Chapter I: Front Matter

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GEMS (?) OF GERMAN THOUGHT

COMPILED BY WILLIAM ARCHER

GARDEN CITY NEW YORK DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY 1917

_Copyright, 1917, by_ DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY

_All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, including the Scandinavian_

THOR'S HAMMER-CAST

Thor stood at the midnight end of the world,
His battle-mace flew from his hand:
"So far as my clangorous hammer I've hurled
Mine are the sea and the land!"
And onward hurtled the mighty sledge
O'er the wide, wide earth, to fall
At last on the Southland's furthest edge
In token that His was all.
Since then 'tis the joyous German right
With the hammer lands to win.
We mean to inherit world-wide might
As the Hammer-God's kith and kin.

FELIX DAHN (1878).

CONTENTS

PAGE

INTRODUCTION 3

I

"DEUTSCHLAND ÜBER ALLES" 31
German Humility 31
The Gentle German 49
The Great Misunderstood 55
Kultur 57
Der deutsche Gott 69
The Chosen People and its Mission 78
"Other Peoples" 84
Christ 88
Die deutsche Wahrheit 94
German Insight and Foresight 98
German Freedom 100
The German Language 101

II

GERMAN AMBITIONS 107
Expansion in Europe 107
Expansion beyond Europe 118
Weltmacht 122

III

WAR-WORSHIP 133
The Lust of Battle 133
War and Religion 135
War and Ethics 137
War and Biology 140
War and Kultur 143
Blood and Iron 145
War Necessary to Germany 149
War Need not be Defensive 153
Contempt for Peace 154
Militarism Exultant 159

IV

RUTHLESSNESS 169

V

MACHIAVELISM 185
Mendacity and Faithlessness 185
Might is Right 194

VI

ENGLAND, FRANCE, AND BELGIUM--ESPECIALLY ENGLAND 199
The False Islanders 199
Hymns of Hate 201
British Vices--Hypocrisy, Envy, and Greed 208
British Vices--Cowardice and Laziness 215
Treachery to Germanism 218
Sir Edward Grey and his Colleagues 220
Britain's Great Illusion 223
Comic Relief 228
France 233
Belgium 235

Index of Books and Pamphlets from which quotations are made 243

Index of Authors 255

INTRODUCTION