LAY FAIR! BY jfcolen ffiariiett ffiridgman Author of "An American Woman's Plea for Germany," "Looking Toward Peace," and "The Dawn of Reason." Reprinted From The Standard Union, Brooklyn, N. Y. ® THE FATHERLAND New York 1915 : aith is cold, and wilful men are strong, And the blithe world, with bells and harness proi Rides tinkling by, so musical and loud It drowns the Eternal Word, the Angelic Song. —LYRA APOSTOLICA. When we ourselves least kindly are, We deem the world unkind; Dark hearts, in flowers where honey lies, Only the poison find. — FABER. On must the faithful warrior go, Whereso tlie Chief proceedeth; And all true hearts will seek the foe Where'er the Banner leadeth: Our highest victory — it is loss! —ANCIENT HYMN. Christ demanded that we recast the values of life, finding in humility our grandeur, in truth our freedom, and in love our might. — HALLIDAY. Whatsoever thou givest beside thyself, is of no value in My sight, for I seek not thy gifts, but THEE. —IMITATION OF CHRIST. THE VOICE OF THE SILENT. June 9, 1915. A gentleman of Illinois, the author of the most brilliant paper by an American on the war, in a private letter thus unburdens him- self as to the march of events: "I have become so nauseated with the ignorant and bigoted comments by the press that I have with- drawn into my shell. It appears that in order to uphold our honor, our noble land of idealism is seriously thinking of sticking a knife into Germany's back, while she fights for her life against over- whelming odds. If we finally force ourselves into war on the side of the Allies, rest assured that you have done far more than your share in trying to prevent our country from committing this super- atrocity — this utterly vile and indefensible act of blackguardism." Fortunately, not the whole of America has gone clean mad. A goodly proportion of our citizens with the blessed sense of fair play and a high intelligence that makes us glad to be spoken by them (though as a rule they are publicly inarticulate, a refreshing oasis in the desert of sound) seem anything but hostile to those heroic nations, not excluding the reincarnated Turk, who threat- ened on every side are fighting so bravely for existence and free- dom. It is true that a loud if not large group of truculent newspapers howl for war with Germany. Yet it is no less true that the hour is not distant when America will scarcely believe she was once in such thraldom to misconception and England — just as our forefathers, who bled to save us from England, could never have conceived such a state of mind as exists here to-day. The New York "Times," so utterly wrong only two years ago, when it sup- ported the treachery of Servia against Eulgaria, saw fit to print the whole miserable truth on May 23, as did the "Century" for June; while significant lines in a recent letter to The Standard Union from Marie Fitzgerald, one of the few London correspond- ents whose word can be depended upon, prove that despite the drastic English censorship awkward facts will out. "The mines which have been about the North Sea, occasioning much trouble, are in the majority British mines. Some 480 were washed ashore, and examination shows them to be badly made. Forty-two French floating mines were also washed ashore, but ONLY EIGHTEEN GERMAN MINES were found." No friend of Germany need be discouraged as long as there is such a thing as TIME. Reputation, you know, is not guaranteed to wash or wear. From all over, as far west as California, as far east as Maine, and from the Middle West in shoals come personal letters which evince a keener insight into European affairs than our New York press. These people are only here and there of German stock; though to be of that imperial race at this juncture may well be a source of pride. From New Orleans come the words of a young woman whose pure Anglo-Saxon ancestry is as well known to American history as is that of, say, General Charles King. This letter is so charmingly feminine that one is tempted to quote it almost entire : Your courage and fortitude give me little concentric waves of warmth all over We know you are kicking against pricks, but in what a cause! You are holding a torch to a lot of falterers and stumblers, and I do hope with effect We read you with pride and increasing affection and we can see why you would change the wilful and thoughtless from their attitude of popular bigotry to voluntary intelligence. But oh, the bullheads one meets who fight against enlightenment! We have bloody times here. French women come to see us, old friends. In a few minutes dear little hypocritical PUNIC Belgium is presented for sympathy. We state history. Gallic anger rises, and one cannot get in a word, for French eloquence is torrential. No French woman wants argu- ment except to get her text for undamming! My Parisian friends come no more. They assure me by note of their friendship, but explain that while the monster William II. persists in slaughtering civilized peoples, they dare not enter a pro-German household for fear they may lose control of themselves. Most of them give us samples