At that time scarcely one of the leading newspapers took heed of my
insistence that this war was an imperialistic war and popular only in so
far as all wars are for a time popular. But I need hardly assure you
that if Grey had announced: "We have concluded a treaty of alliance with
Germany and Austria and must wage war upon France and Russia," he would
have evoked precisely the same patriotic fervor and exactly the same
democratic anti-Prussianism, (with the omission of the P.) Then the
German Kaiser would have been cheered as the cousin of our King and our
old and faithful friend.
As concerns myself, I am not unqualifiedly what is called a pan-German;
the Germans, besides, would not have a spark of respect left for me if
now, when all questions of civilization are buried, I did not hold to my
people. But neither am I an anti-German.
Militarism has just compelled me to pay about L1,000 as war tax, in
order to help some "brave little Serbian" or other to cut your throat,
or some Russian mujik to blow out your brains, although I would rather
pay twice as much to save your life or to buy in Vienna some good
picture for our National Gallery, and although I should mourn far less
about the death of a hundred Serbs or mujiks than for your death.
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