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Show CHAOS IN GERMANY. The stories coming from Berlin of riotous living, ribald entertainment and social debauchery in some degree remind re-mind one of the excesses of the French revolution, just as the accounts of street butcheries read like a chapter from the history of France's convulsion. In all the suecessivo stages of the French revolution rev-olution there were elements in Paris which abandoned themselves to license. Even when the guillotine was lopping off heads with no discrimination whatever, what-ever, the capital gave itself to the pursuit pur-suit of pleasure. The "gilded youth" did not cease their devotion to social prodigalities even at a time when they were being denounced as factionists eager to have them hauled in tumbrils to the place of execution. Whether Bobespierre or Danton, mountain or plain, Girondists or Marat happened to be in the ascendancy, the theaters were nightly crowded and Paris gave itself over to both bloodletting and frivolity. But here the similarity seems to end. All the time of France's travail her leaders had but one object, the restoration restora-tion of order in the infant republic, whereas the revolution in Germany seems to have resulted in a crop of counter-revolutionists bent on destroying the fruits of the overthrow of imperialism. Germany has- no Napoleon in the distance dis-tance awaiting his Toulon and opportunity. oppor-tunity. Nor has Germany a man of the firmness of Bobespierre. Liebknecht w-as but a poor imitation of Marat. Ebert is not Danton. Hindonburg was not cast in the mold of the great Corsi-can. Corsi-can. Germany is in chaos because for years her people have been cultivating a spurious spu-rious notion of German destiny. The collapse of her supposedly superior civilization has left the Germans with no sense of direction. The deliberations ! of the so-called congress at Weimar dis-1 dis-1 closed an utter absence of constructive j ability. Irresolution marks every stage j of tho attempt to build upon the founda-'tions founda-'tions of wrecked imperialism an endur-ing endur-ing popular government. Tho battles ; in the streets of Berlin reflect the ability abil-ity of one or another group to beat down at one time or another not a fatuous fatu-ous governmental policy, but a menace J to the faction temporarily in control of I affairs. In other words, there is no : broad vision in Germany at this mo-; mo-; mcnt. Out of the confusion order may come eventually. But there are indications that it will be brought about by exter- , nal agencies. More and more it becomes ' apparent that, having saver? Europe , from the German menace, the allied ! powers must now set about the task i of saving Germany from itself. |