Cfje i&oofe of Crutb anti jfatt0 FMTZ VON FRANTZIUS GIFT OF Bureau of Internationa he la t ions A Book for Your Friends THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS Cloth Edition 50 Cents 10 Copies 10% Discount 50 Copies 20% Discount De Luxe Edition (leather) ) _ . t-. ^ GIFT BOOKS [ - Pnces on Request Also Published in the German Language FRITZ VON FRANTZIUS 122 South La Salle Street Chicago, 111. Every library should have at least three copies for easy reference in different departments. In order to increase the circulation the prices have been reduced to cost. Every truth-loving citizen should help to distribute this book in the interest of the great cause. 223 W. Washtenaw St., Lansing, Mich. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2008 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/bookoftruthfactsOOfranrich COMMENTS Your pamphlet has been brought to our attention, and I now write ^o ask you whether you will be so kind as to present a copy of it to ibis library. We are endeavoring to make our collection of publications on the present war and the conditions which led up to it as complete as possible, and for this reason wish to add yours to those already on our shelves. E. H. Anderson, New York Public Library, New York, N. Y. Your presentation of German national culture, its virtues and effects, is the clearest and less confused that has yet appeared, the fifth edition proving its acceptability to the public mind. Professor Isaac Broome, 139 S. Logan Ave., Trenton, N. J. Thank you for the twenty copies of your pamphlet. It contains more for its size, I believe, than any other book or pamphlet on the present war. These twenty copies are doing good missionary service. Wm. H. Ketler, Librarian, Camden Free Public Library, Camden, N. J. I hear with delight and hardly with surprise that there is a very arge demand for your effective pamphlet. Not only every student but ".very American should read it. Professor Hugo Miinsterberg, Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass. This booklet points out with force and authority the achievements •f the Germans in philosophy, science, art, inventions, discoveries, • nance, commerce. It is replete with facts, data, and is an invaluable ompendium of German success and achievement. The author is one f the most noted art connoisseurs of today, and his chapter on Art i particularly illuminating. • The Fatherland. 1123 Broadway, New York City, N. Y. Please send me a dozen copies of your pamphlet. It is a wise . k. John Margreth, 273 Hudson St., New York City, N. Y. An arsenal of knowledge and facts — the best thing written since le war started. Chas. Zwanzig, Editor, Ottawa, III. It is my pleasure to state that your pamphlet aroused my interest ) a rather unusual degree, and while perhaps to you the thoughts of ne man may not be much, I am under the impression that anyone who ^ads this article cannot refrain from feeling deep gratitude to you )r your so clear and lucid explanation. F. Bender, General Manager, Metropolitan Sewing Machine Co., Nyack, N. Y. The writer is engaged in the electrical and mechanical line and IS learned through experience that Germany leads in applied electricity id mechanics, but many claim the contrary without really knowing. J. E. McHugh, ^ 223 W. Washtenaw St., Lansing, Mich. I have distributed the two dozen pamphlets which you sent me in the hope that clouds of ignorance and prejudice may be dispelled by the bright sunlight of truth, and where they will enlighten and instruct in these days of misrepresentation of the great German people. Miss Emma T. Mann, 115 No. 34th St., Philadelphia, Pa. I have sent away quite a few of your pamphlets to people v need just that kind of information. I am sure that the pamphlets do lots of good. As I have to speak about Germany all over the s quite frequently, I shall take the liberty of quoting you often. Professor F. G. G. Schmidt, University of Oregon, Eugene, Ore. Your pamphlets received which I gladly distributed and mailc today, feeling secure in the belief that I have done a man's mite toward a just cause. ^ W. F. Estep, Elizabeth Typographical Union No. 150, Elizabeth, N. J. The pamphlets that were given me travelled from house to house, and my friends asked me where they could get copies to send to their friends. I feel as if I would like to distribute your booklets all over America, it would do su^h a lot of good. A. von Lehnhert, IZl W. Ferry St., Buffalo, N. Y. I consider your pamphlet especially valuable because it strikes at the real fundamental evil: general ignorance of Germany, things German and German achievements along all lines. Professor Conrad Tressman, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash. You will be surprised to learn how, in this capital of the nation, t^ sentiment of the general public, as also the press is anti-German, bu^ am inclined to think that the moral opinion will change when the tr finally comes to light. I take pleasure in expressing my admiration for the splendid man in which you have treated the subject. This booklet should reach hands of every intelligent American. H. C. Rakemann, 1221 12th St., N. W., Washington, D. C Many thanks for your courtesy. It pleases me intensely to posse, these pamphlets, so as to be able to share the pleasure their contei. give me with others. Mrs. Edward A. Leicht, 2416 Lake View Ave., Chicago, 111. I wish to compliment you on this exceptional piece of literature. T. M. Hogan, 1786 Insurance Exchange Bid., Chicago, 111. I intend to distribute these fifteen pamphlets at once to persons who will understand and appreciate the substance of this very masterful reply. E. C. Gnahn, 316 Jefferson St., Burlington, Iowa. Your pamphlet is well written and so full of intelligent thought that I derived a great deal of knowledge as well as pleasure from it. Louis Sternberger, 61 Broadway, New York City, N. Y. €1)0 iSoofe of Crutl) anil If art0 FACTS WHICH EVERY AMERICAN SHOULD KNOW BY FRITZ VON FRANTZIUS w GERMAN CULTURE ENGLISH CULTURE AMERICAN CULTURE FIFTH EDITION ENLARGED (70th THOUSAND) ALSO IN GERMAN LANGUAGE PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR 122 South La Salle Street Chicago, III. 1916 .3 F7 1^1^ ■•M^/-X#«-^^!.t,*t- -f ^_,.^J^Zc r>t^ German Achievements Philosophy Science Art Inventions Discoveries Finance Commerce Administration Legislation English Culture American Culture eS6564 MAY THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK LEAD TO A MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE TWO GREAT NATIONS: THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND GERMANY. Copyrighted, 1916 FOREWORD The purpose of this booklet is to enlighten the American people on conditions, not only in Germany, but also in the United States and England, and to acquaint them with German ideals, which are so grossly misunderstood in this country. There are many things which I left unsaid for some reason or other, but I venture to hope that this book will be read by all true Americans, and that they may glean from it valuable knowledge of facts. My main object in publishing this book is to warn the American people against the dangers menacing this country, and jeopardizing the existence of the United States of America as a free and independent country. My criticisms may sometimes appear severe, but I trust they will be accepted in the spirit in which they are ofifered. Few people have courage enough to come out in the open and tell the truth, as their positions in life do not permit them to do so. History shows that many men who came forward with the truth had to suffer martyrdom. I am ready to state my convictions frankly in the interest of the great cause, and to tell what others either would not say, or are debarred from saying. May this book pass from one American to another and thus contribute to strengthen the ideals of this country. Let us be a free and independent nation forever! FRITZ VON FRANTZIUS. The Book of Truth and Facts On September 20th, 1914, an article appeared in the t^ew York Times from the pen of Brander Matthews, professor at Columbia University, attacking the Germans as exponents of culture. The public may be interested in hearing also the other side, inasmuch as the subject was treated by Mr. Matthfws rather superficially. As a layman I take great pleasure in accepting the challenge of Professor Matthews, in order to enlightfin pebple oil con- ditions in Germany. , ' A ; ^ .^ In the first place, what does the professor mean by the word "culture"? Does he mean merely occasional budding of literature, discoveries or developments? Then perhaps, in the opinion of some people, Tolstoi and Turgenief as literary geniuses, or Marconi as an inventor, may place Russia and Italy at the head of all culture and civilization. Tolstoi pre-eminently is the pro- duct of his time, illustrating the pitiful conditions of the Russian peasants, and so on. Very likely we should never have heard of a Marconi wireless if Hertz, a German, some twenty years ago, had not discovered the electro- magnetic waves. In fact, is it solely invention or a few literary geniuses that places one nation ahead of the other? The word "c u 1 1 u r e" embraces a world of achieve- ments, which combined, in a measure, form a unit, and only as such can be brought in contrast with that of other nations. 10 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS One of the principal things is providing adequate means of defense of a government against attacks from its enemies, as a single blunder along this line might cause the downfall of a nation (study history). High standard of hygienic and sanitary conditions, cleanliness, scientific manufacturing of foodstuffs and drugs, high standard of modern utilities, such as water systems, lighting, transportation, expedient telegraph and telephone service, laws of order and safety towards protection of life and welfare of its people in all its branches, as public thoroughfares and gathering places, insurances, pensions, invalid funds, etc., high standard of schools and general institutions of learning in all arts and sciences, as well as finance and commerce, small percentage of illiterates, high 'moral standard as a nation, ethic — hon- orable character (not to, spread deliberate falsehoods in war and in times of peace), humanity, especially in warfare (not to gouge out soldiers' eyes) and the way of treating prison- ers; certain dignity as a nation in curbing the black and yellow races, sufficient pride and self-control of a white na- tion not to fraternize with the yellow race against the white in an effort to annihilate a white nation, principles of highest honor, efficiency in agricultural production, discoveries, in- ventions, their development, up-to-date conveniences in country and city life, ways and means of keeping down pauperism (slums), and saving people from starving, pro- tection of the aged and invalids, ability to compete with foreign trade, protection of international laws as to patents and copyrights fno violation of these), court of justice to give equal protection to the poor as well as the rich, etc., comfort in traveling and living, good hotels and eating places at moderate prices, hygienic and healthy cooking. These and many other things are but a part of the compre- hensive word "culture." THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS U The German word "K u 1 1 u r" embraces far more than the word "culture" in the English language. There is a great difference between ''civilization" and "Kultur." Many nations are highly civilized, but to have "K u 1 t u r" means to possess deep conscience and high morale, and a philosophical conception of life. Let us but touch upon a few of these points called into doubt by Professor Matthews. Professor ! As you have "sat for more than forty years at the feet of the masters of French literature," it is quite natural that you should view Germany's culture through French spectacles. How differently you would feel if you had devoted as much time to German culture! Since this war began, there have been disclosures relative to the Anglo-Belgian military agreement irrefutably proving the violation of Belgian neutrality by Great Britain and France before Germany took this step. And did not Germany, on condition that she be allowed to pass freely through Bel- gium, promise to pay indemnities at the end of the war. and also maintain Belgium's independence? The fact is that if Belgian neutrality ever existed, it was broken by England, France and Belgium herself before the war began. Belgium, on account of her secret agreement with France and England, and by her sympathies with these nations, and by the fact and character of her resistance, really made herself one of the allies. Well-posted historians and even English diplomats refer to Belgium's neutrality as "a scrap of pape r." After all, what is the real cause of this world-war? Is it not England's jealousy of Ger- many's supremacy? As Sir Edward Grey said himself: "Britain refused definitely to remain neutral" on any con- 12 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS ditions. The violation of the neutrality of Belgium had nothing whatever to do with the decision of Great Britain to join the war. Sir Edward Grey himself admits that categorically, and does it not appear that England, Russia and France conspired to destroy Germany? In regard to the destruction of Louvain, we know by this time that the Belgians themselves are responsible for it, be- cause the civilians attacked the German soldiers despite repeated warnings. By the way, the Belgian protest com- mission was sent to the United States for the purpose of creating anti-German sentiment here. This has always been England's policy, even in times of peace, mainly through subsidy to such an extent that we really have no American press in the United States to-day, but an English one which is decidedly anti-German. You further say that the Germans dropped bombs into the unbesieged city of A n t w e r p. In the first place, did not the French try first to throw bombs into the city of Nuremberg, without, however, causing any damage ? Secondly, when the bombs were thrown, Antwerp was in fact besieged, and the bombs were hurled only into the fortress, where women and children had no right to be. The destruction of Louvain also has been much exaggerated, and the point is now settled that the Rheims Cathedral has been but slightly damaged by a few shots, for which the French themselves are to be blamed, using the steeples as signal stations. It is well known that Germans in warfare are more humane than any other nation, the best proof of which is that during the Franco-Prussian war they saved Paris from destruction by means of starvation, when otherwise they could have accom- plished the fall of the city much quicker by bombarding it. THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 13 An extract from the Chicago Daily Tribune of Septem- ber 7th. 1914, regarding the so-called "German atrocities in Belgiu m," as "played up" all the time in the English newspapers, gives the following results of an investigation : "In spirit we are a unit in rendering German atrocities groundless as far as we are able to. After spending two weeks with and accompanying the troops for over 100 miles, we are unable to report a single instance unprovoked. "We are also unable to confirm rumors of mis- treatment of prisoners or of non-combatants with German columns. This is true of Louvain, Brussels, Luneville, and Nantes while in Prussian hands. "We visited Chateau Soldre, Sambre and Beaumont without substantiating a single wanton brutality. Numerous investigated rumors proved groundless. Everywhere we have seen the Germans paying for purchases and respecting property rights as well as according civilians every consideration. ''After the battle of Barse, we found Belgian women and children moving comfortably about. The day after the Germans had captured the town of Merbes Cha- teau, we found one civilian killed, but were unable to confirm the provocation. Refugees with stories of atrocities were unable to render direct evidence, and Belgians in the Sambre valley discount reports of cruelty in the surrounding country. The discipline of the German soldiers is excellent, as we observed. "To the truth of this statement we pledge our pro- fessional and personal word.