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'1‘IIE -5F'A"TI-I"ERLAND t '7
zens, it" is i‘nii'ch.iriore‘tha'ii: an average of their qualities, indeed
the morale altitudepf a Stateapproaches the altitude of the
greatest,coriception’j of its greatest citizen multiplied by the
morale forceof all its,citizcns'. '
The force or a‘great ieonceptioin animates every individual,
widens liisliorizon, inspires his‘ actions and gains for him the
added reassurance tliatotliers, being similarly inspired, are by
their devotion adding, to the greatness of the state. This inter-
action, raises the power of tlie"stat'e', to a high coefficient and is
the final expression of unity. , , ,
It is on a vast scale the fable of the seven sticks, but in the
case of national unity, the alliance not only gains the value of
the union of the individual forces but the individual force is so
intensified that each stick becomes a rod of steel.
Such is German’ unity.
And the coi1‘6eptioii'tliat has had perliaps the most powerful
effect on Gerniairprogress is that expressed by Frederick the
Great and later re-enforced by Bismarck,‘ the duty of the state
to the citizen.
Many nations satisfy themselves with the theory that the duty
which the citizen owes the state is the only duty that needs ful-
filling in their mutual relations. But the German conception is
that the state having been served by the citizen is in duty bound
to serve the citizen in an equal if not greater degree.
This conception is an additional bulwark of strength since the
citizen feeling that the state is a friend and not a mere Pafasl“-‘
is inspired to still greater sacrifices.
This conception is one of the great secrets of German progress.
it is the force in the frequent phrase “Alle fiir Ein. Ein ml’
Alle (all for one, one for all), which is of such frequent occur-
rence. When carried into effect, as it is in Germany: It i5 3"
element of kultur, a civilization-ideal, of which the nation may
well be proud.
The spread of such a principle to other countries meets with a
powerful and determined opposition for the reason, largely, that
it threatens the pockets of influential men of business who seeing
their private interests threatened apply to the idea the term of
Daternalism and generally endeavor to make a bug-H-b00 Of 1’.
38 they do of any‘ idea that has for them no bankable
Dossibilities.
In a country which contains a large body of wealthy citizens
who thus place their interests above the public welfare. a marked
disruptive effect is observed and since the power which rules 81
country must always be entrusted to the hands of certain factions
or bodies of men for periods of greater or less length. It ‘5 t9
the interests of unpatriotic men of wealth to encourage ‘CPU?-
lican principles since the less government thcfti .55 the Efcam’ “'1”
be their freedom to prey upon the helpless individual who ‘under
a more paternalistic government would be better P1'0lf3C“5d;
The lover of liberty and freedom so called, while sincere
enough in his belief in his principles. runs so far =“V?Y "Om fhe
l'<‘-Eltlar paths of government that he finds himself ll’l the wilds
of the plunderers. Probably the freest and most indcPende“t
citizen that ever livedwas the American Indian, while the one
Subject to the greatest number of regulations is the modern Ger-
man. The modern German certainly has less freedom of per-
sonal action than the Indian, but he just as certainly has a vastly
greater freedom from the encroachments of his fellow citizens.
It is only a question of where you wish to draw the line, to
what extent you are willing to dispense with your own Pe1'50“3l
license to preserve yourself from the personal license of others.
The German regards his civilization-ideal, his kultur, of “all
‘O1’ the state and the state for all” as a better s)t5t3m ma“ the
greater license "which the citizens of other countries retain for
the'mselves.= ’ - . - - " I I i ii i I’ >-
Is it betteror is" itnot? -> -’ M -3 “ "'
Before passing ‘judgment -‘upon it, lt5'Pf0‘3&55“5 5h0“1d'be
studied and ifs‘ ,-eguttg understood, and countries'ostensibly more
democratic should question their institutions to find outwhcther
they are really effective insecuring to the citizens the degree of
liberty aimed at, whether in place of a well organized, responsi-
ble and effective “paternalism” they do not. have an inefficient
irresponsible elusive and infinitely divided system of “democratic"
powers preying upon the public instead of ‘carrying out’ the will
of the public asthe German system undoubtedly does, whether in
reality they do not have merely the forms of freedomancl not
the substance. ' ' "
There does not appear to the German, conversant as he is with
its processes and results, any valid objection either in theory or
practice to the German system. That the nation should bear as
far as practicable under modem conditions a fatherly relation to
its citizens should not offer any violence to ideals of the most
democratic. By the very complexity of modern life, the citizen
is placed at the mercy of the ill-disposed among his brother-
citizens to whose wiles and violence he would succumb but for
the strong band of government. Without government civilization
would be impossible. This is at once the most obvious yet the
most profound of social principles.
In some degree, therefore, government must act as the pro-
tection of the citizen, because it is better fitted to protect him
than he is to protect himself. The most violent democrat cannot
dispute the principle.
Does it not, therefore, follow that the government should
afford the citizen every protection which can be afforded him by
government provided such protection be afforded through its in-
strumentality more efiicaciously than otherwise?
Anything less than this would be burdening the individual citi-
zens with duties more expensive for them to perform as individ-
uals than as a body social. Germans believe that Germany leads
the world in eflicieircy and comprehensiveness of governmental
operation. Her enemies hold her efficient system up to scorn and
make it appear that the German citizen is an oppressed underling
of the Kaiser. This ridiculous propaganda is instigated and sup-
ported by capitalistic influences who see in what may be termed
the greater social functioning, diminishing opportunities for
profitable employment of their capital. They misrepresent Ger-
many and German results in every possible way not only to her
disadvantage but much more to the disadvantage of other coun-
tries who would adopt, to a still greater extent, the expedients
she has found so profitable. -
There was a time when every householder in New York was
compelled by law to keep a light lit in front of his house. To-
day the city buys electric current for street illumination from a
private company. In the future, no doubt, it will supply its own
current. In the past its citizens were compelled to pave the
streets in front of their houses- Today the city operates its own
paving plants. In the past, education was costly and there were
no libraries. Today the city provides a vast school system, and
constructs and conducts one of the greatest libraries in the world
free to all citizens.
At what point in such a. process does the government become
“paternalistic."
In the light of‘German progress, the charges so freely ad-
vanced against her institutions and systems are as ridiculous to
the German as the charge of “paternalism" against the public
library would be to the New Yorker. .
At most the question is but one of constantly changing ex-
pediency, to what extent the body social should act in its col-
lective capacity and to what extent as individuals.
Germans believe that everything that the state can do better
than the citizen should be done by the state. An active body. of
Americans believe that the state should do nothing except those
things...which.are utterly impossible to thezcitizen acting.indi-
vidually; The choice of these views must be left to.the public.
Undoubtedly, much lies in the personal character of the citizen.
The German character is more amenable to discipline and‘ uni-
formity,‘ more "decisive in execution than the Americau.',' The
degree to which -the state may assume a fatherly attitude may
