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Between the World Wars: Articles from the Syracuse Union, available through the New York State Newspaper Project


February 16, 1923 page 8

Incredible Rate of Inflation

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A letter from Germany sent to the Union office reads as follows: "You can be happy that at least you do not have to earn your daily bread the way we do. It's not a pretty sight. Prices are unbelievable. A pound of bread costs 520 Marks, margarine is 1800 Marks. Meat costs between 1000 and 1600 Marks. A hat is 1000 Marks and pair of pants costs 6000 to 10,000 Marks. The least expensive cigar is 60 Marks, and a small glass of beer is 100 Marks. 50 kilograms of wheat cost 14,000 Marks, etc. You can only count on buying enough food so you won't starve. You can't do anything more. You really don't know anymore why you're still alive."


March 23, 1923 page 5

Bazaar by the Syracuse Aid Society Committee

Last week a bazaar was held in the Knights of Columbus Hall sponsored by the Syracuse Aid Society Committee for the benefit of those in need in the old homeland. Proceeds from the bazaar did not live up to expectations however it may still be considered a success when one considers the short amount of time the committee had to make arrangements. The first evening brought in $631.80; the second evening $1,079.86; the third evening $1,355.75 for a grand total of 3,067.41. The ticket sales total has not yet been added nor have proceeds from books of raffle tickets. There's also a sum to be added from an event held by the gymnasts at the Turner Hall on Monday night. The grand total should amount to around $5,000.

Furthermore the bazaar was well run and all the workers, who spared no effort and labor, deserve heartfelt thanks.

Today, Thursday evening, the regular meeting of the Aid Society Committee will be held in Arion Hall. All interested parties are cordially invited to attend. The tally from the entrance tickets will be counted and anyone who still has unpurchased raffle ticket books should attend and return them.

Since the 9th of March Mr. E.M. Kotz, Treasurer for this charitable work, has received the following sums:

Syracuse Liederkranz ..........$ 200.00
Syr. Schwabenverein ............  154.00
Columbia Support League .....   50.00
Geo. Zett Brewing Co. ...........   25.00
Alois Schiller .........................   10.00
Adam Ecker ...........................     5.00
                                                $ 444.00

The Treasurer has already delivered the second $1,000 to the Central Relief Committee in New York and after tonight's meeting he's prepared to surrender another sum.


March 23, 1923 page 8

A New Gimmick

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Wednesday afternoon George H. Webster of Dickinson St. was arrested. He had devised a new scheme to get money. Some time ago a certain Paul C. Hoffman had disappeared from Washington D.C. and his parents published a notice in various newspapers. Webster sent a telegram to the missing man's parents. Under the man's name he wrote, "Saw newspaper notice. Please send $30. Will come home tomorrow." Mr. Hoffman was suspicious and reported it to the police, who captured the "missing son" at the moment he tried to collect the money.


March 23, 1923 p. 12

An English Witness

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What Richard Lee saw in Germany

The Scotsman Richard Lee writes in Foreign Affairs: I seldom open a newspaper in Scotland without seeing printed a satirical caption about "Starving Germany." Travelers tell their funny stories about abundant work, pleasant beer gardens, prosperous capitalists paying little or no taxes, full cinemas and theaters. The Glasgow Herald writes energetic, reasonable articles regarding Poincaré's mania concerning Germany's reparations. However the weekend edition of the Herald puts a description of Berlin life on page one. It's the well-known Northcliff image of a land of milk and honey. The Sunday Times recommends a mortorium for Germany but their reports contain a glowing description of Germany's welfare by a female American journalist and when I hear people speaking about their trips I always hear the constaint refrain, "Let the ravagers pay!"

Last month I took a trip through Germany and people constantly asked me, "How did you amuse yourself during your vacation?" It's not easy to truthfully answer the question. There is the memory of Brandenburg with its hundreds of badly nourished, badly clothed children in the convalescent home. Then there's the haunting image of homes for cripples in various parts of Germany, with the weakened, worn-out and distorted limbs and hollow eyes of little girls. — The doctors tell me it's the "English" malady coming from the lack of milk and adequate nourishment (our effective blockade.) Then there is the middle class kitchen near delightful Wartburg in forest-encircled Thuringia. where hundreds waited in line for a simple meal. In many cases this will be the only meal of the week. Will I every forget the emaciated bodies of a few women as they dwindle away due to hunger? Their year income was depleted much earlier. They were barely able to buy a dozen meals.

Then again I think of the admiral, who bought his last suit in 1916, or the former general who lived in two rooms and cleaned my boots, or the former officers who would gladly clean boots to earn their keep, or the laborers with ample work at many Marks per hour and four small children. He only barely exists with all those Marks the travelers talk about.

I know of unimpeachable witnesses for whom these scenes of scarcity and hunger are typical in the lives of many millions throughout Germany. In 26 cities and regions, which I visited in the north, south, east and west, you can find proof of unforgettable human suffering. In Zella-Mehlis 1350 of 1500 children are malnourished. In Gotha 45 percent of the population is sick; in Sondershausen it's 49 percent. In the Friedrichroda District of Ohrdruf the childhood mortality rate is five times as great as in 1915. In the coal mining district of Meuselwitz only 6 percent of the children are of normal health. 30 percent are undernourished; 6 percent are critically undernourished; 10 percent are wasting away. And that's with mine workers making the best salaries in Germany. There was nothing "amusing" in witnessing these everyday facts of flesh and blood life. And these are only a few examples.

In two cities I had no conversations. I visited no institutes. I consulted no statisticians, no doctors, no clergymen. I spent no time listening to their sad stories. I stayed around the hotel, wandered the lovely streets, peered into the shops filled with tourists, bought some inexpensive items, went to the beer garden where the racketeers, the French officers, the Americans, the Swiss and all the others regaled for a few Schillings. There was no poverty; there were no cripples; no miserable, starving children, no decrepit pensioners, no industrialists because the lack of raw materials has driven them to their wits end, no professors driven half mad due to the foolish humor about the German Mark. In these cities I saw what Northcliff saw and what the hotel journalist sees: the smiling, prosperous, uncontrite Germany which can and will pay if Mr. Poincaré and his dark troops get their way. The half (at most one percent per the editorial staff [the print of the original story must have been illegible]) may smile and prosper. They're not on the street. They're in the luxury shops, in the beer garden, in the theaters. However although Germany's poverty and pain may not have been put on display, it's still there for those who choose to see and understand.


