Y Drafod

Is German Philosophy responsi- ble for German Militarism ? AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BEFORE TH CAMWY FYDD SOCIETY, TRELEW, ON OCT. 15, 1913. In any attempt to utter words of wisdom upon a difficult and debatable question of in- tellectual importance, it is always just as well to begin with a little defining of the chief terms used. As regards that German Mili tarisin whose alleged relationship to German Philosophy is the subject of this slender pa- per, it must be stated at the start that the epithet German is to be emphasised as dis- tingishing this form of militarism from every other known to us to-day. The characteristic of this type of war-Hke rage is that it is considered by its chief cniti- vators as but the crown of Teutonic industrial, commercial, political, and even intellectual! endeavour. To the genuine militarist of Teu- tonic stock the prime object of all the activi-! tics of peace is the most perfect preparation possible for a successful war. And the ob- ject of such a war is not merely the material increase in German territory that it will bring. It is also the extension of what, in German phraseology, may be called the Spiritual em- pire of the historic German Soul over the imagination and the mind of men. Re ardiii,? that P,?l Regarding that Philosophy whose real or supposed effect upon the ominous exhibition of the nation's warlike principles and ener- gies we have set but to consider, it, mIght perhaps be held that no influential contact was possible between two trains of ideas so radically different as contemplation and com- bativicy. But we have to remember that the strife of nations, though undoubtedly depend- ent primarily upon the pugnacity of individ- uals, is still something far superior to this, and is rooted in deeper and obscure causes. We must remember also that, from the time of Plato down to our modern Emerson- with his maxim," Thoughts rule the world "— all men who have gained any real competence in the sphere of Philosophy have insisted on the supreme importance of theory in the pro- gressive development of the practical activi- ties of the race. Modern German Philosophy may be con- sidered to begin with Kant, who was born in 1724 and died in 1804. His first great work, the 11 Critique of Pure Reason," published in 1781, was fundamentally anti-theological. The book, however, attracted little attention and in the second edition, which saw the light in 1787, its author modified his former iconoclastic handling of the problem of Div- inity. In his famous Critique of Practical Reason," published in 1788, he brought back, as the primal cause of human conscience, the Deity whotii his "pure reason" had failed to recognise in the external world. Kant, indeed, was nothing if not a pure and pacific moralist., "Two things," he *v rote, "fill me with awe and wonder the starry heavens above, and the moral-law within." N c) th i tizl. could have been more abhorrent to him than such preaching of patriotic hatred towards England, and such paeans in praise of war as those with which his country has resounded since. In point of fact, at the age of 71 he produced a booklet entitled "Perpetual Peace," which would have appeared an idiotic dream to Treitschke and Bernhardi and their enthusiastic followers of to-day. This essay was a notable precursor of our present pacifist literatare. It predicted the time when standing armies shall cease. It laid down the important principle, that no state at war should commit such hostile acts as must make mutual trust impossible in fu- ture times of peace. It declared that punitive wars "—such as Austria described herself, two years ago as waging against Servia- were altogether inconsistent with the notion of political right. It is evident that in Kant's philosophy no support is found for Prussian Militarism, al- I though the greater part of his life was spent in the spacious reign of that most war-like- monarch Frederick the Great. What now are we to say of the second dis- tingushed name in the history