of such losses! It is the English phase of the whole matter which is so intolerable: their incitement to strife and misunderstanding; their censorship; their injustice toward neutral trade; their threatening attitude to keep us friend- ly_ t0 which so many stupidly fall. Germany is shown to be the bugaboo who has brought on and continued the war for sheer lust of blood! No- body stops to think that two are holding their own against— how many is it now? Nine! It should not be allowed. Professional pugilists have finer principles. The big bully against the infant. But oh, what a David for such a Goliath! Germany is the wonder of the age, and as such will be recorded in history a century hence, when the pigmies who form opinions through lies will have contributed their atom to the vagrant winds. We had a wonderful German Red Cross bazar recently, after the French-Belgian-English affairs had been given with eclat. The Germans turned out full force, babies and all. We cleared $8,000 and donated an extra $500 to a local charity by way of showing we didn't need to be selfish! Everyone sang at the Bavarian restaurant table, the whole family and our maids and the waiter who waited! It was a rousing time and tears were brushed away, new friendships pledged and an indomitable patriotism re-fed. Before such words as these from the enlightened, Germany must forgive us the attitude of the benighted. Also she must con- done our sins for the sake of that immense body of her own peo- ple here, heirs to her strength and vigor, who are the best of American citizens simply because sentiment and feeling prevent their forgetting the Fatherland. This vast patriotic throng, the bone and sinew of our country, whose leading characteristic is a heart big enough to hold affection for the land of their fathers not less than loyalty to the land of their sons, will never fight old Deutschland, no matter how the Anglo-American newspapers may flatter themselves, for any cause save the gravest. The fate of the Lusitania, through a new weapon with international status un- fixed, unhappy though it be, is no more a reason for conflict with Germany than was the loss of the Titanic, through careless sea- manship, an adequate excuse for an attack on England. For it is NOT of supreme importance in these fighting times that the travel- ing American be guaranteed against mishap on belligerent ships — that our sovereign selves, of all the people on the globe, be per- mitted in all circumstances to do what we please. To those aware of the real situation over there, our contention seems worse than unreasonable — it borders on the frivolous. THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS. July 4, 1915. However the resignation of Mr. Bryan may be regarded, it has had a wonderful effect in clearing the air. With this sudden rush for the principle of peace, who would believe that a minute ago even the clergy breathed war! The Great Commoner has helped us this much: he has made us catch our breath; made us realize whither we were drifting. While unconventional, Mr. Bryan's act was entirely human, and for it he hardly merits ridicule, that ready weapon of the boor, and still less deserves crucifixion. He was in an awkward situation: his opinion was unsought, his counsel (till he resigned) slighted, his pride wounded, the secret was out and he longed to get away. He would not be himself did he not quit dramatically and take the public into his confidence. Besides, as an astute observer declares, "For once Bryan is RIGHT!" The truth is, and we all know it now, that the May note to Germany was preposterous. In a world at war it led to war — war with a friendly nation. Merely as a composition it left much to be desired. It was no more a "classic" than it was a poem. Classic is a word which should be used sparingly. There are only a few in the world and their authors usually are dead. Whoever wrote it or whatever it stood for, particularly the cumbersome finale, whose creaking can almost be heard, it was effective neither from a literary nor a diplomatic standpoint. If that is Wilson at his best, give us plain everyday! The June note is an infinitely better piece of writing. It is simple, well-mannered and apparently sincere. Yet there is that same demand for the impossible; for the "inalienable right" of traveling Americans to sail the seas on belligerent ships laden with ammunition as safely in time of war as peace — and Germany with her inconvenient submarines go hang! "lis to be hoped one can say this without instantly being dubbed a traitor, as all who differ from a Government policy seem to be these days. To "my country right or wrong," there is now, you know, the wise amendment: "If right to be kept right, if wrong to be set right." While the Bryan peace idea may be visionary, evidently it is a heart belief; and that he should employ this opportune mo- ment to further it is good sense — since the ideals of one year or generation become the commonplace of the next. His withdrawal from the Department of State, where he was never at home, may prove of real service; for