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.
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