April 13, 1923, page 3

German in the Schools

A Committee of the Modern Language Association, which was appointed to facilitate the reintroduction of German instruction in the schools and the institutes of higher learning of this country, is headed by Professor John Preston Hoskins of Princeton University. He has been extremely busy and he is in the perfect position to deal with German instruction's reintroduction, which is entirely necessary as a result of the wartime hysteria.

In an interesting survey the committee reported that German has already been reintroduced in Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Phildelphia.

In Boston German instruction did not cease either during the war or afterwards and the total registration now amounts to 72.5% of the pre-war enrollment.

At Harvard University there are 1165 student enrolled in German classes, only 20 students fewer than were ever registered. Harvard considers a knowledge of the German language absolutely essential for graduation.

In the city of New York German is now taught in 19 high schools. In Buffalo German instruction was not discontinued. In Newark, N.J. there are 550 students enrolled in German instruction, an increase of 280% in one year. German is again being taught in Baltimore, Washington, Providence R.I., and in a number of cities in New Jersey, Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. In New York State besides the city of New York and Buffalo German instruction is taking place in Syracuse, Rochester, Newburgh, Albany, Schenectady and Binghamton, As the report mentions, German instruction has not yet been reintroduced in Yonkers, Utica, Niagara Falls, Elmira, Mount Vernon, Jamestown, auburn, Poughkeepsie, Amsterdam, Watertown, Rome, Oswego, Lockport and Gloversville. The report also indicates that the ban on the German language has not yet been lifted in Utica.

With regard to the ban we wish to say that here in Utica the lack of reintroduction of German instruction is not due to opposition by the authorities but rather due to the indifference of the residents. We are convinced that once various members of the School Board submit a request Germna instruction will be reintroduced and the ban will quickly be lifted. All parents who wish for German to again be taught in their schools should have their children tell the School Board. From a purely practical standpoint knowledge of the German language for higher education is indispensible and from a business perspective it is extremely advisable. ~ Utica Deutsche Zeitung

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A Gourmet.

Hey, did you know, Adolf: If you think about it, only one in a hundred people can afford meat and that leaves the taste of venison in your mouth!

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Nothing To Get Excited About.

"I read a while back that the sun is 20 billion miles from the earth. Isn't that amazing?"
—"Well you permit me to ask then, what's the deal with a measly 20 million?"


April 27, 1923 page 2

Arrest Warrant for Hilter

Munich — The Bavarian leader of the Fascists, Adolph Hitler, was recently summoned before the Leipzig Supreme Court to answer charges that his followers have stirred up resistence to the Republican Constitutional Government. The Munich newspapers report that the summons before the "Leipzig Tscheka" will have no real consequences.

Besides Hitler the Court has issued arrest warrants for two editors of Bavarian Nationalist newspapers. The Bavarian government declared its intention to execute the Court's warrants. Now we must wait and see if the Bavarian police will obey or if the Fascist Movement is strong enough to hinder the arrests.

Berlin — The parade and maneuvers of Adolph Hitler's stormtroopers in Munich have caused powerful commotion in Prussian political circles.

Previous Socialist Chancellor MÜller recented demanded in the Reichstag that the government take strong measures to bring the "soldiers drama of the Hitler people" to an end. He added if the Bavarian government under Premier Knilling will not or is not strong enough to bring this activity to a halt, it should resign.


April 27, 1923 page 4

General Degoutte and the Bordello Owners

The Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung No. 107 from March 5, 1923 reports on an extrordinary deputation issued recently to the commanders-in-chief of French troops in the Ruhr District.

"It consists of two men and one woman which, according to proper legitimation of the General, were immediately to be received with the utmost courtesy. These people are committee members of the Society of Bordello Owners in old and newly occupied territories who, at the commission of the society, wish to express their deepest gratitude to the French general for his efforts towards the elevation of the bordello trade on the Rhine and in the Ruhr." The special correspondent for the Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung reports that the deputation has proffered to Mr. Dagoutte a passport for all houses in the Ruhr District. The General has declined to accept the free pass for himself and has given it to his adjutant. We must leave the responsibility for the historic truth of this story to the special correspondent of the Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung. Even if it isn't true it's well-founded and symbolizes the shameless conduct of the French who marched into the Ruhr District and spared no effort in establishing bordellos for their white and their colored troops.


May 4, 1923 page 5

Greetings!

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What do you want, you strange, wild-eyed henchmen?
Leave us in peace, lest corruption arises.
We won't stray beyond the Mosel shore,
Or Eifel Park, or the Hunsrück, or the Naheland.
         We'll keep to ourselves as Germans.

Oh, we have bled and we have suffered,
Loyal to our race and true to our customs.
We've been disarmed and we have no defense,
What are you doing with your rainbow troops?
         Let us be happy, we Germans!

We see and hear and smell and laugh!
On the Rhine and the Mosel the enemy watch,
With Africa's gurgling, sibilant voices,
They torment and call us
         Stinking, slow witted Germans!

Rich vines entwine our pastures,
They bring us ridicule from you and your wildmen.
Slaves, traitors, eat your own bread,
Better the grave, a better death
         Than forced to stop being Germans!

Hardship and penalties, we shall endure them
Without grumbling we will survive.
We know full well the duty you impose.
But betrayal we will not abide
         We will conduct ourselves as Germans!

Work in freedom, be poor in peace,
By your wish we remain deprived.
You have the forces, we march to your tune
Our rightousness is our power
         We're strong because we are Germans!