*' (Signed) James O'Donnell Bennett, Chicago Tribune. John T. McCutcheon, Chicago Tribune. Roger Levds, Associated Press. Irvin S. Cobb, Saturday Evening Post. Harry Hansen, Chicago Daily News. This proves conclusively that the so-called German H THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS atrocities in Belgium are a pure invention by England, and form but a part of the huge campaign of lies that England has started in this country against Germany. You state, 'The Germans retain a barbaric mediaeval alphabet, while the rest of western Europe has adopted the more legible and more graceful Roman letters." It is the most natural thing that a strong race like the Germans, who have retained all of their best character traits from the remotest time, should also retain their alphabet, which, being more graceful than the Roman, is constantly used by the English for ornamental purposes It is claimed by scholars that the German alphabet is in the main of Gothic origin, improved upon by the great German artist, Albrecht Diirer. Besides, you do not seem to understand the attitude of the German party, because you did not make a special study of German literature. By studying the German alphabet, you will find that it comprises just as many letters as the English, and that most of them are alike. Your further statement, "German literature is cumbrous and uncouth," again proves that not understanding the atti- tude of the German party, you are unable to enter into its spirit. If you read German fluently, I can refer you to a list of prose writings from German literature which you would greatly enjoy, — "poetry in prose"^of which English liter- ature is rather deficient. Did you ever read the "Love Letters to Jane Welsh" by Thomas Carlisle, the great admirer of German literature? As such they are a severe disappointment, being monotonous, rather tedious and uninteresting. Does English literature reveal anything great and highly interesting on the subject THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 15 of love, the most noble of all themes, in comparison with Heinrich Heine? Did England's most famous lyric poets, Shelley and Keats, create anything so sublime and beautiful? You say, "German culture is a little lacking in the social instinct, the desire to make things easy and pleasant for others." The fact that Germany did not adopt the Roman alphabet rather speaks in favor of its most ancient and strong characteristics, namely straightforward- ness and independence of thought and action. The Germans are not overpolite; they are too sincere to flatter. Only a flexible language like the French can be used in diplomatic transactions by various nations "for reasons satisfactory to themselves." Are you aware of how exaggerated the war news is that comes from Eng- lish, Latin and Slavic sources? The war reports emanat- ing from these sources, from the beginning up to now, are in fact nothing but a huge web of fabrications — no wonder that the world's history when written by English authors, and especially English encyclopaedias, is not always authen- tic. This is exactly in opposition to conditions in Germany. Can you accuse the German press of misrepresentation? If you are able to do so, please come straight forward ! An English newspaper, the London Daily News, assures us at last, that Berlin is Lon- don's best source of news, and the Ger- man wireless reports are trustworthy, while the English censor passes only "infantile prattl e." And everybody knows that all the news is colored in the interest of England and her allies. Speaking of the fine or liberal arts, it is 16 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS above all admitted among artists that the importance of an artist is not established by his ability to exhibit all over the world for the purpose of v^^inning prizes. Did you ever hear of L a 8 z 1 o , one of the greatest living portrait painters (perhaps the greatest) ? Did he ever exhibit in this coun- try for this purpose? Or Franz von Stuck, the greatest living German artist? Did he ever exhibit here for the same purpose ? Hov^ about the great B o e c k 1 i n , the great M e n z e 1 , the great L e i b 1 ? Are they knov^n to you? How about Lenbach and the great genius Segantini, of whom not a single painting exists in this country? At the International Exhibition of Venice a few years ago, two entire rooms were devoted to Stuck's exhibits, and one room to Anders Zorn, the great Swede. These two were selected from all the artists in the world. Besides those already named, there are a great many German artists of the present day and of the last fifty years, painters and sculptors. It may suflfice to recall a few names : Feuerbach, Moritz Schwindt, Max Klinger, Begas, Anton von Werner, Kaulbach, Rauch, Max von Koner, Fritz von Uhde, Bartels, Hans Thoma, Toni Stadler, Keller, Fritz Erler, Liebermann, Heinrich Ziigel, Schramm-Zittau, Hodler, Orlik, Hengeler, Hildebrandt. Ignatius Taschner, Lederer, Hahn, Wreba, Gaul, the Worpwede masters and many others. Are they not all owners of European medals of the highest order? And do not all American artists study in Munich as well as in Paris? Right here, as a matter of fact, it might be interesting to state that, since the famous Barbizon school (C o r o t, Millet, Diaz, Dupre, etc.) and the great modern Dutch painters (Israels, Mauve, Maris, etc.) have died out. THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 17 the mantle has fallen upon the shoulders of the American artists (quite a compliment to such a young nation!), and in the present art-movement, the art- ists of the United States of to-day as a community rank perhaps first in the world of art. But did not the best of them study in Munich? For this reason, a course of study in Munich is highly recommended by the artists in the United States. It will be admitted by those well informed in art circles, that Germany's rank is second, but as to art and crafts- manship combined, Germany comes first. German soil has always been productive of origi- nal ideas. It would be interesting to study German graphics, modern German architecture, nor should German posters be overlooked. Study exhibitions and various art magazines abroad (excepting the International Studio, which is a strictly English publication, the principal object apparently being to ignore German art altogether). Germany harbors the world's greatest art-treasures in four galleries of old masters, — the Royal Gallery of Dresden (containing, comparatively speaking, the greatest number of the world's most popular paintings), the Kaiser Friedrich Museum of Berlin, the Royal Gallery of Hesse-Cassel, the Old Pinakothek of Munich, compared with only one such institution in France, — the Louvre in Paris, two in England, — the National Gallery and Wallace Collection , — and one in Russia, — the E r e m i t a g e in St. Petersburg. I do not even mention here Germany's galleries of modern art like the National Museum of Berlin, the New Pinakothek in Munich and many others, while the Louvre and National Gallery of London to a large 18 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS extent contain also modern art. England's foremost art critic, John Ruskin, maintains that the Ger- man mediaeval "Kleinkunst" is the greatest art of all ages. If the question is asked, "Who are the leading authorities and critics the world over?" — are they not mostly Ger- mans ? For instance Richard Muther, v^hose work is represented in every library of importance and in some libraries in three sets, Dr. Wm. Bode, whose discovery and purchase of the charming Flora bust in London was the object of envy on the part of the English (their attacks, nevertheless, do not prove their claim that the bust is not the Mona Lisa in wax by Leonardo), Dr. Tschudi, Dr. Justi, Dr. Berenson, F. Hirth (the great authority on Chinese and oriental art), Paul Clemen, Dr. Berthold Laufer, Meier- Grafe, Dr. Valentiner, Friedlander, F. Sarre, O. Kiimmel W. Cohn, and a long list of others. Great art prevails in every country, and thus it was always. According to latest theories Egyptian art has influenced all others. Did you ever hear of the great Persian artist, Behzad, "the Raphael of the East?" One of his admirers says : "He was a master of harmonious coloring based on accurate observations, and of the most exquisite refined line — a line so fine that the most skillful of living workmen could never hope to equal it with modern tools. His portraits ("Persian miniatures" !) hold their own with the finest of Holbein s." We are fortunate to find a number of authentic works by him in the great public libraries. Did you ever hear of Wang Wei or Li se-siin regarding whom Dr. Berthold Laufer (from Germany), Curator at the Field Museum (Chicago), the well-known archaeologist of oriental art, enthusiastically says : THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 19 *'Such creations as those of Wang Wei and L i S e - s ii n no doubt belong to the greatest emanations of art of all times. He who has not seen the wonderful roll (''10,000 mile picture") attributed to Li Se-siin in the pos- session of Mr. Charles L. Freer of Detroit, does not know what art is — in technique as well as in mental depth, perhaps the greatest paint- ing in existence. Greek and Italian art fade away into a trifle before this glorious monument of a divine genius which it would be futile to describe by any words. The Chinese handle painting, not as we handle painting, but as we handle music. There is only one giant in our art to whom Wang Wei and Li Se-siin can be adequately com- pared, and that is Beethoven. The Adagio of the Fifth Symphony is the text interpreting the noble transcen- dental spirit pervading the painted scenery of Li Se-siin, and the Pastoral Symphony is the translation into music of the Wang-ch'uan scroll. In depth of thought and feeling the great T'ang masters, in their symphonic compositions, vie with Beethoven, and in line and color almost reach Mozart's eternal grace and beauty. The Sung im- pressionists reflect the brief romantic character pieces of a Schumann or Grieg, while many of the Ming and the later epigones reveal the light and amiable mind of aMendelssohn or the gratuitous theatrical effects of a Meyerbeer. T'ang Yin of the Ming, however, is a Carl Maria von Weber, and Kiu Ying a sort of Franz Liszt, who could accomplish everything, and created Chinese Hungarian Rhapsodies in painting. Chinese pictorial art, I believe, is painted music with all its shades of expressive modulation. It is known so far, in its highest accomplishments, to a few initiated only, but we trust that the time will come when its gospel will be 20 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS preached everywhere, and when, like Beethoven, it will conquer the world." Speaking of German musicians, the names of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss are not even referred to above, neither are Brahms, Schu- bert, and many others. Did all other nations combined produce such great com- posers as Germany? What has England done? Virtually she has produced but little philosophy of first rank, and no music whatsoever. As regards the art of belles lettres, you, as a professor of literature, advance the statement that "since Goethe's time (within the last eighty years) up to the present, outside of Hauptmann and Sudermann, only one German author suc- ceeded in winning world-wide celebrity — and that was Heinrich Heine, a Hebrew." What a testi- monium paupertatis! Within the last eighty years, Germany has had great men in all branches of lit- erature. There is no American who does not know the philosophers, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. Are they not men of world-wide celebrity? You mention only E u c k e n and H a e c k e 1 , the latter a naturalist. How about the other German literary men of this period, — three more philosophers — Wilhelm Wundt, Eduard von Hartmann and Ernst von M a c h ; and then the poets : Uhland, Riickert, Tieck, Biirger, Emanuel Geibel, Freiligrath, Grillparzer, Hebbel, Anzen- gruber, Otto Ludwig, Gustav Freytag, Paul Heyse, Ernst von Wildenbruch, C. F. Meyer, Gottfried Keller, Victor von Scheflfel, Bodenstedt, HofTmannsthal, Dehmel, Detlev von Liliencron, Otto Erich Hartleben, Walter Bloem, Gustav Frenssen, Ganghofer, Ludwig Fulda, THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 21 etc? — And you, as a professor of literature, reproach Ger- many for a certain aridity of literary products ! The products of Germany's great men of the last eighty years alone present "Kulturdiinger," of which no other country can boast; and if the entire remaining literary output up to that time had been lost, these men would form a very formidable group. You seem to know only Hauptmann and Sudermann, the great Haeckel and Professor Eucken. How about Ger- many's great geniuses, Bismarck and M o 1 1 k e . and the world's most eminent historians, T h e o d o r Alommsen, Leopold von Ranke, Treitsch- ke, Lamprecht and Eduard Meyer; further, Gauss, the most brilliant mathematician of modern times (logarithms — founder of the mathematical theory of electricity, etc.), and other great Germans, men of literary repute like the Grimm Brothers and E. T. A. Hoffman? How about the famous Fairy Tales of the Grimm Brothers and their celebrated dic- tionary, a colossal monument of erudition and indus- try? If a large number of foreign authors are popular in Germany, does not this speak in favor of German culture? Germans are posted on foreign literature as well as on their own. You say, that no German writer attained to the international fame achieved by Cooper and Poe, by Walt Whitman and Mark Twain. The fact is that Walt Whitman is known very little in his own country ; he is better known in Germany than in the United States. He has not even a place of honor in the Hall of Fame, because his countrymen lag behind time in acknowledging him. Even Edgar Allan Poe has been denied this honor up to recent date ; owing to unusual efforts his name was placed on the list for this honor to be con- 22 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS ferred on him in 1915. We Germans read Mark Twain after dinner for digestion; we surely would not devote to him the sacred hours of our reading. Yes, and we also have a Mark Twain, — W ilhelm Busch. Who possesses more wit and satirical skill than this humorous artist and rhymster? His humorous rhymes will be popular as long as there is a German living. How about Fritz Renter? Who does not laugh heartily in reading "Reis' nah Belligen"? And who can suppress tears of emotion when reading *'Kein Huesung"? By the way, I would recommend to you to read "History of German Literature" by your colleague, Calvin Thomas, or Dawson's "Germany and the Germans" (last edition, 1914), the greatest tribute to Germany ever paid by an Englishman. I also beg leave to call your attention to the famous Alexander von Humboldt, whose supreme master-mind challenged the admiration of the whole civilized world. In the concluding sentences of his won- derful "Oration on Humboldt," Robert Ingersoll says about him : "He was an admirer, a lover, an adorer of Nature, and at the age of ninety, bowed by the weight of nearly a century, covered with the insignia of honor, loved by a nation, respected by a world, with kings for his servants, he laid his weary head upon her bosom — upon the bosom of the universal Mother — and with her loving arms around him, sank into that Slumber called Death. "History added another name to the starry scrolls of the immortals. "The world is his monument. Upon the eternal granite of her hills he inscribed his name, and there THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 23 upon everlasting stone his genius wrote this, the sub- limest of truth : "The Universe is governed by law!" American drama (theatre) and literature do not compare with that of Russia, France, England, or Germany — Germany's standard being unquestionably the highest. One must further admit that American life is characterized by monotony, and is merely a business life. One thing that impresses the Europeans in this country is that the level of con- versation is surprisingly low. I am glad that you at least acknowledge the supremacy of German culture in the field of pure and applied science. Although Darwin and Pasteur are only step- ping-stones to the field of higher science, you maintain, that these are the two dominating scientific leaders of the second half of the nineteenth century. There are Germans by the names of Rudolf Virchow (cellular pathology, archaeology and anthropology), Robert Koch (bacteriology), Justus Liebig (carbon com- pounds, chloroform, founder of agricultural chemistry), Herman Helmholtz (one of the most distin- guished physicists of the nineteenth century, an authority in several departments of science), Ernst Haeckel (nature philosopher and zoologist), and others who are equally as great as Darwin and Pasteur. Germany has produced a few more sons of this class — men of world- famed achievements. Dr. Theodor Billroth (one of the greatest burgeons of modern times). Professor E m i 1 von Behring (diphtheria serum), Professor Paul E h r 1 i c h (salvarsan) , Wilhelm Rontgen (X-rays) , 24 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS and others who have accomplished most wonderful results, and whose names will be known forever. Of the Nobel prizes that have been presented, Germany has been awarded the greatest percentage, far out-numbering all other nations. You are led into error when you say, that "it is in chem- istry that the Germans have been pioneers ; yet the greatest of modern chemists is M e n d e 1 e f f "' (1834-1907). His greatest achievement, dating back as far as 1869, was the "Elements of Chemistry." Although this makes him a pioneer to a certain extent, his name is unknown to the masses, and his achievements are not at all comparable with those of a number of the best-known German chemists of his time, — J ustus Liebig (chemistry applied to agriculture and physiology), Robert Bunsen, the greatest teacher in chemistry (burner and aluminum), Gustav Kirchhoff (who jointly with Bunsen dis- covered the spectrum analysis), Friedrich Woehler (discovered aluminum together with Bunsen), Fried- rich Mitscherlich (isomorphism), Adolf B a e y e r (synthesis of indigo), Julius Pintsch, A u e r and Walter Nernst (incandescent lamps) , Emil Fischer. Johannes Wislicenus, and the great Professor Wilhelm Ostwald. How about the wonderful achievements in the Merck labo- ratories and in the German dye-stuffs (many of the latter being held secret) ? The B a d i s c h e in Ludwigshafen, the E 1 b e r f e 1 d and the H o e c h s t Farbenfabriken and numerous other illustrious strongholds of scientific and applied chemistry, — it has proved utterly futile to imitate their products in other countries. Are not German chemists recognized all over the world and the first in demand? German attainments in THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 25 pure and applied chemistry are so general and thorough, that further details are superfluous. How unprepared you are when you venture to assert that "although not a few valuable discoveries are to be credited to the Germans, perhaps almost as many as to either the French or the British, the German contribution in the field of invention in the practical application of scientific discovery has been less than that of the United States," and when you further say that "the Germans contributed little or nothing to the development of the railroad, the steamboat, the automobile, the aeroplane, telegraph, telephone, phonograph, photograph, moving pictures, electric light, sewing machine, reaper and binder, even those dread instruments of war, the revolver and the machine gun, the turreted ship, the torpedo and the submarine, are not due to the military ardor of the Germans, and that they are lacking in the inventiveness which is so marked a feature of all modern civilization." Now, in answer to your above statement, there is little left for the development of railroads, and whatever has been done in this direction, Germany has done its share. A well-informed man like J. J. Hill knew what the Germans have accomplished toward developing American railroads; and did not the Germans contribute toward the block-signal system? Allow me to recall to you the Pintsch gaslight- ing system. Who built the greatest bridges and tunnels in all parts of the world? Was it not usually Ger- man skill? The great success in building the New York subway is in the main due to the cleverness of German engineers. A German invented the modern wheel box for railroads. 