attitude of the German "intellectual" amuses or disgusts us; and that
the insolence of your young officers who elbow us off the sidewalks in
your cities makes us long to meet those individuals again outside the
boundaries of Germany, where no military Government, jealous of their
"honour," could protect them from the thrashing they deserve. It is also
true that, at international congresses, excursions and banquets,
attended by both men and women representatives of all nations, the
Germans have gained an unenviable reputation for bad manners because
they have pushed themselves into the best places, crowded into the
trains ahead of the women, and generally ignored the courtesies due to
ladies and gentlemen associated with them. But, in spite of our full
recognition of this undesirable national trait, I doubt whether any
great number of Americans have permitted a dislike of German manners to
affect their opinion as to German morals in the conduct of war, though
some do hold that lack of good manners is a characteristic mark of
inferior civilisation. On the whole, we have been inclined to be
tolerant of German rudeness, regarding it as in part due to the rapid
material development of a young nation, and possibly as, in part, the
result of over-aggressiveness fostered by a military training.

It is only fair to say, also, that our admiration of Germany's
achievements in art, literature, and science never led us so far as to
accept the claim of superiority in these lines advanced by many Germans
on behalf of their country. The insistence with which this claim has
been reiterated and proclaimed abroad by Germans, often with more of
patriotism than of good taste, may have led a part of the public to
believe it. But the more intelligent and thoughtful portion of the
people, accustomed to analyse such claims by careful comparison with the
products of non-Teutonic civilisation, has been unable to find any
adequate basis for the assumed superiority. Indeed, while intelligent