in civilization.  It doesn’t want culture in bearskin and top boots.  It wants civilization, and civilization means a culture that takes in the whole of a man’s being—­his body, his mind, his spirit.  Well, we think you’re after the same ideal; we believe that you’re as conscious of humanity as we are, and we begin to realize pretty acutely that in a world rather barbarous on the whole, come to think of it, we can’t afford to lose England.”

The other man added:  “Germany stands for nearly everything we Americans are opposed to, tooth and nail.  We just loathe militarism.  Conscription’s a thing we abominate.  And feudalism is more dead over here than in any country in the world.”

“But bear in mind,” said the first, “we have few people in America better than the Germans.  The Germans are almost the most efficient of our immigrants.  They’ve taught us a lot.  We owe them a mighty big debt.  Before their coming we were prodigals.  We used up our natural resources with a ruthless disregard for the future.  We leveled our forests for timber, and just scratched the top soil of the land for corn.  Now we’re learning to farm scientifically and to conserve our wealth.  And this is due in no small degree to the Germans.  The German, emancipated from feudalism and kaiserism, is a pretty good citizen.  In fact, among the men who have most helped modern America we reckon Germans and Irishmen.”

I told them this story:  A man in New York was speaking the other day to Count von Bernstorff, the German Ambassador.  Count von Bernstorff was endeavoring to prove to this important personage that England had forced the war upon Germany out of jealousy of her trade competition.  “Sir,” said the American, “you really must not tell me that, and I advise you not to tell such a tale to other Americans.  For we know very well that we are greater trade rivals of England than you are, and that, in spite of that fact, here on this continent of America we have got 3,000 miles of British frontier without a fort or a gun.”  He then said to the Ambassador:  “No, Sir; your mistake all through has been in making an enemy of England when your best interest was to make friends with her.  If you had made friends with England, you would have got all you wanted.”  To this accusation, I understand, the Ambassador made answer that Germany had endeavored to make friends with England, but had been repulsed.  We have a different record in England.  The American quietly reminded the Ambassador of the fact that England admits German goods free of tariff charges.

Germany Represents Autocracy.

The two Philadelphians perfectly agreed with the justice of this accusation, and declared again that it was because Germany represented all the perils and slavishness of autocracy, and because England represented the freedom, the justice, and the passion for social welfare which inspire all living democracies, that America was so absolutely on the English side.