26 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS It seems that you are trying hard to deny Germany's pro- ductiveness in the field of invention. It is a well- known fact that many of the greatest inventions originated in Germany. In- deed, the greatest inventor the world has ever seen, was a German. Perhaps you have in mind numerous inventions from all over the world which are unimportant to mention, as you seem to be im- pressed by those in your immediate surroundings, not thinking of those in the country which you omitted to study closely. Did you ever hear of the great German in- ventor, Werner von Siemens? He is a far greater and more productive genius than Thomas Edison! It was Siemens who gave to the world the modern dynamo-electric machine upon which, more than anything else, the great success of electric lighting and almost all the modern appliances of electricity depend. In other words, he made the electric light possible! Electro- plating is also due to him. He built in 1879 the first electric street-car, which he exhibited in the same year at the Berlin Exposition, and he was the first to operate a 180-volt third-rail line at the same Expo- sition (a year later Edison used a third-rail for his Menlo Park locomotives). His firm, the Siemens and Halske Co., of Berlin, the greatest electrical engineers of Europe, is the largest deep-sea cable-manu- facturer in the world. Siemens laid six trans-Atlantic cables and discovered the method of locating the break of a cable in the ocean. He also invented the glass insulators used on telegraph poles. His researches in electricity re- sulted in endless discoveries and improvements of great THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 27 value, especially affecting telegraph and cable, street-cars, illumination, etc. It was Gauss again, who together with W e b e r , as inventor, established the first telegraphic connection (18v33). Then Morse succeeded in invent- ing the system of signalling the alphabet, and it was Sie- mens who, through the system of electricity, translated telegraphy into type by inventing that wonderful stock- ticker machine. Did you ever hear of the Sie- mens glass furnace, the development of which made the open-hearth furnace possible? Werner von Siemens' brother, Friedrich (Dresden), invented it. The greatest authority on electricity in the United States is a German, Dr. Charles P. Stein metz, general manager of the General Electric Co. To Otto von Guericke, Burgomaster of Mag- deburg, is due the first air-pump; about 1675 he invented the first electric machine. He was the first man who produced light from electricity. It was Johann Fried- rich Boettger,a German, who first produced por- celain in Europe in 1708. How about the automobile and the aero- plane ? The invention on the part of a German, Daim- ler, of the modern gas-engine, the patent of which he leased to a Frenchman, led to the invention of the automo- bile ; and Daimler was the first to use it in running a mo- torcycle. For this reason the Selden patent was annulled in the U. S. Supreme Court two years ago. It is to Diesel and Gottlieb Daimler that we owe the automobiles, aeroplanes and motor boats. Who does not know of the famous Diesel-engine, the triumph of modern technique, which caused such a great revolution 28 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS on account of its condensed space and economical use of raw-fuel oil? And are not the German automobiles ''Mercedes" and "Benz" the most highly prized automo- biles in the American market? Do these machines not take the world's prizes everywhere? Who wins the world's prizes to-day in aeroplanes? Are not the German machines in the lead as to height and endurance? The fact that the Germans have attained the highest development in air- ships will not be questioned at present by anybody. It is proved by the dififerent types of German machines. There is the great Zeppelin , — the envy of all nations ; there are three more dirigible s, — the Parsifal type, the Schuette-Lanz, the so-called Militarschiff (a secret) , and the aeroplanes , — the Albatross, Falke, Rumpler-Taube, Mercedes, F o k k e r , and others. It was a German, L i 1 i e n t h a 1 by name, who some twenty years ago lost his life in the first successful flight of an aeroplane. Chanute, a Chicagoan, took up and continued Lilienthal's studies. The success of the Wright Brothers is mainly due to the higher motor development by the automobile industry. As to the development of the steamboat, have not the Germans their share in it? Here again, Siemens made inventions which are in use to-day. It was the great Diesel engine, driven by oil fuel, which started such a revolution in power of machinery, including battleships and airships. Diesel was a German. Has not the German nation the most perfect and most up-to-date commercial fleet? And are not the "Imperator" (52000 gross tons) and "Vater- land "(58000 gross tons) the acme of perfection in the development of the steamboat? As to the telephone, it is certainly the invention of THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 29 Philip Reis, a German schoolmaster. The Bell telephone is nothing but an improvement on the Reis instrument (perhaps even an infringement), which can easily be proved by the proceedings of the U. S. Supreme Court in the Bell law-case. The Court came near annulling the Bell patent. German wireless systems are the most perfect in the world. Due to Goldschmidt's efforts wire- less messages can be transmitted over 6000 miles, thus greatly surpassing the Marconi system. The Germans also have the most powerful stations. The S a y v i 1 1 e plant on Long Island, a German Telefunken system, is the most powerful in the United States. In regard to the camera and the moving pic- ture s , it is a well-known fact that the success of the modern kodak is due to the Jena glass, an invention by two German professors. The Zeiss and Goertz lenses rank as the best in the world. Every first-class physical laboratory in the United States or in the world at large is fitted up with German microscopes, microtomes, etc. ; and in the largest and most delicate lenses required by the astro- nomical observatories, the Germans have al- most a monopoly. Almost all high-grade instruments and all optical equipments, as Barytha coated paper, and all chemicals used in photography, are also "made in Ger- many." They are all made at least from German formulas. This also applies to the best field glasses (binoculars), telescopes and periscopes, and covers the field of moving pictures. About 75% of surgical instruments are of German manufacture, and is not the German work- ingman the most conscientious and skillful? 30 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS The pulmotor, a resuscitating machine, is one of the latest German inventions. As to the inventions in lighting system, it may sur- prise you to hear that the Germans take the very first place. The so-called incandescent Edison lamp is practically a German invention, made by one of his assistants v^ho came to this country from Germany. In the economic development of illuminating gas- burners, the names of Auer von Welsbach, Bunsen and Pintsch, rank first in science and in trade. Bunsen was the first to make artificial carbon for arc-lamps (1838- 1840), and, again, it was Werner von Siemens who developed the carbon for arc-lamps with best results, especially with regard to fixity of light, but the composition and mode of manufacture are kept secret. It may surprise you to hear also that the so-called tungs- ten lamp is a German invention, likewise the N e r n s t incandescent lamp. Have you seen the new ni- trogen lamp, which outshines the wonderful tungs- ten lamp? This also is a German invention. Inventions in the art of printing from Guten- berg's time show the most important contributions from Germans, including the invention of the modern cylinder-press by K o e n i g , a German immigrant, also Ottomar Mergenthaler. another German immi- grant, who invented and developed it, thanks to his inge- nuity. Did you ever hear of the Mergenthaler linotype, the wonder of the age, which is to be found in every up-to-date printing establishment? The reaper and binder is an American inven- tion, that of a Scotchman, but Germany abounds in agri- THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 31 cultural implements of many devices, all invented in the Fatherland. Did you ever hear of an e 1 e c t r i c p 1 o w in this country? It is a great labor-saving device, and has been in use in Germany for the last fifteen years. You seem to be ignorant of the famous Mauser rifle, nov^ in use in the German army, and the M a n n - 1 i c h e r gun , — both German inventions. The re- volver, as everybody knows, is an American invention, but the Mauser revolver, a conception of the Germans, hitting its mark at the distance of a mile, is the most pov^erful of them all. Did not the Germans surprise the whole world with their powerful 30 cm.- howitzers ? And, last, but not least, their 1 6 >4 inch guns, the biggest weapons of the war, ''one shell to each fort," — K rupp's great secret gun! Do not the Germans build their own turreted ships of greatest power and of most modern design? This also applies to the torpedoes and sub- marines. Siemens was the first to explode a subma- rine mine by electricity. Nobody will deny that the Ger- mans have very powerful torpedoes. As to the subma- rine, are not the Germans the first who made practical use of the same in transforming them into one of the most powerful weapons in the present war? And did they not surprise the English navy by blowing up one battleship after another and forcing the enemies' battleships to remain in port.'' And are not Ger- man submarines the terror of the sea, causing enormous losses to the enemy? Has not Germany proved 32 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS her superiority over all nations in the scientific-technical field? It is generally known that the Germans have a great many valuable inventions to be reserved for warfare, the secret of which is kept well-guarded. Facts are apt to prove the superiority of one nation over another, but erroneous statements have no convinc- ing force. The very attack of Germany on the part of so many nations is sufficient proof of her superiority. The fact remains that the Germans are too modest in speaking of their merits and achievements, and this may have stimulated your onslaughts against them. The fact that you take sides with Germany's present enemies certainly does not prove their superiority in cul- ture. Your unjust attacks invite criticism, and the reason why you do not understand Germany is that you do not know it. This is also the case with a certain class of German- Americans who have never visited Germany. In regard to your remark, "that within the last few weeks we have been forced to gaze at certain of the less pleasant aspects of the German character," do you not know that the reports reaching this country are exaggerated and falsified in a shameful manner, on account of the German cables having been cut by the English, and the American press being controlled by Great Britain? American newspaper correspondents in Germany, among whom are James O'Donnell Bennett of Chicago Tribune, Oswald F. Schuette and Raymond E. Swing of the THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 33 Chicago Daily News, Karl H. von Wiegand of the New York World and C. H. Ackerman of the United Press, etc., have united in an appeal to Ambassador Gerard to urge the American government to take steps to secure the trans- mission of legitimate cable news without interference by the British censorship. The correspondents have drawn up a declaration charg- ing that dispatches on political and military events are being suppressed, mutilated, or delayed by the London censors. They declare they are unable to present to the American public true and fair statements of the most im- portant events of the war. Right here it is interesting to see what the New York Herald had to say about the battle of Sedan, which, as known to everybody, was fought on September 1. 1870. The following morning, Napoleon and his large army of about 170.000 capitulated and surrendered to the Prus- sians. Literally we find there the following: NEW YORK HERALD, SEPT. 2, 1870. THE WAR THE PRUSSIAN CENTER AND LEFT WING SAID TO BE TOTALLY DEFEATED. "NUMEROUS LOSSES" BY THE GERMANS SPOKEN OF. PARIS REPORTS THREE DAYS FIGHTING. AL- LEGED CAPTURE OF THIRTY GUNS BY THE FRENCH. PRUSSIAN SOLDIERS DRIVEN INTO LUXEMBOURG AND DISARMED. SPECIAL TELEGRAPH LETTERS FROM PARIS. THE PARISIANS UNDISMAYED, CONFIDENT AND AMUSED. 34 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS NEW YORK HERALD, SEPT. 3, 1870. THE GREAT BATTLE ON THE MEUSE RENEWED YESTERDAY. THE PRUSSIANS REPORTED DRIVEN TOWARDS CARIGNAN. THE RIVER MEUSE FILLED WITH THE DEAD. "Yesterday was spent in burying the dead, but this "morning the French unexpectedly assumed the offen- "sive in force at daybreak, and have been driving the "Prussians all day. The Prussians are retreating "toward Carignan, and the battle is raging most fiercely "at Dowsy. Private telegrams from Brussels this even- "ing say there is no official news, but correspondents "near the frontier telegraph that the French have driven "a considerable force of Prussians in great disorder "across the Belgian frontier, where they were im- "mediately disarmed." And from such reports, "history of the Great War" is written in this country by so-called historians. According to the English reports, and the American newspapers which are almost entirely controlled by Eng- land, Germany has been defeated almost every day, while the facts are that Germany has been vic- torious in almost every battle up to the present time, and compared with the other nations her losses of men have been small. Is it not a striking feature that Germany has a firm grip on all of her military movements? As to the German language, I take pleasure in quoting herewith extracts from an article by the eminent and fearless Houston Stewart Chamberlain, THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 35 a man of great learning, who thoroughly understands at least six languages of Europe, and is in a position to judge the merits of each one. I regret space does not permit me to quote it in full : "I also possess some idea of the structure and vigor of the ancient languages, can read Italian, and owe lasting impressions to the study of Spanish and Serbo-Croatian. Basing my conclusions upon this knowledge and that gleaned from the results of comparative philology, I main- tain that, among the modern languages, the German is unquestionably unique in dignity and richness which pre- cludes all comparison. He further states that "among the languages of Europe the German is the only really living lan- guage. Upon this fact everything else is based. For, as Fichte remarks, 'Betw^een life and death there can be no comparison, and the former has a value infinitely superior to that of the latter; therefore all direct compari- sons between the German and the Romance languages are altogether idle, and necessitate the discussion of things not worth discussion.' "The catastrophe which has debarred all those languages — the English not excepted — from life, originated in the fact that they are constructed upon foreign roots, that is, of dead material. For that reason they were, from the very beginning, artificial and not natural-born languages. Those nations, says Fichte, and justly so, 'have no mother tongue, strictly speaking,' a fact which Richard Wagner expresses in the telling line: 'Their language speaks for them, but they themselves do not speak in their own language.' "The Latin language of the classic age, as soon as it aspired to anything above the common-place, no longer possessed any living relation to the language of the people. Instead it had become an artificial language, incom- prehensible to the people, 'in its own country, half dead.' Hence it follows that the modern languages of western Europe are based upon a double set of dead roots. In addition to the German, the Scandinavian languages are the only ones which have remained pure. "The German language 'lives,' and because it lives it is qualified to serve as a receptacle for divine contents. "Whoever follows the French, say from Rabelais and Montaigne on to Voltaire, will become conscious of an _ ever-increasing impoverishment of vocabulary, as well as 36 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS of forms of expression. If Montaigne were to come to life to-day, he would have to keep silent — or learn German. "It is of importance to note that the rudiments of the German language may be traced back to primitive times. Upon this fact depends that vitality of the word-roots. No other modern language, at least no other civilized language, furnishes us with anything similar. "In the French language there is far less vigor than in the English language, which alone possesses the qualities which render it capable of becoming a serious rival of the German. "English natural science is a perfectly unintelligible abra- cadabra to even the educated man, since it is made up entirely of barbaric Greek and Latin fragments, inter- spersed with still more unintelligible, as well as unpro- nouncable, German technical terms; that is to say, it is technics rather than an element of culture. "To take another example, the English theologian, who is not master of the German language, has little idea of the real questions under discussion to-day. "It is for this reason that not a trace of real culture pene- trates to the mass of the English people; the language in which this would be possible does not exist. A comparison between the German and English languages verifies what F i c h t e says, 'In the case of the living language mental culture affects and becomes a part of the life of the people. In the opposite case mental culture and life go their own way, independent of each other.' "Hence, the urgent necessity for the German, not the English, to become the universal language. Should the English language prevail, the culture of mankind will find itself before a closed door — that means death. Since the beginning of this war the moral decay of England has re- vealed itself in a startling degree. Lying, boasting bru- tality, violence, with a lack of decorum, dignity, sense of justice and manliness. It is a sorry spectacle! And if ever the enormous colonial empire and the other English-speak- ing countries are placed in a similar position, and likewise lay bare, heart and soul, we shall perceive with horror what a degeneration we are coming to, the final degeneration of the whole human race. For this reason the German, and with him the German language, must conquer. When once he has gained the victory — be it to-day or a hundred years from to-day, the must remains the same — he will face no other problem so important as this: that of impos- ing the German language upon the whole world. "Everywhere, even in foreign races, there are among hundreds of thousands, here and there, highly gifted and high-minded individuals; without a knowledge of THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 37 the German language the door of the high- est culture is closed to them. "Why did the Reformation not succeed in England or in Poland or in France? Because the German language was the only one possessing the vigor necessary to triumph over the alien. It was through Luther chiefly that we all became truly German. Let no German abroad commit the crime of abandoning his language. Let him learn to understand that in so doing he becomes guilty of base in- famy. Let the businessman take the lead and demand the German language of his correspondents just as the Eng- lishman and the American have always done with their language. "In the meantime, by means of schools and in every pos- sible way, no effort must be spared to make the German language the language of all higher culture. People must learn to see that he who does not speak German is a Pariah. "Foreign nations will learn German from different mo- tives : envy, interest, duty, ambitio n — rro matter what the motive may be, however, for with the German language each one will ac- quire such a priceless blessing that we need have no scruples on that score. I be- lieve in the sacred German language as I believe in God!" You do not seem to understand Germany's position, as you call her "without a friend." This rather proves to the eyes of the world her important position for which she is envied by all her present enemies; otherwise so many na- tions would not simultaneously attack a country that is so insignificant, as you try to make Germany appear. Your inability and unwillingness to un- derstand the attitude of the Germans must be due to your lack of study of German culture. History teaches us that one of the most successful ways in which to reach a really high state of culture and its gradual advancement is by militarism, in the true 38 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS sense of the word; it is the school of order, method and discipline, which are the fundamental principles of a sound and powerful state. You accuse Germany of being undiplomatic. Diplomacy itself reveals weakness. Germany does not need to resort to diplomacy on account of her independent strength. Whenever necessary, was not her diplomacy suc- cessful? Germany is the United States' truest friend. Should the United States be involved in war with the yellow race, what could she accomplish in such a war without the assistance of Germany, the strongest military power in the world? It is probable that she would be defeated. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to the entire white race that Germany retains colonial possessions in Asia at all times. Therefore, the United States should insist that Kiau-Chou be returned to Germany by Japan after the war is over. Great Britain has always been the worst enemy the United States ever had t o f a c e , as shown again and again by history. Can Uncle Sam have any faith in the recent sudden change of the friendly attitude of John Bull, the wolf in the sheep-skin? Of course, Great Britain needs the friendship of the United States in the present conflict, as far as ammunition and money are concerned, — but would this prevent her from turning against the United States if she should be victorious in this war? England has always been treacherous. How easy it would then be for Great Britain, France and Japan to parcel up the United States among one another! John Bryan of Cincinnati has dwelt extensively on this subject in his interesting articles, THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 39 sounding a warning to the United States against this peril. England, in her desire to dominate the sea, has always tried to weaken or destroy the sea power of other nations. History shows that she unscrupulously attacked and destroyed Spain, Hol- land, France, Denmark, and all nations whom she thought dangerous competitors. How did she treat the Boers, India and Egypt? How is she treating Ireland ? And is not Great Britain's maritime tyranny even a menace to the neutral nations also to her allies, France and Italy? Under certain conditions the British pirate state will deal with them as it has dealt with Ger- many. It will prohibit their competition in the world trade (as it is doing now in the United States), and make free navigation of the sea impossible, which should never be allowed to become private proper- ty, and England must not be per- mitted to rule the sea! EA^er}' American and ever}- man who has the world's civilization at heart, ought to bo aware that a German de- feat in this war would mean not onl}- the triumph of British imperialism and navalism, but also the triumph of Russia and Japan — the Russian peril in Europe, and the supremacy not only of Japan over Asia, but ultimately that of the yellow race over the white; and would not the defeat of Germany result in a tremendous set-back in the world's civilization, which would be irreparable? 40 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS But now we can read the following in the New Republic of March 1st, a magazine not called pro-German : "M r . Wilson has ranged the United States on the side of the mistress of the seas. He has thrown the national interests of America into the balance in the way most calculated to maintain British sea-power. He remains technically neutral, but the im- port and the consequences are unmistakable." Bernard Shaw recently said : "I may remark that America is not neutral. She is taking a very active part in the war by supplying us with ammunition and weapons and other muni- tions. Neutrality is nonsense." While President Wilson has proclaimed himself to be neutral, he continues to allow the shipping of ammunition to England and her allies. At the same time Mr. Wilson insists on Germany's changing her submarine warfare tactics, which is an unreasonable de- mand. Practically, because Mr. Wilson wants to favor England, he permits her to maintain a blockade preventing shipments of food, etc. to Germany, while on the other hand he tries to prevent Germany from sinking English ships by submarine, which would enable Germany to starve out England, and force her to surrender. Can the justly thinking American public call this neutrality? Mr. Wilson insists that Germany does not destroy any vessels of the allies with Americans on board, for the mere pretext of protecting England and rob Germany of her best weapon to win the war. THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 41 Americans have no right to travel on belligerent vessels except at their ov^n risk. It is the duty of the President of the United States to give warning against it. Incidents like the sinking of the Lusitania, and many other things v^ould never have happened, had not President Wilson neglected his duty willfully. And does he not appear guilty of conspiracy? By delaying the war constantly, Mr. Wilson's policy with Mexico also appears to favor England's cause, as he seems to want to be free to help England, not only in the ship- ments of ammunition, etc., but financially and otherwise. He allows the honor of the American citizens to be insulted, and the American flag to be repeatedly trampled upon. (Hundreds of Americans have been killed by the Mexicans.) At the same time, President Wilson appears content to allow England to board American vessels, take them into their harbors and search same ; and allows England to dominate the sea at will. Is there anything plainer than Mr. Wilson's stand in this warfare? The United States, in order to prove that it is really neutral, must either place an embargo on arms and ammunition, or break the British blockade, besides give warning to all American citizens not to travel in the war zone or on belligerent vessels, except at their own risk. No wonder that the London Daily Mail of June 6th boasts of England's supremacy at sea, when it verbally says: '*No more permits will be issued by the British Gov- ernment for the import of goods of German origin into the United States. The one or two consignments of dyes for the exclusive use of the United States govern- 42 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS ment printing office in the manufacture of national bank notes were allowed, because assurances were furnished by the Washington government authorities that the dyes are for government purposes only." England is even stealing our foreign business from us by opening our mails, copying orders and sending the copies to English firms, besides holding back the mail of all the neutral nations (Amercian as well as European) long enough to give the English merchants a chance to write to our customers in Europe and fill the orders first. Augustus F. Beach, the well-known American corre- spondent, informs us how England proceeds to secure the trade oflered to America by methods that are simply unbe- lievable. There never was a time in the history of the nation when the people of the United States were humiliated like this. (Is Mr. V\'ilson going to mention this in his historical works?) Why doesn't the government at Washington protest boldly and hotly against the outrages of the pirates of the sea? The government at AVashington is apparently work- ing in sympathy with the British government. Can the American citizens (excepting some of English descent, who wish to see this country controlled by Great Britain) trust a president who appears to be an English premier in disguise? Do they wish to see international laws manipu- lated to suit England? Do they consent to England's breaking international laws at will? Where will this end? Great Britain has been ably represented in this country by "Sir" "Viscount" B r y c e , former xA^mbassador at Washington. What characterizes this man more than his shameful reports on so-called "Investigation of THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 43 German Atrocities" and his utterances at a recent banquet (on July 5th), where he said that "the alHes are making this war for the welfare of humanity, to crush German militarism" — b ut in reality to give place to English piracy, tyranny and world's su- premac}-; to give Great Britain free rein to destroy and conquer nations that are her rivals, making her still more the vam- pire of the earth. It is appalling to what extent the American mind is under the poisonous influence of the British foreign office. America needs a B i s m a r c k — a man with the force of Theodore Roosevelt, minus his English sympathies. (Too bad he missed his opportunity!) How blind the nations are that they all fight for Great Britain, — Belgium, France, Russia, Servia, Montenegro, Italy — all bleeding to death. And this has been the case for centuries, for England, the vam- pire of the earth, as she has been repeatedly called. And even the United States assists its arch enemy — for what reason? Is it morally right for the United States to furnish ammunition to the allies to help destroy Germany, her best friend? Is it right logically? Ethically? All this will have to be accounted for some day. This is something that we all should remember before it is too late. Now, we still can determine the course of Fate, and can the United States afford to risk losing Germany's friendship, most valuable if they have to fight the yellow race? It would not be surprising if there were German spies in the United States, but if there really are some, they would 44 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS not be found to be working against the interests of the United States Government, but as patriots ready to risk their lives in order to fulfill certain duties toward their fatherland in their war against Great Britain, which nation is trying to make Germany an enemy of the United States, while everybody knows that the United States' soil swarms with British spies, but are they not all intriguing against the United States to re- capture this lost colony, so much craved by John Bull? American commerce is under com- plete control of British super \'ision. and wherever it has a chance, England darnages American commerce, and the secret service of the United States is almost all helping England's side of the game. Think of it! British oflficers personally are now directing the making of shells for the British Government. Every section of the country has been visited by British officers on the same errand. At all American ports English con- sular agents are on the docks, examining the cargoes of every Dutch, Norwegian, Danish and Swedish vessel, and issuing written certificates if the cargo suits them. British cruisers taking supplies at our own coast are holding u p American ships bound for neutral ports and even American home ports. All American mail is opened in England, and even the United States post-office service is pervaded by English spies, mail being opened by them as has been traced. Interna- tional laws are ignored by England and changed arbitrarily. And the United States gov- ernment appears indifferent to England's tyranny of the sea I It seems that the tolerant Americans will stand almost anything! Does not the attitude of the United States toward England re- THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 45 mind one of the story of the little dog that was to be drowned by his master, and after managing to escape, re- turned again, and jumping up happily, kissed his master's hand? Was our Ambassador Page at London very wrong when he said at a banquet in London in February, 1914, "After all, the United States is English-ruled and English- led?" Why does all this happen? Because there is a strong, well- financed British propaganda in the United States, the op- erations of which are kept from the people by those news- papers and periodicals the Northcliffe syndicate owns or controls. Is it any wonder that the "German plots in the United States" are being "played up," and the English plots in the United States hushed up, and the "Armenians are killed by the Turks" right along? Indeed, the newspapers are managed so cleverly that they run down Great Britain occasionally just for ei¥ect. "There is nothing more clever than an English lie!" No way of trying to anglicize American people is over- looked. We find huge signs all over the country advertis- ing Pall Mall, London Life and King William cigarettes, Prince Albert smok- ing tobacco, Prince of Wales, Lady Churchill, Duke of Moreland, Lord Sal- isbury and Lord Palmerston cigars, etc., etc. One of the latest creations is a string of theaters all over the country named "The S t r a n d." The Americans are gradually anglicized without knowing it. One even notices in the restaurants since the war began that German names are carefully avoided on the menu. What is the reason for all this? 46 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS The secret will of Cecil Rhodes, the dia- mond king, drawn up in 1877, shows that millions of his money were invested in such a manner as to carry out as secretly as possible the purpose for which they were de- signed : ''To and for the establishment of, promotion and development of a secret society, the true aim of which and object whereof shall be the extension of British rule throughout the world — and especially the ultimate recovery of the United States of America as an integral part of the British Empire." What will the workings of the English secret societies lead to, whose aim is to carry out the Cecil Rhodes will? Thb is the greatest question concerning this country to-day! Does this not account for many things that are happening in this country, and that we did not understand before the publication of the Cecil Rhodes will, namely : the stand taken by the American press in the service of England un- der the secret control of Lord Northclifife; the attitude of some of the leading men of this country, the establishment of secret societies, the vague utterances of certain promi- nent speakers, also the movement to ignore the Fourth of July, by substituting the signing of the Magna Charta (concession of liberties in England, 1215) to be celebrated as the true origin of our independence? Yes, by the publication of the Cecil Rhodes will, we see how some of our leading men are in- volved in a conspiracy against this country, and appear as traitors (something every American should know and remember hereafter when he casts his votes). The proposal of a Mr. Wiener of THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 47 England, to Harvard College,. that he would will $10,000,000 to them on condition that they dismiss Dr. Hugo Miinster- berg, a champion of the German cause, is casting its shadow. The fact that it was not accepted will stand forever to the credit of this institution. Thus it is seen how the Rhodes poison is working in the veins of American life. It also explains the standpoint taken by our government at Washington in regard to Germany's submarine warfare (which is in opposition to public sentiment). Everybody should be warned by the President against taking passage on vessels of belligerents, as he cautioned /\mericans to leave and to remain out of Mexico. This also explains the move- ment to help England in this war and the persistent intrigues to drag the United States into war with Germany. Why did President Wilson place the German wireless station at Sayville, L. L, under American censorship? As the United States is never going to surrender its independence, we must al- ways be prepared for war against Great Britain, and especially b e prepared against our foes at home! What shaU be done? British secret societies should be suppressed. Opposition should be made to misrepresentation in the press, as is done in Germany. Would it not be of interest to every American to have German newspapers in the English language started in opposition to the English ones, first of all to give the American 48 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS people the benefit of the German influence of truth and facts of world's events? Second, to thus help to keep American citizens from the clutches of Great Britain — h e r cam- paign of lies, and conspiracy to regain the United States, in conformity with the secret plans to carry out the will of Cecil Rhodes. If the government does not immediately take a hand in preventing the growth of this octopus by stamping out of existence the English secret societies in this country, it is easy to predict that this conspiracy will and must lead to a serious situation in this country sooner or later! Americans! Take action and prepare! Be patriots! This seems to be the only way of pre- serving the United States as a free and independent