To you Brothers! Remain true in your heart,
Be brave and laugh at your pain!
Pray to God that He may give us courage
And infuse His strength in our blood
         As befits who we are, we Germans!


June 1, 1923 page 8

The Criminal Culture

My colleague, I would like to join your club. I committed extortion twice and have one bank robbery on my conscience.

Confidence man: That's a pity. As long as you have a conscience you don't qualify.


June 22, 1923 page 5

German Girl Turns to the Syracuse Chief of Police

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The other day a letter was sent from Germany to Police Headquarters in which a German girl turned in her distress to the Police Chief. She wanted the Chief to find her unfaithful boyfriend, or as she insists her husband, who has not answered any of her letters since he left Germany. The letter reads as follows:

Dear Police Chief:

I have written to my husband William Spencer, 901 Burnet Ave., Syracuse, N.Y. Since I have not received any answer, I am forced to ask you to find him.

We married when he was stationed in your army in Coblenz. Would you please find out if he is still alive. I would prefer to do this myself but since he has not let anyone know where he is, I must ask you for help.

                           Sincerely,
                           Irma Herstatt "Spencer"

The unfaithful boyfriend now lives at 200 Pine St, and maintains that he never married Irma and that he had "gone" with her for only nine months. He appreciated all of Irma's qualities. She was a good cook but she was 10 years older than he and he never contemplated marrying the girl. The young man's mother has written a letter to the girl in which she asks whether her son really married her, whether there are any children, or if any reason exists why he should marry her. "I asked her if there was any reason why my son should be forced to marry her," his mother said.

Poor Irma now waits in Germany for a letter from the Syracuse Police Chief in the hope that she will soon be reunited with her beloved, whose love for her cooking has ended. Good luck, Irma.

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Celebration for New Citizens

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As has been the case for the past four years, this year there will again be a get together of native and foreign-born American citizens on Tuesday, June 26th. Festivities start at 6 PM at the Chamber of Commerce Hall, where a dinner will be served and speeches will be given. There will be American dishes plus food from birth countries of the new citizens. Germans will serve their famous, mouth-watering sauerbraten to the guests. The Italians will prepare macaroni, the French will serve baked goods and the English will have roast beef.


June 29, 1923 page 5

60 German Girls in Syracuse

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Today due to the efforts of the Americanization League it is possible for 60 blonde, strong, and pretty young girls to come to Syracuse to take up new positions. There is great demand here for German girls who can do housework. Housewives will snatch these new immigrants up like hotcakes, as the expression goes. The same number of girls are expected from Greece but they must wait until October before they can enter the United States.


July 6, 1923 page 4

James R. McGuire on the German Community

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As Mayor of the City of Syracuse in 1897 James R. McGuire, who passed away last week, wrote the following about the German Community of Syracuse:

"Next October when the autumn leaves begin to fall Syracuse will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary as a city. It may rightly be said that during the last three decades the history of German-Americans has also been the history of Syracuse. This community is closely associated with the progress and development of our wonderful city. It's no exaggeration when I say that every 5th resident of this city with a population of 125,000 is of German heritage. Sons and daughters of the "fatherland" in Syracuse are freedom-loving people They left their homeland to be free of restrictions, which a monarchal form of government imposes upon its people and under which mandatory military service is extremely oppressive in order to maintain the kingdom. Those who rebelled against tyranny and believed in freedom of thought were by nature the best of their race. They were drawn to the free soil of America and they did their best to make our nation great and mighty. they accomplished in producing two blades of grass where previously only one grew. The golden corn of Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and the great West comes from millions of farms whose owners are German. They created the bread basket of our country.

"The German-Americans in Syracuse are among the first of our respected and influential citizens. They are known for their diligence, their frugality, their good mnners and their sociability. They were an indispensible factors in solving problems and making our city into one of the greatest in the State of New York. A third of the homesteads in our city were built by them and guarded by them. Their name is legion on the tax rolls of the city. They are friends of law and order and social equality. They are steadfast friends of schools and supporters of the church. They have organized numerous charitable associations. They visit the sick and bury the dead. Their spirit of benificence spreads out in wide circles. It is thoroughly proper and highly appropriate that a history of these remarkable and worthy people be written for the betterment of posterity. Among them are many citizens who represent the hopes and dreams of our entire community. As the next generation their children will carry on the duties and responsibilities of governance."
                                                                                                            James R. McGuire, Mayor.
                                                                                                            Syracuse, N.Y. June 17, 1897

These are words that the German-Americans of this country have not heard in a long time. This was the opinion of many citizens of this country, indeed a much larger percentage of positive opinion than that of today, which is rarely expressed. McGuire was a honest and fearless man whose words were heard and trusted. May there be many more men today who do not fear to proclaim their positive opinion of America's German population.


July 6, 1923 page 5

Going to Church and Sunday Car Drives

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One of our esteemed fellow citizens, Pastor Wm. Bauer of the Evangelical Friedenskirche [Church of Peace], spoke vehemently in his Sunday morning sermon against Sunday car drives which lead people to omit a visit to church services. He intimated that people could find enough time for fun and recreation on Sunday afternoon.

As explicable as the warning of a spiritual caregiver might be, it's not currently possible to manage a long car journey in one afternoon. The Unitarian Laymen's Church of New York has come up with an alternative which should not be discounted. On Sundays let cleric allow their members to take a Sunday drive with the suggestion that they visit a church in the area they're visiting and attend a church service.


July 6, 1923 page 8

German Maid will not sell Herself

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New York, July 3. — "I cannot agree to this marriage. I do not love this man. I will not pay for my visa to the United States if I must pay for it with hypocrisy."

So declared Luise Hohloch when she was brought to Ellis Island from the steamship "Deliance."

Gottlob Brotsch of Philadelphia, who is more than twice the age of Luise, arrived at the Island of Tears to claim the German maid as his bride. He told the investigation committee that he visited Germany last year and arranged the marriage with her parents. However the girl evidently was not in agreement with her parents' right to decide for her. The "Bartered Bride" went on strike. She declared with emphasis:

"I must remain true to myself and I do not love him. Marriage under such conditions can only end miserably. Please, gentlemen, let me stay here. I would rather do housework to keep myself going as marry a man I cannot love."