of that which is known as the Idealistic Schooi of German Pliilospby--Ficlite, to wit, who was born in 1762 and died in 1814 ? This thinker became a convert to the Kantian moral philosophy, as expressed in the "Critique of Practical Reason," but soon abandoned that standpoiut, and took up a Pantheistic position that rather recalled the theory of Spinoza, whose fate, indeed, he shared in being denounced by the orthodox as no better than an atheist. The writings of Fichte were more specific- ally metaphysical than ethical. But he came in direct touch with the problem of war after the crushing of Prussia by Napoleon in the years 1806 and 1807. Towards the end of the latter year he produced his famous Ad- dresses to the German nation," which brought a new spirit into politics. They were a summons to the principle of nationality, and an impassioned appeal for a system of edu- cation which should gradually reconstruct the shattered Prussian State. After Napoleon's fatal retreat from Mos- cow in 1812, Fichte deiivered a series of lectures entitled,—" On the idea of a Just War." In these he made it clear that for him it was only the good cause that made a good war. He would have held up his hands in horror at the cynical maxim of modern mili- tarist Germany that the materially good," namely, the successful war can, by its mere success, make the cause worthy of being con- sidered morally good or just. ( To be continued.) I

Y RAFFLES. • i'ljleu HAP-CHWAREU,—gan njai dyna ydynt liiewn gwirionedd. I; 11 yn talu pum dolar am docyn, gan ddisgwyl eljill mil o ddoleri drwyhyny. TJn yn enill y'cyfan, ar draiil y canoedd eraill sydd wedi colli. Rhyfedd y fath swyn sydd gan yr Hap-chwareu hwn ar y lliaws, a'r olwg chwareus a difater gymer llawer pen teulu arno. Mae gwcfth- wyr y tocynau hyn wedi myned yti (Iretli drom ar eilldyffryn., Mae eu taeriueb ? (sydd yn yniylit ar haeotlugrwydd) bron yn anioddefol. Drwg genym weled cymaint o ddynion ieuainc wedi dod o'r hen wlad yn gydmarol ddiweddar yn gwneyd cymaint defnydd o'r dull hwn o geisio dod ylmiatii yn y byd. A ydyw y Raffles yn oddefol yn Nghymru, ueu ynte'r Bazar sydd wedi dadblygu, (neu ddirywio yn hytrach) i'r cyflwr hwn ? Yn ddiweddar gvvnaeth llyw- odraeth y wlad hoil ddadganiad "nad ystyrir ydull hwn o Hap-chwareu yn anghyfreith- lon" ? ond nid yw hyn yn newid y cwestiwn nid yw'r drwg moesol fymryn llai, a diameu y gwel y llywodraeth ei chamgymeriad cyn hir, mae'r sou arled eisoes fod gwaharddiad i gymeryd He. Rhoddir prisiau afi-esytnol o uchei ar y nwyddau neu eiddo roddir ar Raffle. Prisir hwy i dair neu bedair gwaith eu gwir werth marchnadol, ac aitT yr arian o bocedau y lluaws i boced y perchenog, ac allan o'r lluaws anffodusion fu'n treio eu lwc, daw Cn ffodus yn berchenog ar eiddo sydd yn werth mil neu ddwy o bosibl a hyny trwy dalu ychydig ddoleri am docyu. Prynir tocynau i blant bychain nas gwyddant ddim am y peth, rhagor na'u bod i dderbyn rhyw ciddo mawr cyn hir, a thrwy hyn trwythir y plant mewn Hap-chwareuon, fel y bydd yn ail natur iddynt pan dyfant ifyny. Mac'r swyn yn ormod o demtasiwn i'r ysgafnaf ei lo-ell. Dro yn ol gwelwyd tad yn prynu un or tocynau hyn, tra yr oedd ef a'i deulu yn nghanol tlodi dygn yn dioddef ohcrwydd prinder ymborth a dillad priodol. Beth fydd dylanwad yr Hap cluvareuon hyn ar foesoldeb y Wiadfa ? Gwyddom beth yw'r dylanwad mewn gwledydd eraill, ceir rhai yn Hap-chwareu ar hyd y blynyddau heb enill dim, a gwar- iant yr hyn oil a feddant, gan nas gallant roddi i fyny'r arferiad, ac ambell un arall yn digwydd lhvyddo i gael swm o arian,yn gwar- io'r swm hwnw a rhagor ato gan ddisgwyl cael mwy o Iwe yn y dyfodol, ac yn ei aflwyddiant cyll ei synhwyrau, neu cyflawna hunan laddiad. Dyna hanes Monte Carlo, ac onid yw'r WliOfalr dyddiau hyn yn pry- sur ddilyn yr un llwybr. Credaf y dylem fel gwlad godi ein llais yn erbyn y gelynion sydd yn prysur fwyta ein nerth, a gwneyd ape! ddifrifol at yr awdurdodau goruchel yn y brif ddinas i ffrwyno a cheisio rhoddi terfyn ar y fasnach feddwol a'r Hap-chwareuon.—PESSIMIST.