country!!! Germany has made a great mistake in not being repre- sented in America by the press in the English language, and for this reason she has been misrepresented by England in the most shameful manner, especially in this war, to help along Cecil Rhodes' plans. Last but not least, the United States should have several of its own cables to Europe. To use the prophetic words of one of the great German thinkers : "Am deutschen Wesen Wird einst die Welt genesen." (It will be by the German way that the world will some day recover.) The most good can come from the opposition party. The real American people should see that the president of THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 49 the United States is a man who does not favor English ideals (?), which are the great danger of real Americanism (as the last part of this book especially ])roves). Should Germany be defeated in this war against almost the whole Avorld, her defeat will be principally due to the assistance given the allies by the United States in ship- ments of guns and ammunition, raw material and food stuffs, as well as supplying several billion dollars of war loans and credits (to date) and volunteer fighters. It would be mainly due to President Wilson's submarine warfare policy, which restricts Germany from attacking English vessels, and which prevents Germany from starv- ing out England. Germany's defeat would be a disaster to civilization, and would be the result of the attack of the whole world upon Germany — the nation of highest culture, efficiency, morals and ethic. It would mean that might would triumph over right, and the highest ideals of mankind would be trampled in the dust. It would prove that there is no moral or justice among nations, and that nations are not fighting for principles and ideals, but for material gain merely, and for English Imperialism and navalism. They all are fight- ing for Great Britain's standard of liberty (??) and civiliza- tion (??). England and her allies: France, Russia, Italy, Belgium. SerA'ia, Montenegro, Portugal, Japan, Canada. Australia, Roumania, besides all other English and French colonies, in their endeavor to destroy the banner carrier of real civilization and highest culture — Germany. It is mar- velous how this nation with its three allies, Austria-Hun- gary, Turkey and Bulgaria, is permanently able to check the terrible onslaught of all these nations in this "war against 50 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS civilization," even holding out against the tremendous of- fensive of the allies on the Somme which was started at the end of June, 1916, causing it to be a failure. What a won- derful accomplishment for the Germans to succeed in land- ing the submarine ''Deutschland" in an American harbor, and getting it back safely to Germany ! Does this not prove that Germany is able to cope with the whole world? Germany's military development has proved a necessity because of the geographical position of the country, which is surrounded by enemies on all sides. How lucky is the United States having oceans on two sides ! Realize, that Germany's population after the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) had decreased from 16,000,000 to 4,500,000— the most terrible of wars in history ! There was no chicken left on the farm, no cow, no horse, no sound wagon-wheel! No wonder it taught Prussia the lesson to be on guard all the time, hence was born Prussian militarism! Toujours en vedette ("always on guard"), said Frederick the Great, who defended Prussia so victoriously in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) against Saxony, France, Russia, Austria, and even Sweden. How fortunate for Prussia that Frederick learned of the secret conspiracy among her neigh- bors, who had planned to divide Prussia! After the Franco-Prussian war (1871) the great Moltke maintained that Germany must always be prepared for an attack from Russia and France at the same time in order not to be crushed. That so-called militarism and Prussianism, so much hated by the allies, is nothing but German efficiency. If Germany were 10% less efficient to-day, where would she be? If the surrounding nations seriously meant peace, Germany in arms would never have THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 51 disturbed them. It appears now that the Hague Peace Conference was nothing but a deeply laid plot instigated by England against Germany, and the latter was wise not to disarm. International laws should be made to meet all the requirements of civi- lized nations. Advantage should not be taken in framing such laws when nations are at war, or are not in a position to act with freedom, otherwise such laws will have to be revised. Only wise and sound laws can stand! President Wilson makes laws to favor England. By the way, it is Prussian militarism that made the existence of the United States of America possible. Professor John William Burgess of Columbia University, one of the best authorities on international law, calls attention to the important part that the Germans played in the affairs of this country, by pointing out that the independ- enceoftheUnited Stateswouldnot existif German militarism had not given us strength to resist the forces that threatened to crush us, first in our rights and liberties in the Revolutionary War against England (1776-1783), then our Union in the Con- federate War (1861-1865). Mrs. Jefferson Davis, the wife of the Confed- erate President, often said that without the Ger- mans, who contributed 750,000 soldiers to the armies of the North (216,000 German born, 300,000 sons of parents born in Germany, 234,000 of German extraction), the North could never have overcome the armies of the Confed- 52 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS eracy. Are not the Germans, of whom there are about 3 , 000 ,000 i n t h i s c o u n - try, entitled to the very first rank among the "hyphenated" Americans? Con- sidering everything, have not the Germans done more for the United States than any other nation? It is of great importance for the average American to know that Great Britain has established press bureaus all over the world, principally in London, Paris, Geneva, Rome, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, St. Petersburg, Shanghai, New York, and through such representatives as Lord Xorthcliffe, the Reuter and Havas tele- graph bureaus, makes a business of spreading in- numerable inventions in a clever and systematic w a y in the interest of the English propaganda. These are facts which no observant person will deny. Great Britain is using the motto : The safest way to control a nation is through its press. It is only in this way that we can explain the extraordi- nary effect of Great Britain's huge campaign of lies, and the success in making Germany hated by the neutral nations. On account of the prejudice it takes courage (in the United States of America !) even to tell the truth! Did not Lord Northcliffe (then Alfred Harmsworth) ac- knowledge in an interview, when in Philadelphia in April, 1900, that the syndicate, of which he was the head, owns or controls eighteen very successful American papers in our leading cities? And how many more have been added since that time ? Almost the entire American press! Is it, therefore, surprising that the people, through the news service, get only the English THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 53 side of the war, the papers in the South not even publishing the German reports of the war. Therefore to the Southerner the Germans appear to be defeated every day in the year. He who reads the American newspapers and magazines does not wonder that the mind of the average Ameri- can has been poisoned by English false- hoods and slander. Among the most conspicu- ous defenders of England are numerous publications of which I only mention : Providence Journal, New York Times, New York World, New York Herald, Harper's Weekly, Satur- <:lay Evening Post, Outlook, Life . . . . There are many, many others. One should beware of certain historical works, compiled by newspapers and so- called historians, that are calculated to serve Albion to the detriment of Germany ;eventheschool-booksare gradually eliminating all reference to the nefarious part played by England in our history, and are otherwise changed to favor the British propaganda, omitting many things for which Germany should get credit. Thus young America is kept in ignorance of the good that Germany has done for the world at large, and of the great part the Germans took in helping the United States to become an independent country. It is a pity to observe that some of our most prominent citizens, in opposition to true Americanism (which is very little understood and adhered to), cannot remain absolutely neutral, especially some of those ''hyphen- ated" Anglo-Americans (Americans of English descent) who in fact are a stumbling-block toward making America an ideal nation. 54 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS Why is it that certain prominent men like Charles W. Eliot (President Emeritus of Harvard College) have changed their views regarding Germany in a most surpris- ing way since the beginning of the war? How about the radical stand of Theodore Roosevelt, and Henry W. Taft (a brother of Ex-President Wm. H. Taft) ? A true American's principles should stand for absolute freedom and independence, justice and humanity, but the loyalty of some Anglo-Americans toward England stands higher than that to their adopted land, and they even appear eager to sell America to England. Are such people true Americans, and can theybe trusted ? Has not the United States virtually placed herself on the side of the allies by shipments of arms and ammunition amounting to billions of dollars? The present world-war confronts us with the question as to whethermorality really exists among nations, as conditions have unfettered the worst features of human character. Now, as to your "friends — the Russians" with whose culture you seem to be impressed so much, and whose culture you place above that of Germany, it is quite natu- ral that every nation, at certain periods, has some literary men of renown, but it is also a well-known fact that Russia has no culture of her own. What- ever culture she may possess, she has received from her neighbors, the Germans and the Turks (Moham- medans), who, for a thousand years, can look back on the achievements of their culture, while Russian culture is THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 55 but in its infancy. It is a well-known fact that in Russia about 70% cannot read or write. (Without the German element, what is there left of Russian culture ?) Speaking of the culture of nations in general, it may be left to every reader to judge where the culture of a nation stands, if it tries to render patents and copyrights void, as England, France, Russia and Japan have done in re- gard to Germany during this war. Does it betray a high standard of culture if certain nations con- stantly misrepresent facts to the whole world in the most shameful manner? Germany's press is far above this. It is fortunately regulated by wise laws, and protects everybody from slander. Any wrongs are immediately righted. The degree of culture possessed by a nation could be gauged no better than by the following facts : The art of printing is carried on in Germany in all languages of the world, in the most perfect manner, as well as at a minimum of cost. In this branch Leipzig has the greatest reputation in the world. Some families residing there have done nothing but printing books and reading proofs for many generations. This refers also to the art of lettering and designing. And how are agriculture and forestry carried on in Germany? They have practically developed into a science. So great an authority as J. J. Hill estimated the crops of the United States for the year 1913 at the value of $9,000,000,000, while Dr. H e 1 f f e r i c h , Secretary of the Imperial Treasury, in his exhaustive 56 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS pamphlet, valued the crops of Germany for the same year at $3,300,000,000. In Germany eightagricultural universities, 250 training schools, 197 v^inter agricultural schools, besides special schools of which there are 1320 in Prussia alone, make the German farmer the most scientific in the world. The re- sult is that Germany produces more than twice as much per acre of oats and barley as the United States, and more than three times as much wheat per acre. One reason for this is that Germany leads the world in scientific fertilizers. In a measure one might say that Germany does not produce her crops, but manufactures them, using more potash salts than all the rest of the world combined. She has made the discovery of extracting nitrogen from the air, instead of having to import it from South America, one of the most momentous discoveries of modern times. She gets phosphoric acid as a by- product of smelting, thus using what other nations waste. All this, through the aid of the government, puts the German farmer in a state of eco- nomic security and therefore of independence andcomparative freedom. But Germany believes above all in freedom of thought. Germany, therefore, is a self-support- ing country. She imports only 5% of her food supply, and ranks third among the agricultural countries of the world. She produces more potatoes than any other nation, 35,000,- 000 tons (1913), or an output five times as large as the United States. Germany is likewise the greatest pro- THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 57 ducer of b eet sugar, 2,500,000 tons annually, or over 75 pounds per capita, based on a 67,000.000 population. Is there any other nation that has utilized its resources so much to its advantage as Germany? Germany, therefore, cannot be star\ed out in the course of a war. The following figures are convincing : Steel Tonnage exported by these countries, 1908-1912. U. S. Gt. Britain Germany 1908 964,242 4,299,508 3,676,888 1909 1 ,239,709 4,380,665 3,979,839 1910 1,537,952 4,735,734 4,791,599 191 1 2, 187,725 4,664,772 5,292,326 1912 2,947,596 4,628,000 5,856,000 % Increase 205 8 59 The foreign trade of Germany compared with that of Great Britain and France in the last thirty years, is as follows : In Millions of Marks 1883 1912 Germany's foreign trade 6,492.3 19,648.6 Great Britain's foreign trade 12.279.5 22,850.5 France's foreign trade 6,687.5 11,954.7 About half of the goods exported by Great Britain is of German origin. According to recent London sta- tistics, Hamburg has become the first port in the world in regard to ton- nage, as well as to value of commerce. The fact that Antwerp also ranks among the first ports in the world is due to the tremendous exports of 58 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS German goods, with Rotterdam ranking fifth. Germany's wealth since the Franco-Prussian war (1871) has increased immensely, making it the richest nation of the world next to the United States. The national debt in 1914 (before the war) amounted to a sum of about $1,200,000,000 which now appears a bagatelle, considering that the Government owns practically all railroads, canals, telegraph lines, postal and parcel service, and other valuable public utilities. Germany is the only country in Europe that, since the beginning of the war, has not declared a moratorium, no matter what her enemies may say to the contrary. (For details see the circular of the Deutsche Bank, which announces that there is no mora- torium.) The first one billion 5% war loan at 97>^ was about AYi times over-subscribed. The succeeding war loans were a still greater success, due to the persistent victories of the German army. One may say they have not lost a single battle as yet in this war. What a wonder- ful record ! The economic situation in Germany during the war is characterized also by the movement of retail prices for foodstuffs, which in many cases show no rise at all, and in spite of Germany's blockade b}^ England, foodstuffs in Ger- many's biggest cities are cheaper than in England and France (March 1916). This is due to the wise providence and the wonderful system of the German government. According to the W o r 1 d Almanac of 1914, the statistics of the period 1913-1914 regarding the estimated THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 59 cost to the principal nations of the world of maintain- ing armies and navies is as follows : Cost Per Population 1913-1914 Capita England 44,000,000 $448,440,000 $9.90 France 40,000,000 311,002,000 8.00 Russia 155,000,000 439,300,000 2.83 Germany 65,000,000 294,390,000 4.40 Austro-Hungary 49,000.000 128,800.000 2.40 United States ' 99.000.000 323,800.000 3.30 Number of Deposits in Savings Banks England 14,621,203 (1912) France 14.578,897 (1912) Russia 8,988,225 (1913) Germany 24,128,505 (1912) Austro-Hungary 6,685,471 (1911) United States 11,109,499 Percentage of Inhabitants Having Deposits 32.49% - 36.44% 7.19% 37.12% 13.92% Deposits England $1,148,087,467 France 1,091,303,658 Russia 867,929,500 Germany 4,873,856,638 Austro-Hungary 1,331,338,523 United States 4.936,591,849 Average Deposit Per Inhabitant (1909-1912) $25.14 27.56 5.17 88.08 46.29 49.85 Percentage of Per Cap. Cost of Arma- ment to Aver- age Deposit Per Inhabitant 27.64% 21.15% (1913) 44.10% 3.79% 3.67% 44.1 % 60 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS Germany has twenty banks with a paid-up capital of 50,000,000 Marks ($12,500,000) each or over. Three of these, the Dresdner Bank, Deutsche Bank, and Discontogesellschaft,have a capital of over 300,000,000 Marks ($75,000,000) each. There are others almost as large. The largest bank in the United States, the National City Bank of New York, has a paid-up capital of only $25,000,000. George W. Perkins, once a partner of J. P. Morgan, wrote before the war : "Thirty years ago, Ger- many was the land of the small enterprise. To-day i t is pre-eminently the land of the giant enterprise. Germany's area is but 200,000 square miles as against 3,000,000 square miles in the United States ; yet Germany's foreign trade is much larger than that of the United States or Englan d." The recent estimate of wealth of the fol- lowing three nations before the war including all classes of property and colonies, securities owned abroad and all public properties, is as follows (see Mulhall's reports) : United Kingdom $80,000,000,000 Germany 90,000,000,000 France 60,000,000,000 ' (United States 190,000,000,000) At the beginning of the war, the debts of the three nations under consideration were as follows: United Kingdom $3,486,000,000 Germany 1,177,000.000 France 6,284,000,000 