changing the world. But how much and in what particulars? Mr. Beveridge, of Indiana, has been over to inspect it, and offers us his guess. He no longer fecls that the war is a contest between absolutism and democracy. He believes that, who- ever wins, the war will produce in all European countries except Russia “an “say! pO YOU CALL THIS A BATHING- suit?” PUBLIC SENTIMENT immeasurable advance in democracy expressed in terms of collectivism.” Team work wins, and Germany is ahead in that, but the other countries, England especially, are hurrying to catch up. The principle, as he sees it, that runs through all the new war-born laws in England—as the Defense of the Realm Act—is “government con- trol of fundamentals for the common good.” The application of that prin- ciple, he thinks, will outlast the war and the people of the countries that have had experience of it will not let it go. But our gifted Hoosier brother must recognize that German collectivism and German Kultur, German team work and power generally, rest on discipline, and that the source of German disci- pline has been autocracy and the steady squelching of democratic aspirations. The Prussian kings have governed, and governed extremely well in many par- ticulars. They kept the Prussians under discipline and made them the most efficient robbers in Europe. Also very efficient farmers and manufac- turers. They and their discipline de- veloped Germany on its material side. They made a wonderful job of it. The only trouble was that they omitted to develop Germany’s moral sense along with her wealth. They had no moral sense in matters of state, and taught their subjects not political righteousness, but merely obedience. Their collectivism includes leave to pillage the neighbors whenever Ger- many feels strong enough. It is Prussian discipline that is crowding the world so hard, and the question is whether democracy can produce a discipline to match and overcome it. If it cannot, Prussian discipline based on autocracy seems likely to possess the earth. So the war seems still to be a contest between absolutism and democracy, its main errand being to compel democracies to develop and maintain an effective discipline. Collectivism may result from the war, but it will be a by- product. The main result will be demo- cratic discipline—a better authority, a better obedience and better team work, as Mr. Beveridge says. E. S. M. Information GROUP of delegates from China recently arrived in this country, their purpose being to study our sub- marines in order to bring their country up to civilization’s high mark. While they are here they should also look over Tammany Hall, our management of cities, and drop in at woman suffrage headquarters. By so doing they may get some idea of how a great republic ought not to be governed. comicbooks.com