| OCR Text |
Show j PREMATURE REJOICING. ! Flags were flying everywhere in Ger- ' many yesterday, the schools were closed 1 and the day was given over to rejoicing. rejoic-ing. ' The emperor's telegram to Chancellor Chan-cellor von Hertling was placarded on the walla throughout Berlin and the newspapers joined in the chorus of praise for the kaiser and the military-leaders. military-leaders. "I am filled with proud joy at the deeds of my army and the tenacious te-nacious purpose of my people," the message to Von Hertling read, and it is of especial satisfaction to him that "German blood and German kultur" have been saved. The sword wielded by tho army leaders, favored by Almighty Al-mighty God, is given credit for bringing bring-ing about peace with Eussia and leaving leav-ing the Huns free to prosecute their campaign in the west. Undoubtedly the Germans have good cause for rejoicing over the downfall of Eussia, even thougli it was accomplished accom-plished by treachery instead of by the sword wielded by God's annointed, for had the Eussians held their own the war would have ended this year and disaster would have overtaken the central cen-tral powers sooner than is now .possible. .possi-ble. The murderer who is granted a i respite while in the hands of the hangman hang-man is filled with the same kind of 1 joy that now fills the breasts of the ! Germans while they extol the prowess I of the army and debase themselves in the presence of the war lord. But for- tunately for the future peace of the i world, the supreme test of the Hun warriors war-riors is yet to come; the superiority of 1 tho German military leaders is yet to be j proved, and before the curtain is rung .down on the bloody drama the people i df Germany and Austria w-ill have j drained the cup of humiliation to the j very dregs. The entente allies and the United States have discounted the re- suit on the eastern front and the German Ger-man sword and German kultur will now 1 have their trial in the west. We have j no fears of the result, long drawn out as the war may be. But while there is a season of rejoicing rejoic-ing in Germany and the champions of democracy are girding up their loins for the coming struggle, how about Eussia? Eus-sia? Does the shameful peace of Bre-it-Litovsk bring any joy or comfort to the ttne hundred and fifty millions of peo-: peo-: pie who went into the war with one-sixth one-sixth of the territory of tho entire world? 'Will they ring the bells and firo the guns and sing praises unto the Lord as thpir soldiers come marching 1 home? Ah, no. There will be no laurel wreaths for th coward who threw town their arms and fled before the nemy, and it will be a day of inrjnrri-I inrjnrri-I iug in sackcloth and ashes for all Eussians Eus-sians save those who have brought shame and degradation to their countrymen. coun-trymen. There is no paralhd cast; in Die history of the world. There have been traitors and apostates in all ages, hut never before has such a mighty country as Russia been laid low. Centuries Cen-turies will come and go, but never again v.iW there be sii'-h an exhibition of env. a rd ice. ' It is painful to contrast the spirit diown by the Belgians, the Serbians, the Eiiinanians and the Montenegrins with the pitiful exhibition made by the iJ'jssians in the present war, and we turn av.ay from the snbjeet in disgust. The second chapter of the story is iibout to begin, and we are not coinpelb d to turn over the leaves to discover how ! it will end. The linns will be as treacherous in the west as they have been in the east, and their hinders will talk pe-ve and cnll upon Cod as a wit. ue-s that, they are a n i ma ted by the pur e-f of motives. At, the snme lime they will be tabbing ei vi !i:it ion in the b;.''h, hut. this game cannot, be sue-ecfnllv sue-ecfnllv plne, against the United Mates, Crf.it Jiritnin, Kiance and llaly, ;rnd there will be no i-omjiroini ". It, is piobablv true lhat, the war will be pro-!on',"-d indefinitely by the cnll.-ipso of I;,,:; da, and that rivers of blood will . before ' . r in Ji ri "Itiillnr" as , mi ,1 i f'i by the word goes livn, to liir no n,or", I'.nl '" far as the people ,,f t;i. I'ni'i'il Hales r,,e I'Mieerncd, I ,.., ,. ',v 1 1 1 be no f:i ll( r i ii now I hat we I, ;,,ji Hed mi feir iiuisir and '"ilb i ,,r vi.iing nu n to I lie ri.lnr . The 17 a I' j , ... ,,(. .nd until democracy I nuuiph'i. I Tin- Russians may prefer slavery to death, but Americans have been cast in a different mold. |