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 61 Net Tonnage of the Merchant Marines: 1870 1891 Jan. 1913 British Empire 7,149,000* 9,280.000 11,879,000 Germany 982,000* 1,941.000 3,320,000 Norway 1,023,000* 1,489,000 1.719,000 France 1 ,072,000* 1 .038,000 1 ,5 19,000 Italy 1,012,000* 945,000 1,137.000 United States 1,517,000* 3,341,000* 4,800,000* * gross. On account of her supremacy in commerce, Germany needs much greater merchant marines and correspondingly a bigger navy. She must build more and more shifts! Plow does Germany's standard of civilization compare with that of other nations, even taking into consideration the export of manufactured foodstuffs, with a terri- tory less than the size of the state of Texas ? And if we speak about the highest standard of civilization, the art of German cooking, that strives for both nutrition and hygienic value, ranks first among the nations; and the percentage of first-class eating places in Germany is again the highest in the world. This is easily told by the full, rosy cheeks of the Germans. Social conditions in Germany have become so perfect that there i.s no need of anybody begging, and no- body in Germany need starve. There are no slums to be found in any of the Ger- man cities. Is not this a remarkable thing? The Germans are also leaders in city planning, — nowhere are there as clean streets as in German cities. All the old people are cared for by a p e n s i o n fund, and every workman and poor servant, how- ever small his wages may be, has to contribute toward it. In 1912 there were fewer than 2% unemployed in Ger- 62 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS many, far less than in any other nation. No wonder the emigration from Germany has decreased in recent years. The fact that attending schools is compulsory in Germany (and German schools are known to be the best) accounts for their having the smallest possible percentage of illiterates among the leading nations. The few who cannot read or write are only foreigners. The Kindergarten idea origi- nated in Germany. In order that general conditions in Germany and the United States may be more thoroughly understood, the fol- lowing facts are interesting: People in Germany enjoy far more liberties than those in the United States, where religion, prohibition and Puritanism are dominating factors, and this quite in contrast with the European nations, ex- cepting England. In the United States everything is re- stricted on Sundays. There are .less railway trains running all over the country than on weeks days, as time-tables show ; there are no mail deliveries on Sundays, neither can letters be registered, or special delivery letters delivered, if mailed on Sunday. There is only one mail collection in the evening. The post- office service in the United States is very poor when com- pared with that of Germany, which is demonstrated by the slow delivery of "special" and "registered" letters. Just think what an advantage it is to a nation of 67,000,000 people to have two mail deliveries on Sundays, also that the post-office is open evenings and on Sundays (excepting during church hours) in Germany. THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 63 In the United States tennis courts are closed at most universities on Sundays, and even the theatres in some cities, (Pittsburgh, etc.) and as one travels over the country one finds that on most railway trains and alto- gether in certain states no liquor can be served any day. A European or European-American, if he wants to travel comfortably in the United States, has to carry his supply of beer and wine with him, but in some states he would not even be allowed to drink it. In some prohibition states one has not the right to buy more than one quart of whiskey per month. One further is not permitted to keep more than three dozen bottles of beer in the house. Those who do not obey this law are promptly arrested. In some states the im- portation of alcoholic drinks is strictly forbidden al- together. In leading cities like Chicago, St. Louis and others, the serving of liquor is not allowed at all on Sundays, even in the first-class hotels and restaurants, while in Ger- many everything is wide open on Sun- day! It is the day of pleasure when a man takes out his family for a good time, and there are less crimes and drunk- ards in Germany than in the United States, because people do not abuse these privileges, and they know how to enjoy life. Saloons are licensed only to respectable people (some- times to women, and the expense of a license is very small). The Germans mostly drink beer and wine, while the Americans indulge in whiskey. In this country, a saloon license is issued to almost anyone, irrespective of character No wonder the saloons in America are in bad repute — while in Germany a saloon is a respectable place. If these fanatical movements, also the English disturb- ing influences should continue, where will they lead? Owing 64 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS to fanatical laws the United States has lost its charm as the land of liberty. Prohibition having increased of late, let us hope it will not become a country intolerable to live in! Inasmuch as Americans are greatly misled on the p r o - hibitionquestion,it may be of interest to read what Dr.MaxStein has to say in an article which appeared in the International in April, 1916: "Every day the Association for the Distribution of Beer in Germany, of which I am the director, sends one and a half million liters (quarts) of beer to our soldiers at the front. We do not consider beer a luxury, we consider it a necessity. (In America drinking is more of a business than a pleasure.) We believe that the health of our troops would suffer greatly if for an}' reason the beer supply were cut off. "You notice that the men who have been foremost in the fighting around Verdun are the Branden- burgers, the Badeners and the Rhinelanders. Those men come from provinces where more beer and wine are consumed than probably in any other territory in the world. You can draw your own conclusions from this, as to whether the moderate drinking of beer and wine destroys the wholesome strength of the people or breaks down manly virility, as your fa- natical prohibitionist says they do. "After the battles in the Car- pathians, the Austrian army was reorganized, and one of the first reforms was the introduction of beer into the army. Since the reorganization, you know that the morale of the Austrians is 607r better than it was. I do not mean to imply by this that the im- provement is due to beer, but beer evidently played a part, and to-day the Austrian mili- THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 65 tary chiefs would no more think o f s e n d i n g o u t an army corps with- out beer than it would without bread. "I am not attempting here to disparage the temper- ance movement. Only you in America and we on the Continent have an entirely different view of what constitutes temperance. I do not consider that the German who takes his beer with his meals, nor the Frenchman who takes light wine in the same way, is intemperate. "Fermented liquors, the French soldier is told, may be safely used in moderation. This is what we, on the Continent, consider real temper- ance refor m." If one feels exhausted from overwork and sometimes even gets a nervous headache, nothing will be more beneficial than a glass of beer. Besides, are not beer and wine the best beverages to build up a run-down constitution? Ninety-five per cent of the restaurants in Germany are first-class, while in the United States the percentage is extremely small. This also refers to dining-car service. One can imagine the great discomfort this is to Europeans traveling here. No wonder every American is more or less troubled with d y s p e p s i a — something absolutely unknown in Germany. Americans do not know how to spend their money to get the most out of it. In spite of their wealth, they have not yet learned how to enjoy life. American life is practically only a business life. Everybody is too busy, and the average man does not take the time to attend to any- thing else but business. One finds people in general work- ing up to an old age. 66 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS In Germany one hardly comes in contact with the police. If you did not see the "S c h u t z m a n n" on the street corner, guiding the traffic, you would not know there were any policemen in Germany, Indeed, they are less notice- able and more polite than those in the United States. All things considered, can the United States be called a democratic country? Being a Republic, it naturally should be democratic, but, in fact, is it not far less democratic than most of the European countries that lead in culture? The United States is a country of un- wise and fanatical laws, where per- sonal liberty is greatly restricted, far more so than in almost any Euro- pean countries excepting Russia and Great Britain (investigation proves this beyond a doubt) . The United States is a paradise, but where almost everything is ''ver- b o t e n." This refers also to other things which are not mentioned here. (In Germany some things are "verboten" — no walking on the railroad tracks, on the grass in small parks in the crowded cities, or to play the piano after 9 :00 o'clock, so as not to disturb the neighbors — but investiga- tion will prove that there are substantial reasons for all this.) Why is this? Because the United States is under the influence of Great Britain, where every- thing is closed on Sunday, and one b hardly allowed to play the piano on Sunday. England gave the United States THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 67 countless religious sects, and are not the religious societies in the United States responsible for the fanatical movements, such as prohibition, Sunday closing, puritanical laws, etc.? From the first day that the Pilgrims (a religious sect of whose fanatical deeds one may read) set foot on American soil, American liberty and freedom have been imperiled. Could this be proved better than by the fact that Sunday closing, prohibition and puritanical laws are also found in the Elnglish colonies? This is called English liberty and freedom! Americans generally may not be aware of this, because they are brought up in their own sphere, and have not studied conditions abroad. Americans love to hear the truth, but, on account of their being grossly misled by the English press, they are apt to be prejudiced against Euro- pean countries, and especially Germany. The real American is a kind-hearted man^ He is like a good-natured and innocent child, born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He possesses pride of his country. Being brought up in his own sphere (American life is rather monotonous), he is more of a collectivist than an individual and original character. He is tolerant and easily led. If the United States could enjoy the influence of a more ideal sphere, indeed, the American would be the model citizen among nations. It is of utmost importance to the United States that it frees itself from bad influences. The United States is a wonderful country, greatly favored by climatic conditions. It should be made the land of liberty and highest ideals of mankind, the land of humanity and peace, morals, ethics, great learning, dignity, and wise laws. As such it should stcuid alone instead of being drawn into 68 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS the afiFsdrs of other nations (by English intrigue). Alone it stands strongest! Considering the great waste that is constantly going on in the United States, its great wealth is mainly due to the wonderful crops. There is hardly one bad crop in twenty years (how different when compared with the crops in European countries, and this is the reason why farming in Germany is more on a scientific basis). What would America be without favorable weather con- ditions ? In Germany the government protects the personal rights of every individual against attacks and slander by the press, and even goes so far as to suppress matters of a personal character. All this is done for the protection of the people, while in the United States, as we all know, the newspapers attack a citizen in a most shameful manner, just to fill the pages with gossip and scandal for its readers, and indeed the press appears to rule the country as the grafters rule politics, from the lowest constable up to the highest official. Why not let us adopt the best from every country of the world ? Let us make America, so wonderfully and happily situated, the ideal country that our forefathers intended it to be, instead of having it run on undemocratic and un- American principles! Let it be true Americamsm — Americanism, not as it is. THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 69 but as it should be, with the highest standard of liberty and freedom, in the German sense of the word! Houston Stewart Chamberlain even says: ''A liberty that is not German is no libert y." Do you know that Germany is the most democratic country in the world, much more so than England, where only one per- son in six, on an average, is privileged to vote? The very poor, whose house or tenement has not at least an annual rental value of ten pounds sterling, have no vote. In Germany every major has the right to vote for the Reichstag (there are some restrictions in local elec- tions in Prussia). There are in England 2,000,000 paupers of a degree of poverty of which there are none to be found in Germany, while there are in England 13,000,000 (nearly one-third of the entire population) on or below the poor line. The fact that there is no judicial body which can uphold the rights of the individual against an act of Parliament, shows how undemocratic Great Britain is. In spite of her civil liberties, England is farther away from democracy than any other coun- try. Germany, on the other hand, is the bearer and apostle of a true demo- cracy. The government and the people work together. The workingman has a freedom of justice, unequaled perhaps in any other land, and in the United States almost completely unknown. Political freedom is seen in the fact that the Social Democrats form the largest single party in the Reichstag, and are only defeated by a combination of other parties. In the Reichstag there are 110 Socialists, representing the workingman. In the United States Congress only one, which proves that the 70 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS wo.rkingman in this country is not represented. It may be surprising for Americans to learn that the much-hated and despised so-called German Mili- tarism, in other words "the German Army," is the most democratic institution in existence, with equal opportunities for every one,^ m.erit and ability being the only factors that count, of course, depending on a certain degree of education. And it is this spirit that pervades all Germany. There is no politics, no pull! Do you know that Germanyistheonlycountry in the world where graft is practi- cally unknown? It is for this very reason that Germans in America do not take any active interest in poli- tics, as graft, corruption, and dis- honesty are contrar}- to their nature and education. In the House of Commons, which has remained plutocratic, the members chiefly consist of large land owners, mine owners, manufacturers, merchants, bankers, directors of limited companies, news- paper editors, successful barristers, younger sons of earls and dukes; there is occasionally a workman or artisan, but in. the German Reichstag nearly every trade is represented, most of them several times. One finds there businessmen of every social grade, journalists and authors, frequently men of very modest means indeed, school-teachers and clergymen, librarians and physicians, officials high and THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 71 low, small farmers, shopkeepers, and so forth. T h e Reichstag embraces the entire Ger- man nation from prince to peasant, but the English House of Commons only the upper ten thousand. If the House of Commons is a committee of landed and industrial wealth, the cabinet is like a committee of that committee. The German system knows no abso- lutism, either of the monarch or the Cabinet or Parliament. Gustaf F. Stefen, the well- known Swedish student of the constitutional history of England, writes in a book entitled ''War and Culture" : ''The Foreign Secre- tary is a perfect autocrat in the way he guides the foreign policy of the Governmen t." An American wrote in the Outlook as follows : "A system which will permit the Prime Minister, without the knowledge of other members of his Cabinet, to con- clude agreements which implicate his nation in war, is not to my liking." Foreign opinions of this kind can be adduced in plenty. They show that faith in English liberty is shaken in foreign countries, but it is only natural that one day the world should know that the greatest nation of conquerors and lordly rulers in the world's history, in their native land also, regard freedom as the sole privilege and monopo- ly of the ruling caste ; one often hears it said that Great Britain merely exists for the benefit of one hundred thousand of her aristocrats (ten thousand families). The American philosopher, Ralph W. Emerson, puts it tersely thus : 72 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS "England, Scotland and Ireland combine to check the colonies. England and Scotland combine to check Irish manufacture and trade. England rallies at home to check Scotland. In England the stronger classes check the weaker." One often hears the remark, "What a wonderful colonizer England is, and that Germany's coloniza- tion is a failure." This, as everything else which one reads unfavorable about Germany, is "played up" all the time by the English newspapers, — a scheme to make people feel friendly toward England. However, the facts are contrary! In the first place, be- fore the war, Germany had hardly any colonies to speak of. Germany was too occupied during the Thirty Years' War to acquire colonies as other nations did at that time, therefore, in recent years she took some unoccupied land in Africa which nobody claimed hereto- fore, and which was inhabited by natives. She also leased Kiau-Chou from China, which she turned intjO a pearl of a colony among nations, as is well known. Wherever a German goes one finds culture, and there is no culture that compares with the German. What wiould the United States be without the Germans? Was it not the Ger- man farmer that opened up this country ? Regarding the English style of colonization, we only know how cruelly she treated most of her colonies; for instance, in India the people have been kept down to a state of poverty and THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 73 savageness. This she did with most of her colonies (except those of Anglo-Saxon Blood) — but how did she treat Ireland? It is shameful how England has treated India. In spite of her immense natural wealth, India is in the most de- plorable condition of all great nations. She is the second largest cotton-producing country in the world (with a production of 3,500,000 bales), but India has to pay 3^% tax on her own product of cotton yarn, while over $200,000,000 worth of cotton products and yarn is im- ported free from England annually. England spends only $16,000,000 per annum on the education of the 330,000,000 people in India. 