That melted the ice which usually resided in the hearts of the Inspectors and they left the brave German girl in the care of the Travelers Aid Society. She will stay at the Society's home at 465 Lexington Ave. until she finds employment. And she will work until her one true love takes possession of her heart.


July 13, 1923 page 4

The Syracuse Union

Established 1852 by Georg Saul.

Entered at the Post Office of Syracuse, N.Y. as second class mail.

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Printed each Thursday at 634 North Salina St., Syracuse, N.Y.

The Oberländer Press ........Publisher
Walter E. Mossdorf ............ Editor

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Notices and advertisements for the Union must be received by Wednesday, noon. They should be addressed to the Syracuse Union. If you do not promptly receive your newspaper or it is in poor condition please report this to the office immediately. All claims will receive careful consideration if you telephone 2-1036.

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Subscriptions for the Syracuse Union are as follows:
One year ........... .....................$2.50
Six months ..............................$1.25
Three months ............................  .65
Individual issues .......................  .05
Out of the country, one year...... 3.00

Agents for the Syracuse Union outside the city are:
         Onieda - Rudolph M&uum;ller
                  Liverpool - G. Stumphaus


The Klan has a Newspaper

In this rich land of newspapers and periodicals of all kinds there's a new paper with the modest title, The Patriot." It's a beautiful title which would appear to inspire the citizenry of this land to all deeds good and mighty. In the best sense of the word a patriot is a man who applies all his efforts in a selfless manner to the service of the fatherland and who nurtures the burning desire for his country to stand proudly before the world in all matters, including just treatment and respect for other people and other races.

Does this new periodical stand in service to these ideals? If it did its publication would be greeted by all good citizens with joy and satisfaction. We fear that this may not be the case. Instead the appearance of this new publication will unleash deep-rooted bitterness, hatred and disgust among the greater portion of the public.

Since this new newspaper is published in St. Louis, we wanted to have a word with the Westliche Post, which is also published there. They wrote:

"The new paper with the beautiful name is an organ of the most malicious secret society of the country, the Ku Klux Klan, and it is a brochure which so blatantly and publically advertises its black agenda that one immediately gains the impression that these people are pulsating with increasing strength. Incidentally, this periodical claims that there are more than four million members in the Klan. Even if this were a boastful exaggeration, one could not avoid drawing the conclusion that this is a growing threat to the cornerstones of our country. The people who love to call themselves patriots have as little understanding of the term as the "one-hundred percenters" and "afterpatriots" of the World War. Hatred for religions and foreigners, intimidation and terror are enscribed on their banners. Their dark activities are performed while disguised.

"The Klan does not strive for internal peace and harmonious cooperation among the various elements of our population but rather for domination and oppression of all by narrow minded and arrogant subterfuge. They imagine themselves the salt of the earth. The existence of the Klan signifies strife, religious hatred and tyranny. Klan programs in the Patriot clearly illustrate this and anyone who can see will recognize it. As it is written: 'We believe that the time has come in our national development for all true citizens of the United States first, last and always be Americans and defend pure americanism again the unamerican interests, which threaten the existence of our republic.'

"What 'pure americanism' means was further clarified by the claim that the Christian Protestant Church should prevail and biblical studies should be compulsory in the public schools. The unconditional supremacy of the white race is proclaimed, specifically the 'currently governing white race.' There is also a demand for the 'most extensive protection for our women.' Other demands include preservation of the rights of individual states, separation of church and state, freedom of speech and the press, and the preservation of the Constitution.'

"This is a particularly strange and contradictory conglomerate of demands. How do preservation of the Constitution and separation of church and state have to do with the postulation of a governing protestant church and compulsory biblical studies in the public schools? How dare one demand the perpetuation of the 'currently governing white race,' a small minority of narrow minded, puritanical Anglo Saxons over all other populations?

"The Klan is nothing other than a newly formed group of nativist in a covert order whose strongest weapons are secrecy and violence. It scarcely needs to be emphasized that it is against immigration. It advocates the politics of a covert order as though it were a self-evident fact since, as The Patriot writes, 'immigrant numbers are increasing five times more rapidly than native-born Americans and it is the duty of every American to keep America American.'

"The Klan has followed the example of the nativists and the highly biased society, the Anti-Saloon League, which could be its twin brother. It only fights in the dark. It is the goal of a violent minority to bully the masses. The way the Klan paints them, Jews and Catholics, colored people and immigrants are the enemies of americanism. They must be banished and subdued. Carrying out such a goal would mean civil war. Thus it is a matter of self-preservation to make it impossible for the covert order to continue its dark agenda."


July 20, 1923 page 1

Among German-Americans There is a Lack of Racial Awareness

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Berlin, July 18 — Count Lerchenfeld of Bavaria, who has returned from the United States, declared in Munich before a group of newspaper publishers that Germany should no longer suffer under the delusion that it might receive help from America.

Among the eleven or twelve million German-Americans there is a lack of racial awareness which is similar in strength to that of the Irish-American population. He found that the German element in the United States is completely American.

(Unfortunately it is an all too true fact that the Germans, who have scarcely been in the United States for one year, can no longer be counted as German. We could never have accomplished anything and we would never have gained any influence in this country. One might take the Italians or certain other nationalities as an example. They stick together and do not forget where they were born. Count Lerchenfeld has correctly noticed where the shoe pinches and he has thus given up hope because the German element in America "no longer is or could be German." Sad, but true. — The Editor.)


