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Show THE BAriBRIANS . Wlo are the barbarians of Europe? In the present state of affairs on that continent is there any overpowering reason why we should look down so dis dainfolly upon barbarism! On the other hand does the European spectacle make us eo proud of civil zation that we can afford to boast about it I Ger many is boasting about it and seems to think that the real justification for the wax lies m the fact that a cul tured ' Germany is at war with a barbaric Euss a At first -glance that seems a very impress ve contrast but a moment s thought w 11 d "pel some illns ons The dictionaries tell us that barbar ism is the middle status of culture be tween savagery and civil zation rude t ness in point of manners arts and 1 t erature. Civilization is an improved cond tion of man resulting from social order in place of the individual mde pendence and lawlessness of barbarism It may esast m various degrees and it is progressive and retrogressive It i may be higher tomorrow than it is to- day or it may be lower There is something in the cynic s fling that Germany while claiming to Bf- be at war with the barbarism of Ens m s a ,made its f rst attack upon highly Ef tivilized Belgium. If Germany had g first attacked France the cynic could P not have,Jnafe he criticism with so W .much effect beeausg France although jfe civilized was bound oy an offensive E and defensive alf aneewith what the f Germans are pleased to call barbar X ous" Bussta Belgium was not Bus , s a s ally nor even an ally of France Sit was a neutral nation whose nen h trality had been guaranteed by Ger many It -possessed that improved condition of man resulting from social order and Germany violated this so asl order and turned a rich and beau tiful civilization into something as ap palling as Buss an barbarism. Bnt there is a -oord m fact there are many words to say in behalf of 'the bear who walks like a man The main accusation against him at this time is that he is ignorant super i stitious aiid cruel and ambitious to dominate alt Europe We do not pur pose here to offer a defense of ignor ance but in pass ng we m ght point out that enlightenment seems quite as much in need of defense at least for the moment mo-ment Nor will we defend supersti t on while wondering why the re ligiott of England France Germany and Belgium was not equal to the ask of i preventing the greatest war since the world began Very 1 kely the fault does not at all 1 e with religion nor with civilization Perhaps it s due to the fact that man s far from be ng as rel gious and as civilized as he should be He is not perfect whether he be German or Puss an If he were per feet n Germany there probably would be no ka ser who could declare war without the consent of the people The Germans are lustly proud of the r civil zation the r kultur They po nt w th encee 1 ng pr de to the c v ll z ng m ss on of Germany Is the present war a sh n ng example of that msson? We use the nterrogat e form freely because we lo not pretend o be omn s ent upo these baffl ubiect The worl 1 has mad much ado e s n arve oua mate a p og rtss n tne last oenturj b t has some vhat negle ted the u tual i do It las lent f ed 1 at on w th ma ter al p o, eqs a 1 the e a e son e free nt n 1 at n that th terms are not non mo a Pe haps t an re sad of nat o s f nl lual tl at po r nt noenrJe man an 1 a a ar at taste Some f 1 o a at ds la e 1 oke 1 e o u A er a be at av a t nea arr a ng c e of n u t r Be ng h how v h fclleJo pety n n a c t a ortarlc n t e t a of f e many i ran o an 1 1 gland The peo le f It sa a a e r an 1 the r r den an 1 a eg o apr a 1 the n r an I s e at t ous o tot o 1 h a wb know tho ' " a a w n a xtravu(,a t y i U rh y g tla Hey r a "f I 1 I si I f n a I ha j 11, n r. I a nit n n IT I n a I 1 " n I I h I I at nawhwtj era Europe has not The Progress ve partv n th s country will be glad to hear for example that Euss a has old age pens ons But perhaps that s an evidence of barbar sm Then there is th frightful charge that Eussia is snperstit ous. It Is m possible to dodge the deep damnat on of sach a charge Superst t on has been guilty of so manj ugly crimes since the world began that an apologist for t would be regarded as the devil s ad voeate But side bv side w th super stition in Buss a is a s mple fa th that keeps the great ma o tv of the peopl on v rtue s side How e e It be t seems to me ' Tls on nob e to be good Kind hearts are more tl an coronets And simp e fai h t an Norman b ood The kind of superst t on which links the name of God w th the butcher es of a war lord may not be as benefit al to the human race as the simple fa th which sometimes degenerates into fan atical cruelty But what of the czarl Is he any bet ter than tho ka ser? Is h s absolut sm any better than the absolut sm of the German war lord! Kot a bit But does not that prove the Cerman argument that the world will exchange German cfVilizat on for Eussian barbarism if Germany loses in the present war! Dud son Maxim the noted inventor of quick fir ng guns declares that Great Br ta n Franca and Germany will be compelled to unite against a common menace and drive the Eussian Rack into his own domain One hundred years' ago Eus s a joined with thp civilized nat ons of western Europe to crush the greatest of all war lords Napoleon Bonaparte and when the task had been accom plished Eussia did not overrun western Europe |