War is the result of the old ideal of education. I call it old because
it is over for ever, I hope, with this war. The old European ideal of
education was so called individualistic. This ideal was supported
equally by the churches and by science and art. Extreme individualism,
developed in Germany more than in any other country, resulted in pride,
pride resulted in materialism, materialism in pessimism. Put upon a
dangerous and false base every evil result followed quite naturally. If
my poor personality is of limitless value, without any effort and merit
of my own, why should not I be proud? If the aim of the world's history
is to produce some few genial personalities, as Carlyle taught, why
should not I think that I am such a personality for my own generation,
and why should I not be proud of that? Once filled with pride I will
soon be filled also with contempt for other men. Selfishness and denial
of God will follow my pride; this is called by a scientific word
materialism. Being a materialist, as long as I possess a certain amount
of intellectual and physical strength, I will be proud of myself. But as
soon as my body or spirit are affected by any illness (it may be only a
headache or toothache), I will plunge into a dark pessimism, always the
shadow and the end of materialism. Modern Germany was, as you know, the
hearth of individualism, and consequently also of pride, materialism,
atheism and pessimism. The worship of strong personalities (to-day:
Kaiser William and Hindenburg) holds the whole of Germany in unity
during this war, which is not the case either in France or in Great
Britain or Russia, where the common cause inspires the unity.