July 27, 1923 page 3

A New Portrait of Luther Found

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Recently Doctor of Theology D. Albrecht, an honorary professor at the University of Halle (and resident of Naumburg on the Saale,) found a hereto unknown portrait of Luther in a copy of the Wittemberg Bible from 1545. It is a pen and ink drawing which represents the Reformer in his last year of life. The portrait, of particular beauty, was created by an unknown artist who capably captured characteristics though perhaps he was not a first-class talent. Under the portrait Melanchthon wrote in his own hand a well-known verse by Luther: "Alive I was a plague; in death I was your death, Papa." A reproduction of the new portrait will be published in one of the summer volumes of Weimarer Lutherausgabe [Weimar Edition of Luther's Works].


July 27, 1923 Page 5

Double Misfortune

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When a touring car lost a wheel during a collision with another car, it was discovered that there was a 35 gallon tank of alcohol in it. Additionally there was a list of names of residents of Syracuse who may be customers of an alcohol trust. The car was driven by G. Giacio of Milton Ave., who will have to answer for it this morning.


August 3, 1923 page 4

The Revival of German Day

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Before the war began, in various American cities Germans and German-Americans celebrated German Day. Once a year a city's German community came together to commemorate its German heritage, to reexamine the worldwide achievements of the Teutonic race, and to bring the best aspects of German culture to our new homeland. Due to the World War, German Day celebrations became a thing of the past. Now provisions are in the works to bring German Day back. In Rochester, which has a splendid Geman community, the Teutonia Liedertafel has taken first steps to establish German Day as a permanent, yearly celebration.

There is justifiable expectation that the time has come when German Day will be celebrated throughout the country under the banner of the Steuben Society, the organization which we all hope will help German-Americans become a political influence in this country again. Unfortunately they haven't had any influence for some time, even though they might have helped prevent a world-wide catastrophe.

Now the German-Americans' slogan is to put themselves in a position to protect themselves in the future so that a fiasco like the one during the World War can never happen again.

The developments in our country bring with them the possibility that the celebration of German Day might be discouraged again in the future.

America is our adopted fatherland and no German Day celebration would deny this. To the contrary, tomorrow in Rochester the main address will be held in the language of this country. Occasionally at German Day celebrations the hope may be expressed that as American citizens of German heritage we wish to exert an influence upon our government. We also want Germany to be given a chance to put its house in order, thereby being of service to the entire world. No one should hold this against us.

Even in our city it's high time that leaders and prominent citizens be allowed to do something in order to make the German community's desires public. We have great and influential societies which emanate German spirituality and German culture but unfortunately their activities extend no farther than their social circles. In other cities there are singing societies and gymnastic groups which consider it their duty to demonstrate to the public that German blood flows through the veins of its members. In Syracuse let's be among the ranks of those who do not shy away from making ourselves known to the world. Let us be proud of our heritage and never be afraid to let our deeds testify to that fact. Who will be the first to act?


August 19, 1923 page 3

The Fliegende Blätter [The Flying Leaves]

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An Obituary Which Fortunately Was Unnecessary.

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By Rudolf Luther

A couple of weeks ago the German newspapers carried a short notice that the Munich magazine, the Fliegende Blätter would cease publication. The reasons given were the desperate times in which we're living, rising book printer wages and paper prices. This humorous magazine, which for decades was a permanent fixture in almost all German households, imparted joy and pleasure to millions of readers, and was a true landmark of German humor. It deserved a respectful obituary.

One day on the quay in Paris, where the book sellers set up their crates on the railings, I met caricature artist John Grand-Carteret and saw his historiographies. He also had an old, well-worn issue of the Fliegende Blätter. We spent some time together strolling along the quay.

"The Fliegende Blätter", Carteret said, " tremendously interests me. It's quite remarkable testimony towards an understanding of German psychology. In no other country on the earth will you find a satirical magazine of such inoffensiveness. That such an elevated culture as that of the Germans can find endless pleasure in an inoffensive manner it's an assessment more meaningful than the deepest psychological treatise.

"An assessment — of what?" I interjected.

"Of what? Of a dose of childlike nature, what you Germans consider a disposition for which there is no word. It's a bit of naivété which other people lost a long time ago. You Germans are to be envied for that. And no statesman, who deals with you, should forget how large the readership of the Fliegende Blätter is."

The Fliegende Blätter was not always so harmless. When it was founded in 1844 it was the best satirical periodical there ever was. The woodcutter Kaspar Braun and the writer Friedrich Schneider gave it life. It was funny, brazen and witty and it was a great success from its first issue onward. However its success was in no small part attributed to one unspoken principle: the magazine must always remain true. All satirical publications were and are personal. With words and drawings they exactly describe the victim they've zeroed in on. They mock personalities. The Fliegende Blätter was never personal. It turned its wit against status, occupation, entire demographic classes, but never distinct personalities. Here is a classic example. When in 1847 Schwind drew a caricature of Ludwig I and Lola Montez in the Fliegende Blätter it was drawn in the form of a silhouette and called "The Devil and the Cat." It was the story of the beautiful black kitten Mausbeisia who caught a little mouse and let it live until it became a tyrant, who made a slave of poor Mausbeisia. The brazen little mouse swung its whip over Mausbeisia, but eventually the tyrant met his fate in the form of the evil which he calls forth. The moral of the story: Never bring a devil into your house even if he's smaller than you because he'll eventually grow bigger and ruin you.

That was a funny and droll animal story which, if one wanted to, one could interpret it as the Montez story. Hoever it did not contain any personal reference.

What the Fliegende Blätter never got tired of was poking fun at all the new, vibrant, liberal and spiteful attitudes of the civil servants; the narrow-mindedness of the bourgeois; German provincialism; laughable partiulcarism; and the narrow vision of the moralists.

Baron Beisele and his steward, Dr. Eisele went back and forth through Germany and were actual figures in the history of caricature. At the time of the 1848 Revolution the Fliegende Blätter was a mocking chorus which reflected a funhouse mirror image of the weaknesses of the citizenry. When it provoked a reaction, the Fliegende Blätter published an edgy and witty epilog: Variations on the theme "when the pug dog with the sausage jumps over a spittoon." When one reads the lead-in to these images, which "church leader Bruno Nase" directs towards the honorable editors and in which he protests against the political interpretation of his joke, one almost believes that these lines might have been written today.

