Some time ago Dr. Wilhelm von Bode, the well-known director of the
Berlin Art Museums and Germany's authority in matters of art, issued a
justification of German conduct in Rheims and Louvain, which he
supported by a review of Germany's world-contribution to art. "The
German Science of Art and the War," was the title of the article.
Jacques Mesnil, writing in the Mercure de France, presents a reply to
Dr. von Bode's polemic.
He brands as infantile the reasoning by which Dr. Bode proves the
German soldier incapable of destroying a work of art. The German
professor stated that civilization, and with it art, could not have
survived were it not for the protection of German militarism. M.
Mesnil replies:
M. Bode should have been able to separate a little better
two things which have nothing to do with each other:
strategy and the history of art. He should have explained
the conduct of the soldiers by the service which is required
of them; he should have pointed out precisely the point of
view of the archaeologist as incompatible with that of the
warrior and he should have freed of responsibility those
who, loving the picturesque old cities and the pure
creations of artists, could not sympathize with those who
destroy them.
Far from this, he has invoked the merits of German science
to justify the outrages of the soldiery and in his eyes the
fact that German savants have added to the progress of
archaeology suffices to prove that the German army is
incapable of destroying works of art.
Examination of Professor von Bode's claim that Germany leads the world
in the "science of art," would seem to M. Mesnil to show that the
German art-scientist is little more than a painstaking classifier, a
mere cataloguer.
Taken as a whole, the art historians in Germany are a lot of
excellent laborers, energetic and conscientious, who could
render valuable service were they well directed. But it is
precisely their direction which is at fault. Those among
them who play the role of leader do not know how to
distinguish the relative importance of the problems which
come to their consideration; in confused multitude of facts,
they follow a purely exterior and quite military order in
their classifications; in the same way that a man in the
army is a man only and that all the human units are in rigid
divisions, so for the apostles of "the science of art" a
fact is a fact and automatically falls under the head
destined for it.
"Carnegie and German Peace"
An article in La Revue (Paris), "Carnegie and the German Peace," would
seem to indicate that France is not yet looking toward peace. The
article is by Jean Finot himself, the well-known editor and publisher
of La Revue, and it gives the pacifists short shrift indeed. The
American peace propaganda, M. Finot characterizes as "the attempt at
corruption," and he holds Mr. Carnegie responsible:
Unfortunately Mr. Carnegie endeavors to keep them [his
opinions regarding peace] alive by supporting them with
considerable sums of money for their diffusion abroad. A
movement for "a German peace" has thus sprung up in America
and it is taking on more and more disquieting
proportions....
Mr. Carnegie has been accused and not perhaps without
reason, of subsidizing many Germanophile publications and
thus of aiding in the work of corruption which Germany and
her agents are carrying on throughout the whole world.
The recent peace congress of women at The Hague comes in for some
strong language:
The international congress of women pacifists seems to be
due to Mr. Carnegie's generosity. This poisoning of public
opinion, carried out systematically by his agents and his
money, has become particularly odious. We do not suspect the
honesty of his intentions, but we deplore his profound lack
of comprehension of the events which have been taking place
before his eyes.
Among the American women noted for their talent and
character, Miss Jane Addams occupies a prominent place. But
it seems that her sturdy honesty was not sufficient to
resist the temptation of putting herself at the heels of Mr.
Carnegie. We are convinced the charges of other than purely
disinterested motives against Miss Addams are wholly
unjustified. But she has participated in the women's
congress at The Hague under truly regrettable conditions.
M. Finot's references to Chautauqua and the part it plays in the
preparation of American opinion are veiled but none the less
suggestive:
The important role which the Chautauqua conferences play in
the United States is well known. These conferences of
teachers which have so profound an influence on American
opinion have been supported by Mr. Carnegie in the interests
of realizing this idea of a precipitate peace, of a German
peace. All manner of adventurers and seekers of easy
fortunes have gathered around this strange deviation of the
pacifist ideal represented by the multi-millionaire and the
men of his stripe.