By Rudolf Eucken and Ernst Haeckel.
Dr. Eucken is Privy Councilor and Professor of Philosophy in
the University of Jena; won the Nobel Prize for Literature in
1908; has received many foreign honorary degrees and his
philosophy has been expounded in English.
Ernst Haeckel is Privy Councilor and late Professor of Zoology
at the University of Jena; has written many works on evolution
which have been translated into English.
The whole German world of letters is today filled with deep indignation
and strong moral resentment at the present behavior of England. Both of
us, for many years bound to England by numerous scientific and personal
ties, believe ourselves prepared to give open expression to this inward
revulsion. In close co-operation with like-minded English investigators
we have zealously exerted ourselves to bring the two great peoples
closer together in spirit and to promote a mutual understanding. A
fruitful reciprocal interchange of English and German culture seemed to
us worth while, indeed necessary, for the spiritual advance of mankind,
which today confronts such great problems. Gratefully we recall in this
connection the friendly reception which our efforts received in England.
So great and noble were the traits of English character which revealed
themselves to us that we were permitted to hope that in their sure
growth they would come to be superior to the pitfalls and seamy sides of
this character. And now they have proved inferior, inferior to the old
evil of a brutal national egotism which recognizes no rights on the
part of others, which, unconcerned about morality or unmorality, pursues
only its own advantage.
History furnishes in abundance examples of such an unscrupulous egotism;
we need recall here only the destruction of the Danish fleet (1807) and
the theft of the Dutch colonies in the Napoleonic wars. But what is
taking place today is the worst of all; it will be forever pointed at in
the annals of world history as England's indelible shame. England fights
in behalf of a Slavic, half-Asiatic power against Germanism; she fights
on the side not only of barbarism but also of moral injustice, for it is
indeed not forgotten that Russia began the war because she would permit
no radical reparation for a shameful murder.
It is England whose fault has extended the present war into a world war,
and has thereby endangered our joint culture. And all this for what
reason? Because she was jealous of Germany's greatness, because she
wanted to hinder at any price a further growth of this greatness. For
there cannot be the least doubt on this point that England was
determined in advance to cast as many obstacles as possible in the way
of Germany's great struggle for national existence, and to hinder her as
much as possible in the full development of her powers. She (England)
was watching only for a favorable opportunity when she could break out
suddenly against Germany, and she therefore promptly seized on the
necessary German invasion of Belgium in order that she might cover with
a small cloak of decency her brutal national egotism. Or is there in the
whole wide world any one so simple as to believe that England would have
declared war on France also if the latter had invaded Belgium? In that
event she would have wept hypocritical tears over the unavoidable
violation of international law; but as for the rest she would have
laughed in her sleeve with great satisfaction. This hypocritical
Pharisaism is the most repugnant feature of the whole matter; it
deserves nothing but contempt.
The history of the world shows that such sentiments lead the nations not
upward but downward. For the present, however, we trust firmly in our
just cause, in the superior strength and the unyielding victorious
spirit of the German people. Yet we must at the same time lament deeply
that the boundless egotism we have referred to has disturbed for an
immeasurable period of time the spiritual co-operation of the two
peoples which promised so much good for the development of mankind. But
they wished it so on their side--on England alone falls the monstrous
guilt and the historical responsibility.