In the 1860s the Fliegende Blätter became tired of the political scene. Gradually it disappeared totally from the magazine and forever became harmless. It became an organ of the German bourgeois.

The wit turned against stepmothers and women desiring emancipation; against the violet eaters * in uniform and the absent-minded professors; teenage girls, alpine tourists and building magnates, etc. One can think of no greater set of opposites than a feisty, malicious simpleton and an amusing issue of Fliegende Blätter, which is never caustic, never agressive, and no longer prickly. The Fliegende Blätter wanted nothing more than to be a magazine of witty humor, without barbs, without sharp edges, and without rancor. And thus it became known around the world.

However to properly enjoy the Fliegende Blätter one must be quiet and at peace in one's happy little home. While reading all this innocuous humor one forgot the noise and chaos of the day. One was entertained by the dashing lieutenant types which never failed to appear in an issue. With satisfaction one saw the cute teenage girl with the portfolio under her arm bumbling through the streets. One always laughed about the brazen cook, the shrewd farmer, the narrow-minded small townsman, the pert gymnast, the know-it-all senior teacher. This was the time of the German family comedy, whose authors were always among the zealous readers of the Fliegende Blätter.

The family comedy is dead and buried. There are no more quiet and peaceful hours in all of Germany. Not a single one! There's not a single German living in Germany who can forget his misery for a single moment. Contentment, peace, quiet, comfort have become empty words in which the Germans find no meaning. The Fliegende is eighty years old and does not understand the times in which we live today.

In the same moment when I'm about to finish reading this obituary I read an announcement that the report of the demise of Fliegende is a mistake. The Fliegende Blätter appears as if ever did. And yet this announcement is just as noteworthy as the first report, because it proves that despite the bad times — Germany has never seen worse — the friends of the magazine are still alive. The Fliegende still has its readership. And one may see that as an optimistic little flame taking us beyond the quagmire of the present days. No matter how well or how poorly things go there are always men who for a couple moments see something funny or hear something humorous which brings them joy. And that is a sign of German nature which no folk psychology should ignore.

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* Translator's note: From an online article available at https://dev.thecrimson.com/article/1903/4/3/der-veilchenfresser-pthe-first-performance-of/, a violet eater is a man with a habit of sending flowers to his many passing lovers.

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A Mysterious Shipping Accident

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A few fisherman, who did not stray far from the harbor of Oran, experienced a mysterious and frightening drama one day. The keel of a large ship suddenly rose out of the waves and immediately after the hull appeared in majestic wonder and for a moment took on a normal appearance. Shortly thereafter there was a huge explosion which created a high plume of smoke and threw a thousand pieces of wreckage into the air. Then the ship sank back into the sea. The phantom ship, which rose from its grave to the terror of the onlookers, was none other than the Norwegian ship "Hivos," which sank in the area at the end of 1916. At the same time an English steamship was forced to lay at anchor because of mines set by an enemy submarine. Many people lost their lives as the ship went down. There were 2000 tons of grain in its four storage compartments. The drama that enused was caused by the fermentation of the grain which led to the collection of a large mass of gas, the tremendous pressure of which brought the ship 200 feet up to the surface. On contact with the air the gases ignited and the ship exploded. Then the ship filled with water and sank back down to its grave.

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Bischwind. Pastor Joseph Hoch is celebrating his silver anniversary as a priest.


August 24, 1923 page 1

Buffalo's Germans Protest

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Two large meetings held to protest the cruel deeds in the Ruhr District

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On Sunday eight days ago 7000 citizens and women assembled in Genesee Park and to a man raised their voices in protest to the actions of white, brown, and black Frenchmen against the Germans in the Ruhr District. Last Sunday another assembly was held in the same park, where the participants unanimously called for a resolution to be sent to the government in Washington, to the senators and the congressmen so that our government would demand an end of the reign of terror.

This second protest resolution was read and accepted at various festivities in the Buffalo lodges of the German Order of the Harugari plus other meetings with thousands in attendance held under the chairmanship of Mr. Theodor W. Mayer.



October 12, 1923 page 5

Penniless Bride Abandonned at the Train Station.

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Even in our city we would not blame any "rich" widows who want nothing more to do with men or marriage since they're always of the opinion that men are only after their money. A new example given here may tend to reinforce this opinion and prompt anyone, who wants to present his heart to a pretty widow, a reason to doubt the possible success of his declarations of love.

So it was for widow in Amsterdam, who came over and spent 19 years in America. She'd been a widow for 14 years and at the age of 35 years she had a fortune of $18,000. After several weeks of hesitation she agreed to marry 32-year-old Joseph Bowlewski, to whom she gave her love and her $18,000. The couple left Amsterdam on Saturday evening and intended to go to Buffalo. In Utica the young bridegroom suddenly disappeared and left the shamefully abandonned bride without a penny to her name as she arrived at the train station. Strong actions are being taken to apprehend the man, which might just succeed.

You can't trust men!


October 12, 1923 page 6

How the War Started

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The Sixteen Theses of Count Max Montgelas

Former General Count Max Monteglas is the co-editor of Deutschen Dokumente zum Kriegsausbruch [German Documents at the Time of the Outbreak of War,] which contains the history before and at the outbreak of the World War in one book. The subtitle is "Leitfaden zur Kriegsschuldfrage" [Guide to the Question of Who was responsible for the War] and it is published by Walter de Gruyter & Co. The book contains the following sixteen theses:

  1. Germany did not pursue a political agenda either in Europe or anywhere else which could only be accomplished through warfare. Austria-Hungary only wanted the preservation of the status quo. The original concept behind revising borders at Serbia's cost was immediately given up at German insistence due to declarations of territorial disinterest of which even Sassonow was convinced. France strived to regain Alsace-Lorraine. Many leading French politicians also wanted to annex the Saar District. Russia wanted to take possession of Constantinople and the straits. Both powers were well aware that these goals could only be realized by means of war in Europe.