he voices in his latest utterances a tre- mendous undercurrent of popular opinion, in need of direction and support, and as an evangel the famous Democrat is without a peer. These sensational happenings — including the departure from our inhospitable shores of Dr. Dernburg, whose all too able ef- forts to enlighten our darkness excited the ire and ruined the manners of various misguided scribes — made the real conflict seem to take a back seat. Italy's long months of indecision were tiresome, nor does her entrance into the war evoke one thrill. The usual comment heard, when she is mentioned at all, seems always to be: "What about honor now?" Beside this, the invasion of Belgium looks white and clean. Even Mr. Villard's "Evening Post," never too fair to Germany, despite its yearn for the "judicial," balks at Italy's excuse that her rights under the Triple Alliance were not respected. "This," it says, "is a purely legal- istic justification. It does not go to the moral bearings of the case. In impartial eyes it will not render her position glorious or even handsome. She has too much the appearance of inviting bids for her support in the war and then selling herself to the highest bidder." An Italian subject, Signor Massaccesi, offers this view of his country's conduct: "Many in favor of war say it is because Austria and Germany invaded Servia and Belgium. Then why do these gentlemen not declare war on England for what she has done in the Transvaal, Egypt and India; on Russia for what she did in Poland, Finland and Persia; on France for what she did in Morocco, Tunis and Algeria; and on Italy for what she did in Tripoli? These countries, and especially those that claim to fight for civilization, have done many times worse than Germany and Austria are doing now." The old cry of "Italia Irredenta" is worse than inadequate since Ferrero himself, Italy's foremost historian, admits that the provinces of Trent and Trieste, though Italian speaking, never be- longed to Italy; and besides, hard-pressed Austria, six enemies at her throat, conceded the Trentino and more the other day without a shot. That Irredenta war-cry is about as honest as would be our own if after spilling over into Canada we should find the at- mosphere uncongenial and clamor to be "redeemed" ! Those who long for the downfall of kaisers and kings should remember that the Italian Government, except politicians bought by England, did not want this war. It saw the chance, per- haps the certainty, of humiliation; for few believe Italy has not blundered. The King tried hard to avoid the danger, but the newspapers and the people, or an unruly section of them, would not have it so. They wanted, as do the unthinking always, the excitement of a scrap. A cartoon in the "Eagle" of May tells the tale better than any words. An Italian soldier, with knapsack on back, ready from sword to pickaxe, from blanket to boots, leans on his gun with sagging knees, his absurd plume over one eye and both rolling heavenward in ludicrous dismay — aching for a fight and no fight in sight. The ex- Premier of Roumania, which strategic country Eng- land, working nights and days and Sundays, has so far failed to win over, frankly said in April to an American staff correspondent : "Roumania waits. She is a small country and must take the path of greatest future security. But for Roumania or Italy to fight Austria or Germany would be a gross breach of honor." A month later, in the country of Garibaldi, and for no reason at all, it was done ! Military atrocities have become a frightful bore, but the crucifixion of children and their use as screens in battle set forth by the Bryce report, the report, rather, to which Lord Bryce loaned his name, should be noted as a living example of the mental confusion following in the wake of hot and violent prejudice. An army, made up of all kinds, may be cruel and officers in con- quered territory severe, as witness the official records of our own beloved land, unearthed recently by various students of history, one of them that John Bigelow who is "Poultney's" kin. But when the names of witnesses are withheld (to avoid the vengeance of German troops, it is stated, on Belgians in Belgium), credulity can go no farther. As they say in the country: "You can't hang a yellow dog on such evidence as that." The authoritative statement of Russian outrages in East Prussia, whereby a prosperous country was converted into a desert waste, more than 20,000 buildings demolished or burned down, 80,000 homes plundered and destroyed, men, women and chil- dren tortured, violated, beaten with whips and murdered, is signed and sworn to by competent witnesses, and its truth vouched for by official investigators and representatives of the Associated Press. Yet, while the Bryce stuff occupied whole pages of the newspapers, scarcely one reference was made to this entirely authentic German document — such is the fairness prevailing to-day in this fair land. Not a nation in the war is free from gross selfishness; nor are We — sending forth our hapless munitions of war. Legally the traffic may be