120,000,000 of her people are not able to spend 20 cents a person per annum for clothing; not 4% to 5% of her people are able to enjoy a cup of tea a day. On the contrary, Germany, by spending a great deal of time and money, has put her colonies in a flourishing state. This is also due to wise laws and liberal treatment. The enforcing of the opium trade upon China is one of the worst acts in England's history. In like manner as opinion about England's parliamentarism and so- called English freedom is changing, the world will arrive in due course at a knowledge of political conditions in Germany. It is further interesting for Americans to know that German government officials are appointed for life, and cannot be discharged, except on criminal im- 74 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS peachment, or if they revolt against the constitu- tional government. They even receive pensions at their old age. Think of w^hat tremendous importance this is to the stability of the government and the country! Every year, almost every month, some professor in the United States is driven from his chair in university or school for having committed the sin of daring to think contrary to the financial interests of his institution. In Germany, such a situation is almost unthinkable. This means that the professors, teachers, state and city officials, for example, iiold their positions as long as they are capable of performing the duties of their office. In the smaller colleges or schools of the United States a worse state of affairs ex- ists. There, teachers are not so often expelled owing to the freedom of their thoughts; they are scarcely allowed to think at all, because they know, if they lose their posi- tions, it will be difficult to secure another. In Germany, if for one reason or another a teacher wants to change his position (or loses it), the government is under obliga- tion to give him another. At a conference called this year to promote freedom of teaching in America, President Pritchett of Carnegie Foundation stated that, in nine cases out of ten, the trustees of American colleges are chosen for financial reasons only. In almost all branches of thought, professors in German universities are the most daring and advanced thinkers in the world. In matters of re- ligion, all schools of thought turn to Germany on account THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 75 of her progressive thinking. In economics and in science of government, the Socialists of the Chair are equally well known. The same conditions prevail outside of the university. A large portion of the free thought and free literature of the world comes from Germany. Occasionally, it is true, one hears of a Socialist paper being suspended in Germany, but in America radical papers are hounded out of exist- ence by the post-office. Radical agitators, labor leaders, beyond all possibility of denial, are more often arrested and imprisoned for their utterances in America than in any civilized country, unless it be Russia. The lack of free speech in America is one of the greatest questions of the day. Some people even consider it the greatest question. He who doubts this has never read the radical press of America, and should read *'The Land of Free- dom, A Study of Facts," by Dr. W. D. P. Bliss. Liberty of preaching in churches of Germany and in the United States, if such really exists in our country, is out of proportion altogether. The fact is that Ger- many is a very nursery of every kind of new thought. This is especially true of advanced scientific thought. In 1910 some 15,540 technical and scientific books were issued in the world. Of these, 2,000 were French ; 2,100 were in English (English and American) ; 10,400 were German. Therefore, he who does not read German does not keep abreast with the world's adxanced 76 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS thought. He who questions the free- dom of German thinking simply brands himself as being unacquainted with the best scholarship. It is characteristic of American education that children are brought up without respect for their parents and teachers ; especially is it noticeable that the younger genera- tion do not respect their elders. The standard of educa- tion in the United States lacks thoroughness. The students study something of everything, but lack deep knowledge of any one subject. Can one realize the effect of the wonderful so-called ''merchant law" in Germany, which enables even the poor man to enter a claim that involves a very small amount of money, at a very nominal court cost, and is disposed of in a few weeks? Germany, the land of the world's wisest and most advanced laws, is also the land, where the greatest amount of personal liberty is enjoyed. Thus Germany, as measured by facts, is the land of personal freedom. "Academic freedom" is a phrase of German origin. Every American scholar knows that in 1913 Ex-President Charles W. Eliot of Harvard University pointed out facts when he said : "No thinking has been so wide, so deep, so un- fettered, so free, as German thinking. Two great doctrines which had sprung from the German Protestant Reformation, had been developed by THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 77 Germans from seed then plsuited in Germany. The first was the doctrine of universal education devel- oped from the Protestant conception of individual responsibility, and the second was the great doc- trine of civil liberty; liberty in industries, in society, in government, liberty Math order, under law." In regard to German academic freedom, Professor Eliot said in 1913 : ''This academic freedom meant emancipation from tradition, and prejudice, and from authority whether governmental or ecclesiastical. The Teu- tonic peoples set higher value on truth in speech, thought and action than any other people. They love truth; they seek it; they woo it America is more indebted to Germany than to any other nation because the range of Germsoi research has been wider and deeper than any nation." Shortly before the war, Mr. H . G . Wells, in his book entitled "Social Forces in England and A m e r i c a," wrote as follows : "We, in Great Britain, are now intensely jealous of Germany. We are intensely jealous of Germany not only because the Germans outnumber us, and have a much larger and more diversified country than ours, and lie in the very heart and body of Europe, but because in the last hundred years while we have fed on platitudes and vanity, they have had the energy and humility to develop a splendid system of national education, to toil at science and art and literature, to develop social organization, to master and 78 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS better our methods of business and industry, and to clamber above us in the scale of civiliza- tion. This has humiliated and irritated rather than chastened us." Mr, Wells informed us further that one must learn German "if one would be abreast of scientific knowledge and philosophical thought, or see many good plays or understand the contemporary m i n d." Since the commencement of the war, Mr. Wells has changed his tune. He now says : "That trampling, drilling foolery in the heart of Europe, that has arrested civilization for forty years, German imperialism and German militarism, has struck its inevitable blow." David Graham Phillips, the American author, had the following to say : "We inherited a little of our civilization from France; but unfortunately, more from England. I think the strongest desire I have is to see my country shake off the English in- fluence — the self-righteousness, the snobbishness . . . They put snobbishness into their church service and create a snob-god who calls some Englishmen to be 1 o r d s , and others to be servants. In New York, in one class with which my business compels me to have much to do, the craze for imitating England is rampant. It is absurd how they try to erect snobbishness into a virtue." Do not these utterances of an Ex-President of the great- THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 79 est university of the United States and other prominent men prove that Germany is the land of truth in which one finds incorporated the highest ideals of freedom and liberty, and which, so far as history proves, have not been found in any other nation? And these ideal conditions which ha\e existed in Germany for many years, have been grossly mis- represented to the world at large through England's system of spread- ing lies, and her persistent efforts to destroy Germany morally, ethically, and socially. Those who take a stand against Germany — the land of truth and liberty — are badly misinformed. In 1797 Thomas Jefferson said : "I do sincerely wish that we could take our stand on a ground perfectly neutral and independent towards all nations. But they (the English) have wished a monopoly of commerce and influence with us ; and they have in fact obtained it. . . . If anything after this could excite surprise, it would be that they have been able so far to throw dust in the eyes of our own citizens. They possess our printing presses, a powerful engine in their government of us. . . . At this very moment they would have drawn us into a war on the side of England, had it not been for the failure of her bank." Is it any wonder that Mr. John Swinton, a lifelong newspaper man, in response to an address "The Independ- ent Press," before the New York Press Association, said : 80 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS "There is no such thing in America as an Independent press, unless it is in the country towns. You know it and I know it. There is not one of you who dare express an honest opinion. If you express it you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid $150.00 per week for keeping my honest opinions out of the paper I am connected with. Others of you are paid similar salaries for doing similar things. If I should permit honest opinions to be printed in one issue of my paper, like Othello, before twenty-four hours my occupation would be gone. The man who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the street hunting for another job. The business of the New York journalist is to distort the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, to fawn at the feet of Mammon and to sell his country and race for his daily bread, or, for what is about the same thing, his salary. You know this and I know it; and what foolery to be toasting an 'Independent Press.' We are tools and the vassals of rich men behind the scenes. We are jumping-jacks. They pull the string and we dance. Our time, our talents, our lives, our possibilities, all are the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitute s." With the permission of Mr. Poultney Bigelow, the American author, I herewith quote extracts from letters written to him in 1914 by Sir Roger Casement (that noble soul! — on whose head the British Government placed a premium and who died for his country, because he knew too many of her secrets), and revealing many interesting points which were heretofore unknown : "This war is the Crime of all the Ages — and I THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 81 blame not the Kaiser or Germany — but chiefly England who has plotted and planned it from the days of the first big German battleship. "Her present campaign against Germany is hypo- critical and mendacious. She aims at one thing only — to destroy German competition ; to destroy German peaceful rivalry; to sweep from her path the only great commercial people in Europe whose integrity and capacity and efficiency she dreads. *'To France she gave Morocco (which was not hers to give, and violates her own Treaty — the Act of Algeciras) as hiring price in the anti-German prize ring. To Russia she hands over Northern and Middle Persia which were not hers to give. She now medi- tates the crime of the centuries — to destroy the civiliza- tion and industry of Central Europe and replace Germanic culture with Russian ignorance and tyranny. "England has ruined Irelan d — morally, finan- cially and physically. She has degraded and demoral- ized the people — destroyed their language, their culture, their music — everything in fine that stands for the soul of a nation; she has robbed them through the centuries and most of all in the last century (as Lord MacDonnell put it, *at least £320,000,000 sterling'). "I repeat I earnestly pray for Germany's triumph over British greed, French revenge, Russian dominance, Servian assassination, and Japanese 'chivalry.* "If the Almighty has a drop of Protestant blood in his veins he will be on the side of Germany in this war, of the most peace-loving people of Europe fighting for their national life, their industry, their commerce — their existence as a great race. 82 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS "England fights for one thing only — her interests as the World Emporium. She has two ends in view — first, to destroy Germany as a rival ; second, to rope the United States of America into an alliance of World partnership in the Emporium line. "She will fail in No. 1 ultimately even if she wins now. Germany is too great, has too good blood in her veins. "But England may succeed in No. 2. I see the signs of surrender here on all sides. The virus of British Imperialism is being inocu- lated steadily — already the press is thoroughly poisoned and most of the politicians and so-called 'public men.' "Unless the United States makes up its mind to fight, if need be, for its neutrality, Great Britain will destroy its neutrality and compel it to take sides against the 'enemy of civilization.' "Let the German navy score, by chance, any decided naval victory, and we shall find a concerted yell for help sent up throughout all the 'American press.' 'Com- mon ideals,' 'our Anglo-Saxon heritage of culture,' 'the cause of human freedom,' etc., etc., — all these will be at stake — and a deliberate effort will be made to stampede this people into the camp of the Allies. "The plans are already drawn up and everything pre- pared and laid. I am as certain of it as I was three. years ago that this war against Germany would be brought off. "And if it succeeds it will end this republic. It will turn this country into a vassal State to that one holding the Empire of the Seas. "Until there is freedom at Sea; equality of Sea rights for all ; equal opportunity ; and Navalism recognized as THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 83 a greater foe to Humanity than Militarism there can be no peace to mankind." It would be unwise for Germany to give up B e 1 g i u m — so dearly fought for. Every inch of ground added to the mother country means so much more strength for Ger- many's future, and correspondingly weakens her enemies. Colonies are of but relative value in times of war. Colonies, Germany may acquire by a stroke of the pen, but for every inch of ground near her border, she would have to pay dearly if she had to conquer it anew. One inch of ground gained at home is worth a hundred times its value in colonies. The possession of Belgium is for peace-loving Germany of incalculable value ! If Germany keeps conquered Belgium, also Russian Poland and other territory which she occupies, this will insure peace for many years to come and solve the great peace question of to-day. What nations would dare to attack greater Germany? Have you read the great book "England or Germany?" by Frank Harris ( Wilmarth Press, 1416 Broadway, New York) ? By all means one should read it, as it is a book of truth, throwing light on so-called English liberty and freedom and English laws. (It contains many things of which I have not written in this book.) His opinions on French and German culture are exceedingly instructive. Mr. Harris is an American who, for the past twenty-five years, has been the publisher, editor and owner of England's leading publications, and he writes impartially of facts he knows because he has lived them. Some of his statements are astonishing when he says : ''Great Britain is among the least 84 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS free of modern nations. Her chief titles to esteem belong to the past. Great Britain is an oligarchy with all theworst vices of despotic rule. "It is undoubtedly the German paste in the English character which is responsible for the maintenance of this hereditary nobility, and for the aristocratic color of all English society. There is an immense intellectual middle-class in Germany which criticises the nobility from the heights of knowledge. It is the German school, the German university, even more than the army, which forms the animating spirit of the people. "I tried to believe for years that the British aris- tocracy had manners and taste, but I was gradually forced to admit that their detachment from work and devotion to sense-enjoyment had dwarfed and stunted their appreciation even of art. "The right of free speech or free writing and printing has been limited in Great Britain by the most stringent libel laws ever framed. The British law is ridiculous in its hatred of truth and dislike of free speech. There is much less freedom of speech to-day in England than there is in Russia. The libel law of Great Britain is a disgrace to the lawgivers and judges who have framed it, and to the people who have ac- cepted it. It is drawn up simply to protect the rich and powerful from any word of criticism, true or false, and is sufficient to prove that England prefers money to truth and liberty. "In England you have a hundred petty despots called judges who can and do commit innocent persons to prison without form of trial THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 85 and without any possibility of redress. England is the only country in Europe where the innocent are sent to prison without trial and kept there in defiance of justice. It is a mere truism to say that no justice can be looked for in England by a poor man