  2. The armaments in Germany's lands were significantly less by political configuration, by geographical positioning, by length of unprotected borders and by population count than those of France, which by 1913 composed the total number of peacekeeping forces of white troops plus a growing number of colored French troops. Austro-Hungary's armaments were fully inadequate compared to Russia's. With regard to fighters, the Franco-Russian Dual Alliance far surpassed the middle powers and they had superior weaponry.

  3. The construction of a German battle fleet rather than improvement of maritime defenses was politically unwise, however Germany's increase from 10 to 16 large battleships was not viewed as a threat in London.

  4. Even in the time after Bismarck the German Empire had reiterated that the situation was not favorable for preemptive warfare.

  5. The Russian proposal at the first Haager Conference was not based on a love of peace. All the large powers without exception were highly sceptical of a reduction in arms. The Russian Treaty of 1899 was unilaterally declined. Campbell Bannerman's proposal of 1907 sharply countered France's publically declared argument. A proposal for regulation of serious international conflicts, which affect the honor and life interests of a nation, was neither suggested nor supported at the first or second Haager Conference by any of the major powers.

  6. On July 5, 1914 in Potsdam Germany did not agree to a world war but it agreed to take part in Austria's war against Serbia. The possibility that the Austro-Serbian War would draw them into further wars in Buren, Marocco, Tripoli, and the Balkans had been weighed but the danger was deemed very slight.

  7. After the announcement of Serbia's response Germany no longer wanted to be at war with Serbia. Rather it wanted to conduct a very restricted military action, which even London recognized as justified.

  8. Admittedly Germany did not support the time extension and it rejected the conference ideas however it accepted all intervention proposals suggested by London. On its own initiative it proposed two methods of negotiation, namely direct discussion between Vienna and St. Petersburg and Grey's revisited "Halt in Belgrade." London considered Sassonow's first formula unacceptable and the second an essentially worsened version of the first.

  9. With regard to Germany's first method, direct discussion between Vienna and St. Petersburg and the limitation of military action against Serbia, they were close to an agreement when the Russian mobilization abruptly cut the thread.

  10. Never failing, this mobilization led to war. This was as clear to the top men in Paris and Petersburg as it was to those in Berlin. The one who initiated the general mobilization was the attacker, or so Viviani wired London on August 1st. Against his better judgment he blamed Germany for prioritizing the mobilization.

  11. During the crisis France did not advise Petersburg to exercise moderation. After the first attempt had aroused Sassanow's displeasure, the cabinet quit taking any further steps in that direction.

  12. France not only did not stop Russia from the general mobilization, it communicated artfully-worded suggestions such as it might secretly continue its preparations without challenging Germany to timely countermeasures.

  13. Russia was the first power to take steps towards mobilization. France was the first power to communicate the decision to start a European war with another power.

  14. In St. Petersburg England never advised backing off with the same vehemence as Germany did in Vienna. To the contrary, Grey was the first to tell the other English diplomats of the significance of Russia's mobilization after it was too late and Petersburg would no longer cease.

  15. Due to the threat of war on two fronts, the premature German declaration of war on Russia was clearly a political mistake formulated by the French. Neither the declaration nor the formulation were the determining factor. It was the action taken which made war unavoidable.

  16. England declared war on Germany because a second French defeat was not deemed to be in its best interest. The Belgian interests and the Treaty of 1839, which was abandoned in Salisbury in 1887, was given as the popular reason. The naval treaty of 1912 with France forced England to end its neutrality before Belgium's was violated.

  17. The greatest diplomatic skill during the crisis was exercised on the side of the Entente — false information on Germany's war preparations, especially over the supposed prioritization of Germany's mobilization; the exaggeration of insignificant border incidents in order to encroach into French territory; and the withdrawal of border patrols for 10 kilometers which France made a precondition in London and which by the end of 1912 Benckendorff considered necessary as described in England's intervention: In London the impression was created that responsibility for the attack fell on the enemies of the Entente.


His Majesty, the Dollar in Germany

The princes, they've had their day.
We've chased the king and queen away.
They laid our fair countryside to waste,
So freedom, sweet freedom we embrace.
But look, another evil takes their place.
His majesty, the mighty dollar.

Sneaking by our people no sound does it make,
But it brings hunger and death in its wake.
It cuts our land with a jagged knife.
We can no longer live a human life,
We endure anger, pain, and strife,
No thanks to the almighty dollar.

We work and we struggle day and night.
But it doesn't help to put up a fight.
When the body is sick and the soul's depleted,
From a hundred thousand blows repeated,
The reaper calls once the spirit's defeated.
The death grip of the mighty dollar.

Profiteers smile with fiendish delight
The dollar's worth more, oh what a sight!
Who cares if the children cannot be fed.
Is it our fault their parents can't buy bread?
We'll still make money even though they're dead.
We keep our eyes on the mighty dollar.

Let us unite in this darkest hour.
If we stick together we'll have the power
To overcome the merchants of greed,
Who need our help to succeed.
Let brotherly love be our creed,
To defeat the almighty dollar!
                                    Wilhelm Herbert


Glauchau. A woman was boarding a train with a small child and various baggage. Another woman was helping her but she then squeezed through the crowd and disappeared with a hand basket, which contained the crying child's milk bottle and diapers.


October 12, 1923 page 8

Desires to be Deported

Mrs. Angela Bellucci of 109 West Division St. has asked to be sent back to Italy. She may even obtain the necessary papers in a few days. Her 17-year-old daughter in Italy wrote her a heartfelt letter asking her to come back and save her from a unwanted marriage being forced upon her by her father. Three years ago the woman's husband took their three children back to the old country shaped like a boot and left his wife alone and penniless.


October 19, 1923 page 8

Establishment of a new German-American State Association

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Representatives from all German Societies invited

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This coming Sunday in New York City (Manhattan Opera House, 34th St. and 8th Ave.) a day of German celebration will take place as a new German-American State Association is established. We'll let the following letter speak for itself:

                  New York, October 10, 1923.