correct, but morally, as it renders us the allies of the Allies, and economically, since we are killing off our best cus- tomers and, by prolonging the war, eventually all our customers, it is indefensible. Our reckless stupidity injures us not only abroad but at home, where we permit enormous profits to the few at the expense of the many. May not the real remedy, the radical solution, be to suspend commerce of every description with the belligerents until an armistice shall be declared? With surprising promptitude such a move might bring results of great importance. Our nation then could take her proper place in the world, not as a silent partner of War, but as the joyful harbinger of Peace on Earth and Good Will toward Men! Remember the ancient fable of the Man, the Wind, the Sun and the Cloak : that the harder the Wind blew the tighter the Man clung to his own ; but that when he felt the warmth of the Sun, he yielded to Kindliness what he had denied to Force. THE JOY OF THE MINORITY. July 15, 1915. I speak of gas; neither colloquial nor illuminating, but the variety which prompts your dear friends to exclaim : "Well, what do you think of the brute Germans NOW?" Germany is no more a brute than were the American Colonies — or an able clinic. For the sake of her people, of all people, she fights fiercely to end this awful war. She believes in the present hurt to insure the future cure. Beset as she is, to gain peace she must dare all. She never dreamed that the proud Lusitania would sink like a stone. For once, foresight failed her — her prowess overshot the mark. That we know, and who is the nation really to blame? Those among us who have endeavored to smoke out facts and opinions on both sides, late last year began to notice in the Faris "Figaro" and its fellows significant little items about French ex- periments with gases dangerous to human life. Even before this, letters from American staff correspondents at the German front told how the soldiers at a certain hour in the evening would shout: "Oh, here comes the pea soup!" which proved to be a yellow- green vapor, sufficiently unpleasant, but falling short of serious harm. Towards spring, sly Gallic dispatches, apparently unofficial, to the American papers, asserted from time to time that gas was coming over from the German lines, which from the French in- variably means an impending move of their own. Sure enough, soon the German official reports stated that a new virulent French gas was incommoding the soldiers, but so far had caused no deaths. Now, the Germans, with their scientific attainments, can always be depended upon to go the enemy one better; and in a war where they are greatly outnumbered, if not outmatched, the meanest weapon, once the lead is given, is in order. Hinc illae lacrimae. The English, too, are now crying for gas, and they won't be happy till they get it; but when they do, be sure a sanctimonious tail will be attached to it. You will hear nothing of the brute British; oh no, only about Sir Galahad. It will be as it was on March 26, when this official dispatch appeared everywhere: "The Admiralty has good reason to believe that the German submarine U-29 has been sunk with all hands." Only that and nothing more, though the reticence caused wonder and suspicion. Not a whisper about the British tanker which, taking advantage of the time given to lower its boats, promptly carried out, as to procedure and prizes, the Admiralty's sinister instructions and treacherously rammed the waiting submarine. Thus perished Captain Otto Weddigen, the first and finest hero of the war. The spirit of this renowned sailor who, on September 22, hesitated to sink, one after the other, the British cruisers, Hogue, Cressy and Aboukir, until reminded that Germany was fighting one to three, responds with thrilling effect to the need of the Fatherland. What greater honor could be his, victim of his own humanity, than to become at last the vital, if invisible, witness of England's perfidy — he to whom, at this critical moment, his country can point with authority and solemn pride. The nation that produces a Weddigen can well afford to smile at calumnies preferred by those who stoop to plunge the spear in Siegfried's back. He who flocks with the crowd can never know the joy of the minority. Once the ice-cold flood of popular disapproval is breasted, the divine adventurer would not exchange his lot for all the claques in Christendom. Far and wide stretch out hands whose existence were never dreamed of; hearts which might have remained closed forever open like flowers; while all about is an unseen multitude bound together by a common feeling purged of selfishness. Should victory come, happiness is increased a thou- sandfold; and even in defeat one can feel as must have Desdemona when she sank among the pillows — that death through him she still held dear were better far than life with any lesser man. New Orleans, that nest of the allies, sends interesting words from one young American, whose thought is all for Germany : We have very one-sided battles down here, where traditions, family