when any member of the titled aristocracy, or indeed any rich man, is op- posed to him in a case. "This self-styled land of liberty is the only country in Europe where that form of chattel-slavery, known as imprisonment for debt, still flourishes. Under this provision some twelve thousand persons are annually sent to prison in Great Britain by the be-wigged Solons and half of these criminals are imprisoned for sums less than twenty-five dollars ! The debtor is sent to prison for not paying an installment and so can be sent to prison a dozen times for the same petty debt. The barbarous stupidity of such judgments and judges seems to strike no one in England. The facts seldom get into the papers and never call forth any comment. English laws have in many respects become harsher in the last forty or fifty years, and English judges to-day do worse than ruin men for accidents beyond their control. Semi-starvation is a part of the prison regime in England. In England prac- tically every article of food is adult- erated. Only the other day they passed a short law giving the right to judges to confine any one whom they regarded as an 'habitual offender,' to prison for the rest of his life. This disgraceful law is the lowest depth reached by any legislature in Christendom for the last century and a half. 86 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS "Mere facts show that the English Bankruptcy laws stand alone in the world as the most barbarous, the most iniquitous ever framed. "Heine says : 'No tyrant was ever so bar- barous as the English laws/ "If Heine was justified, and I think he was, what can be said for English freedom ? England lags hopelessly behind the foremost civil- ized countries. "Mr. Sidney Webb, the highest author- ity on conditions of the poor in England, writes of it as follows : 'Underneath the feet of the whole wage-earning class is the abyss of the Poor Law. I see before me a respectable family applying for relief. What do we do to them? We, the Government of England, break up the family. We strip each individual of what makes life worth living. When the man enters the workhouse he is stripped of his citizenship — branded as too infamous to vote for a member of Parliament. Once in the workhouse, we put him to toil or to loiter under conditions that are so demoralizing that we turn him into a wastrel. And we strip the wife of her children. We send her to the wash-tub or the sewing- room, where she associates with prostitutes and im- beciles. The little children, if they are under" five, are taken to the workhouse nursery, where they also are tended by prostitutes and imbeciles. There they re- main, day after day, without ever going down the workhouse steps until they are old enough to go to the Poor Law School, or until they are taken down in their coffins, owing to the terrible mortality among THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 87 workhouse babies.' After this nothing further need be s^id of British justice or British magnanimity. "The most poisonous development in the legislation of the last hundred years is the growth of joint- stock companies. For twenty-five years neither the promoter nor the directors were held responsible for the misstatements published in the prospectuses they issued by the million. Lies are sacred as the chief stock in trade of the robbers. He may even declare what dividends he finds most likely to win more clients and finally, under one pretext or another, he can pocket the money entrusted to him, and declare the company bankrupt. He is then free to begin the game again in the next street. "In France and in Germany, there is careful State supervision of joint-stock companies, and the attempt to swindle is made difficult and dangerous, but in London, such a swindle would be almost sure to pass unnoticed. The robbers, so long as they appear to have money, are given every license by the English law. **As to corruption in England, I could fill a volume with facts gathered in a quarter of a century spent in journalism in London ; facts which it was impossible to publish in Great Britain where truth itself is held to be a libel. There is, in ray opinion, more com- mercial dishonesty and more political 'graft' as well, to be found in England in a day than in the United States in a month or in France in a year. "The famous purchase of the Suez Canal shares was never even scrutinized, and yet it would have repaid investigation. "But in spite of the 'muzzling' of the press 88 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS in England, every now and then some swindle leaks out and from its enormity any thinker must draw dreadful inferences which he dare not pub- ^ li s h or even hint at in any English publication. "Roughly speaking, Americans have decided that the Allies must win because they outnumber the Germans and Austrians by three to one. The Germans will fight to the last German, the Bel- gians to the last Belgian, and the Britons to the last — Frenchman. Now Americans are beginning to realize that England wanted Germany's trade and was jeal- ous of her astounding growth in in- dustry, commerce and naval power. "The reputation of Germany has already grown out of all calculation. For a century or more to come it will probably be regarded as the model State, and its institutions will be imitated, its institutions copied, all the forms of it aped and assimilated while the informing spirit of it may pass almost unappreciated. ''After the war Germeui valor and German virtue will be lauded to the skies; in fact, everything Ger- man will have an added value and take on a new lustre. I regard German virtue, that is, German effi- ciency and German valor, as the highest in the Euro- pean world to-day; I do not believe that Germany can be beaten by the Allies. "There are no ideals in England, no en- thusiasm, no high appreciation of art or literature, no impersonal striving. "Ever since the iniquitous South African war I have felt that England's success and England's material THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 89 prosperity taken together with her low spiritual ideal constitute the gravest danger to the cause of civiliza- tion in the world! **I have always felt that England is the real enemy of civilization, for more than a hundred years now the chief ob- stacle to the humanization of man. I have asserted that life in Germany is freer than life in England or France. "The status of educated women is compara- tively high in France and Germany, and low in Eng- land. The highly educated class is thrice as large in Germany in proportion to population as it is in France and at least ten times more than it is in Great Britain. "One result of the widely diffused and better educa- tion in Germany is that artists and men of science and of letters of the best class have a far larger public in Germeuiy to appeal to than anywhere else in Europe. 'Tt is Germany's position ringed round by watchful, greedy foes that has made Germany great. "No wonder Germany stands victorious as the first of modem states. It is the new-bom faith in man — the consciousness of man's power and the glory of man's achievement — that has made Germany great and in spite of all odds and all alliances, will continue her in victory. "The stories of German atrocities grew with the German successes and soon became wholly incredible. Lies, we told ourselves, in war time be- come as plentiful as bullets. We have Mr. James Bennett proving that Sir A. Conan Doyle's account of German 'atrocities' and , German 'murders' are mostly foul im- 90 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS a g i n i n g s . For example, he shows that the stories of the wrecking of Louvain, are wild exaggerations; more than three-quarters of the town standing to-day uninjured. A censorship is needed in England to protect English commercial 'graft' and the Englisholigarchy. "The American war-correspondent, Mr. Emer- son, recently informed me that of 87 cablegrams sent by him from Berlin in the early months of the war, to New York papers, 83 were suppressed altogether by the English censor, and of the four allowed to go through, one was so altered that the meaning of it was entirely changed. "There is no such thing as free speech possible in Great Britain/' The latest book of Israel Zangwill, the well- known English writer, "The War for the World" (Mac- millan) is a revelation to those who have any doubts re- garding the so-called English freedom. He informs us that the Magna Charta (a grant of individual rights) has even been annulled recently by "The Defense of the Realm Act" of the House of Commons. He says, there is no personal liberty in England, no liberty of the press nor commercial liberty; e-ven the Habeas Corpus right has been taken from the English citizen, who can be put in prison and con- victed ^vithout court trial. If Germany loses this war civilization will receive a tre- mendous setback. If England wins this war, falsehoods and tyranny will rule the world hereafter. THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 91 Hereafter let us not say: Conditions are as bad as in Russia, but as bad as in England. Apropos — B elgian cruelty is proverbial. The Belgians are known to blind their singing birds, claiming that they sing better. No wonder they gouged out the eyes of German soldiers. Great Britain's highest seats of learning are Oxford and Cambridge Universities, the standard of which is not the highest. This is due to the fact that after entering the colleges, the studies of Greek and Latin are continued for about a year and a half, which studies should have been completed before entering the universities, as is the case in Germany. Considering that a course at these universities is only three years, much valuable time is wasted by continuing these studies, and attending church services four or five times a week. The fact that athletic sports count more than scientific results (a student who is an ath- lete is favored in his examina- tions) proves that the standard of these universities is not to be com- pared w i th that of any German university. After all, if one compares the cultures of England and Germany, which influence is preferable, the German system — a broad straight-forward and intelligent way, with great- est liberty and freedom of the individual^-or English tyranny (both on land and sea), narrow-minded and barbarous laws and unscrupulousness, with her immoral weapons — the lying press bureaus (which not only furnish the American people with English falsehoods and misrepre- 92 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS sentations, but make slanderous attacks on the individual, who in turn has no protection), Cecil Rhodes societies, and others of similar character (both secret and open) ? They dominate the very pulse and life of the American people. After all, are not the servile conditions enforced by Great Britain on the United States responsible for the restriction of personal rights and the sad fact that the United States is in many respects the most undemocratic country among civil- ized nations ? Everything considered, cannot the United States be called a country of chaos, disorder, fanaticism and misdirected liberty? We are living in critical times when affairs require great skill and foresight in handling. It is opportunities that make men, and arouse them to enthusiasm. These are exceptional times, when exceptional care should be taken in electing exceptional presidents, who can be trusted by the American people like they could trust George Wash- ington and Abraham Lincoln. The present times demand able men with the right kind of patriotism and cleanliness of character, not only in dealing with local affairs, but world events of international importance. If my criticisms may appear too severe, it is because con- ditions are such, that they invite criticism and demand op- posing and rectifjring, but they are meant for the general good of this country. If ignored (and the average American is indifferent and follows our leaders blindly), it may be too late, when we find ourselves misled, deceived and regretful. I owe it to my adopted country that certain truths must be told, and I cannot help saying them regardless of what the cost. No matter how much criticism I may receive, I only care for the general good, which I hope this country will derive from it in the end. THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS 93 These are unusual moments and time to act! Let us go a step further toward Truth! No good can be accomplished unless America takes a stand as George Wash- ington did against Elngland, the country that tries to rule the globe in a way that is a disgrace to civilization. Has Elngland ever done anything that has benefited the United States, and does not history prove that England has always been the most dangerous enemy of the United States ? Is a nation as immoral as Great Britain fit to rule the world? History proves that such a nation must decay sooner or later. And do not all signs point toward a downfall of England? John Ruskin, the great English critic, said about like this : "Don't let us worry about England ; she will belong to the dead nations in a hundred years from now." Germanism (Teutonism) stands for highest ideals: straight-forwardness in character, truth, broad and deep thinking, highest morals and ethics, highest efficiency, highest standard of culture. It is the apostle of true democracy among all nations! Nothing portrays the inner strength of the German race better than the so-called ''furor Teutonicus,'* which comprises German enthusiasm, German devotion and German spirit. — It is that overpowering strength, that ir- resistible strength, that rejuvenated strength which other nations do not possess! Through those qualities of conscien 94 THE BOOK OF TRUTH AND FACTS tiousness, thoroughness, labored analysis and deduction, complete success in Ger- manic operations is obtained. It is constant and conscientious application to one par- ticular thing that brings highest efficiency or perfection. Why was Rembrandt so great as a portrait painter? Because he painted the same subject (himself) more than two hundred times, every time from a different angle. Houston Stewart Chamberlain, in his extensive work entitled "The Foundation of the Nineteenth Century" (John Lane Co., New York), maintains that since the days of the old Greeks and Romans no really great achieve- ments of the white race have been accomplished that could not be traced back to German origin. The achievements of the Germans in inventions and discoveries, and their development — in scientific research — philosophy and science — commerce and finance — ad- ministration and legislation — in peace and war, during the last eighty years signify the greatest progress in culture ever made by any nation within any such brief space of time — and this is the period that has elapsed since Goethe's time. FRITZ VON FRANTZIUS. Chicago, October 20, 1914. Revised and republished August, 1916. An Appeal to the Great American People. We are stiU living in an age of darkness, ignorance and doubt — of fictions and gross misrepresentations, mainly due to the falsehoods and hypocrisy of Great Britain, set on foot centuries ago in order to deceive the whole world as to the real conditions of life — a disgrace to civilization. It is due to Martin Luther that mankind received a great uplift from his doctrine of universal education and civil liberty. Much, however, remains to be desired and ac- complished, and civilization is still greatly handicapped by evils that must be stamped out. It should be the aim of the nations to free themselves from the tyranny of falsehoods and misrepresentations. It should be their object to establish '^Bureaus of Truth" in opposition to the Lying Press Bureaus, mainly those of Great Britain. We should endeavor to establish institutions of resesurch into conditions as they really are — institutions of comparative philosophy (truth) and philology (teaching). Millions of money, even billions, are given away for the establishment of religious institutions, hospitals, libraries, centers for scientific re- search, etc., but not one cent is given for research of truth that would serve the interests of the public. What could be of more vital importance to every indi- vidual than to know the truth in regard to conditions and to be confronted with real facts, so that people might strive for better conditions — for freedom along all lines? What could be grander than being in touch with all the great things on earth (good or bad conditions of which we know very little) ? Does it not improve the morals of the individual ? What is more punf)ring to a man's character and what could improve general conditions to a larger extent than striving for everybody's freedom and enlightenment? This is the only way our modern civilization can get out of its rut — the way from darkness to light through the knowledge of truth! Thanks to Elnglish falsehoods, an era of truth and en- lightenment is coming! All the Cecil Rhodes money (suppose it be a billion dollars) cannot permanently battle against truth — it may do so part of the time, but it cannot do so all the time. Special funds should be created for the purpose of found- ing an institution which would have the function of serving the American public, and the world at large, with truthful reports and matter-of-fact conditions, not only in this coun- try, but throughout the world. A citizen could build no greater monument to himself or his country than by donating or willing funds for the estab- lishment of such a monument of truth that will contribute toward the great ideals of mankind, and will benefit not only himself, but civilization for all times to come. Let this be the greatest event in the uplift of humanity since Martin Luther's time! We need the co-operation of all truth-loving people ! We will have to start an independent press, revise school books, historical books and encyclopaedias, and create an institution for the research of Truth with branches all over the world. We want to influence legislation to reform press laws. Cecil Rhodes' money is working in the dark — ^we need an institution to work in the light! THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS WILL BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO RETURN THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PENALTY WILL INCREASE TO 50 CENTS ON THE FOURTH DAY AND TO $1.00 ON THE SEVENTH DAY OVERDUE. JUL 21 1937 ^m27)c'4 .r>i fl7Au£r'i?0H^ ItlftUg-^*^ ^ ^^^?^T3 LLr AUli . \ LD 21-100m-8,'34 VB 25265 U.C. BERKELEY LIBRARIES '■ Illllllilli CD5Efllfl7MS f:S6564 UNIVERSITY OF CAUFORNIA LIBRARY iliilii i ill mm I™ iilllii liilil Mi