To: The Board Members of German-American Societies in New York State.

Dear Brothers and Fellow Citizens!

All over America good old, honest Germans are waking up and discussing the blows and the setbacks we endured during the war.

Hasn't the time come for us to merge into a single association in our own state to conscientiously work towards unification? All that's lacking is an invitation to come together to turn these wishes into deeds.

A favorable setting has occurred to us, the great German Day Celebration which will be held in New Hork Ciy on Sunday, October 21st. Representatives from the various German-American societies are invited to come together and take the steps necessary to form a state-wide association.

The United German Societies of New York State, under the capable leadership of its president Dr. Wm. Papcke and other esteemed and honest men, bravely raised the banner of their profession throughout the war years. They were the men who publically conducted a huge demonstration against the "Black Disgrace" in Madison Square Garden along with their lavish German Day Celebrations of 1921 and 1922, their powerful Ruhr Protest assembly, a protest against false history books and a protest for reintroduction of German language instruction in the public schools, etc.

It would not be presumptuous of us to state that our New York State societies will be reviewing most of the questions with which we as German-Americans have been concerned for the past five years.

For this reason, dear brothers, the United German Societies of New York invite you to this year's German Day in New York on October 21st of this year.

Should our invitation meet with success we will hold a meeting with you and all delegates in attendance from our local groups.

The celebration will be a most splendid, impressive and far-reaching affair in the history of the German community. It begins at 2 in the afternoon at the Manhattan Opera House.

We suggest that the greatest possible number of your board members and general membership register so we can measure your interest in various matters.

Send registration information to the Chairman of the Associations of the State of New York German Day Celebration.

Yours In True German-American Greeting,
               Pastor S.G. von Bosse,
               Director of the Wartburg Orphanage,
               Mt. Vernon, N.Y.


October 19, 1923 page 11

Ouch!

Gentleman A: You are a rotten soundrel. You're spreading barefaced lies about me.

Gentleman B: Be happy that I'm not telling the truth!


October 19, 1923 page 4

Need Knows No Commandment.

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Hand in hand with the reports about more and more rampant rioting in Germany comes reports of the ever growing poverty throughout the land. Combining these reports creates a clarification for the unrest.

Winter approaches. It's only a few weeks away and perhaps there's a huge catastrophe of one kind or another about to open eyes to the seriousness of the situation in Germany. There can be no doubt of this.

"Need knows no commandment" is an old saying and when a hundred thousand people in a country begin to starve and no possibility is in sight to quiet the hunger pangs except to use force, it's no wonder that people turn to force to end terror with terror.

This explains all the blood letting and the plundering of the last few days and the collision between the authorities and the populace. Anyone here in America who remembers the conditions in the old homeland before the war still feels the shudder running down his spine.

Condemning the German people as the reason for what has befallen is a mistake. The condemnation belongs to those who are responsible for the present conditions, namely the foreigners in Germany.

Even if the German masses were to declare their country a communist republic and work towards that goal, we could scarcely doubt that all the changes in governance up to this point have done nothing to improve the situation.


October 26, 1923 page 3

Goethe as a Jurist

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It is known that Goethe began to study jurisprudence in 1765 at the University of Leipzig initially at the insistence of his father. However he gained his own enthusiastic interest in the study of law in Strassburg, as he wrote to Miss von Klettenberg:

"Jurisprudence is beginning to appeal to me. It's like that with everything such as with Merseburger beer — at first it causes you to shudder but after a week drinking it you can never be without it."

On August 6, 1771 Goethe earned his doctorate in Strassburg but with this he only gained licensure although later he was generally called "Doctor." On his 22 birthday he applied to the Frankfurt Court of Assessors to practice law. His swearing in happened soon afterwards and he practiced law with his uncle and friends in Goethe's house. The experiences of the young advocate were reflected in his writings:

"The formalities of this porcess all began with smoothing things over. If one wishes to have some influence and have meaning, one must always serve those who are in the wrong; always be the advocate for the defendant. In the swordplay of twist and evade things will turn out right."

From 1772 to 1775 Goethe worked partly as a law clerk at the Imperial High Court in Wetzlar and partly as an advocate in Frankfurt. With his relocation to Weimar (1775) he permanently gave up his law practice.


October 26, 1923 page 6

Killed by a Poisoned Pipe

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The stone-rich New York banker Y.G. Supphen, who amassed a legacy of 6 million dollars, was found recently in his luxuriously appointed office. The coroner's investigation found that the death was caused by pipe tobacco laced with cyanide which the dead man was still holding in his stiff hands. One of the deceased's business associates stated the banker telephoned him about his sudden illness and the associate had a servant force the office door open. The police are convinced that the murderer or murderess snuck into the office when the banker was absent in order to put the poison in the pipe. It's assumed the motive for the murder was a love affair in this the deceased had garnered the hatred of his rival. Supphen had been separated from his wife for a year and had several love affairs.


December 14, 1923 page 8

Testament of a Freethinker
By C. Peil

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This poem appeared on August 3, 1922 in a column of the Syracuse Union. After many requests from friends the publisher saw to it that an English translation was given as follows:

  1. Believe in God, the essence of creation, as the human mind is inadequate to comprehend the secret process of it.

  2. Trust in Him, because with Him, the first source of all being, rests strength and the only salvation.

  3. Love mankind if you expect to be treated with love.

  4. Have esteem for every belief emanating from an honest heart, as long as it brings happiness to those who confess it.

  5. By such a procedure you create a position for yourself which makes you sublime above petty squabbles, and is apt to pave a way for a common mutual understanding.

  6. At all times side with those who are persecuted and oppressed innocently, because thereby you will satisfy your inborn sense of justice and will help to further common progress.

  7. By living up to these exhortations try to find welfare during the course of your life and leave the fate after your dissolution trustfully to Him who called you into life.


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Translation by Susan Kriegbaum-Hanks