names, even the nomenclature of the streets are all French, and there is an English colony which is eternally holding sewing-bees, and advertising themselves, to our inflammation! Like the early Christians who made with their staffs the sign of the Cross in the sand, to erase it quickly, we hold covert meetings and bring out truths the press has falsified. A dozen newspapers a week come from Germany. The Germans are grow- ing bitter towards the United States with its bullets and its tinged neutral- ity, but are not attempting to exculpate themselves, invariably asserting that when the war is over and all is told misconceptions will be removed and wrongs righted. The warning of President James J. Hill of the Great North- ern Railway to the Newspaper Publishers' Association on the oc- casion of its annual meeting last April applies with peculiar force here and now: With the decline in prestige and power of editorial opinion has come the injection of bias into the news department. It is the exception to find articles on important subjects not colored by the known position of the publication. Yet it is only by impartiality, by devotion to the abstract truth, that the country can get anywhere. This is a protest against unfair fighting, against the illegitimate use of an honorable weapon. One thing only can rule the world. There is but one ultimate force. It is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. If Germany comes into her own, as we pray and believe, this little band of American disciples, fighting so valiantly for fair play, may discover, mingling with their satisfaction, a sense of loss: loss # of the ideal, transmuted into the real; loss of that wonderful stir in the heart, urging each to his utmost and best; loss of the fine free life of the open, as it expires in the counsels of men. To seek the truth and fight gladly for it, no matter how sharp the flints under foot, how dark the clouds overhead — that is the Secret. E. In the political soil of the past decade has lain the seed from which sprang the dark passion-flower now poisoning the earth. A great light is thrown on this strange incubation period by two Englishmen of talent and prevision, H. N. Brailsford, in "The War of Steel and Gold," and E. D. Morel, who lost his seat in Parlia- ment, to his honor, for telling the truth, in "Ten Years of Secret Diplomacy." Both volumes, published shortly before the war, hold the key to the situation and should be read by everybody who cares to understand. For who knows that German Militarism is only another name for defense of hearth and home? How many realize that in ten years France and Russia have spent $800,000,000 more than Ger- many and Austria in preparation for war? Lloyd George, in a speech at Queen's Hall, June 28, 1908, voiced the situation with something like sympathy when he said: "Germany's Army is to her what England's Navy is to us — her sole defense against invasion. She may have a stronger army than France, than Russia, than Italy, than Austria, but she is between two great Powers who in combination could pour in a vastly greater number of troops than she has. Don't forget that when you wonder why Germany is frightened at our alliances and under- standings." "A wanton enemy, a joyful aggressor, a primitive earth- shaking Imperialism exists nowhere in Europe to-day," de- clares Brailsford. But there does exist secret diplomacy and the balance of power, with unjust "settlements" all along the line. England, who prides herself on her modernity, in soul-racking, truth- defying, old-fashioned intrigue is the worst sinner of the lot. It is amazing that the plebiscite can endure such a Government, particularly its Foreign Office — in essence a survival of mediaeval times. But somebody says most of us would rather lie down and die than think. England ridicules German diplomacy as a mixture of bullying and cajolery, but even that is an advance on systematic deceit. Cavour once said : "I always know how to mislead the diplomatists. I tell the truth." International "understandings" reached a vicious climax in that weird offspring of Edward VII., the Triple Entente, which pledged England to France and Russia in a way her people little dreamed. Now, they are learning fast many things : one, that the fate of Belgium was discounted by the nations involved five years ago; another, that many of England's greatest men believe their country to be on the verge of bankruptcy, if not revolution. So the v/heel turns and posterity pays. 'eigh'd in the balance, hero aust Is vile as mortal clay; Thy scales, Mortality! are just To all that pass away; And yet methought the living great Some higher sparks should animate, To dazzle and dismay: Nor deem'd Contempt could thus make mirth Of these, the Conquerors of the earth. Where may the wearied eye repose When gazing on the Great; Where neither guilty glory glows, Nor despicable state? Yes — one — the first — the last — the best — The Cincinnatus of the West, Whom envy dared not hate, Bequeath' d the name of Washington, To make man blush there was but one! —ODE TO NAPOLEON, BY LORD BYRON.