Cymdeithas Camwy Fydd, Treiew. Nos Wener, Hydref i3eg, cyfarfyddodd nifer luosog o aelodau y Gymdeithas uchod, ynghyd a nifer, o gyfeillion eraill, yn Festri y Taberuacl, i wrando anerchiad gan y Br. Ellis H. Thurtell, M.A., sef Jnez de Paz, Treiew, ar destyn gwir amserol a dyddorol, sef: A ydyw Athroniaeth yr Almaen yn gyfrifol am ei Hysbryd Milwrol, ynghyd a'i Moddi-on i wneuthur Rhyfel ? Da genym nodi i ni gael anerchiad gwir alluog, ac yr oedd y gwrandawiad astud, ar gymeradwyaeth ain- lygwyd ar derfyn yr anerchiad, yn arwydd ac yn dystiolaeth fod pob un oedd bresenol j wedi cael gwir fwynhad, a Hawn dal am un- rhyvv aberth wnaed i fod yn bresenol. Gyda chaniatad y Golygydd, bvvriedir cyhoeddi yr anerchiad yn Saesoneg, am ein bod yn argy- hoeddedig y bydd yn werth i holl ddarllen- wyr y DRAFOD i'w ddarllen yn hamddenol ac ystyriol. Crybwyllir yn fyr, enwau prif athronwyr yr Almaen, megis Kant, Fichtie, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Hartmann, a Nietz- sche, y r hai, er eu bod y rhai galluocaf yn eu dydd, nad oedd a fynno eu dysgeidieeth, na'u athroniaeth, a chynyrchu yr ysyryd mil- wrol presenol. Ar derfyn yr anerchiad siaradwyd a gofynwyd rhai cwestiynau gan rai o aelodau y Gymdeithas i'r areithiwr, ac atebodd yntau yn bwrpasol, ac i foddlon- rwydd cyffredinol, a'r penderfyniad y daeth- om iddo oedd fod yn rhaid edrych i gyfeiriad arall heblaw athroniaeth y bobl enwyd, i gael gafael ar beth sydd wedi cynyrchu yr ysbryd milwrol. Gobeithir cael anerchiad eto gan y Br. Thurtell ar destyn poblogaidd arall.-Go- HEBYDÐ AM Y TRO. ———> <———

DIRWEST. t Dyma bwngc haedda lawer rhagor o'n sylw yn bresenol, obosibl fod hir gynefindra a dirwest yn pylu'r mill ac yn ein gwneyd yn ddifater. M8e'r Gymanfa Ddirwestol wedi cychwyn (yn frwd), ac fel llawer o sef- ydliadau da eraill yn y W lad fa, ofnir ei bod yn dechreu tynu ei thraed ati i farw. Pa le mae'r rhai mwyaf blaenllaw gyda'r sefyd- liad hwn ? a ydynt oil wedi myned i hepiau, iieu, a ydyw sefydliadau eraill llai cysegredig yn myned a'u bryd yn ormodol ? Fodd bynag am llyny, os y%v'r dirwestwyr yn hepian, mae'r Bolicheros yn effro ac yn casglu bloneg a'r draiil cyrff ac eneidiau eu cyd-ddynion. Gofidus yw gweled nifer y Cymry sydd yn cadw'r tai hyn, yn myned ar gynydd. Mae yn nhref y Gaiman bedwar, os llad pump o dai i werthu diodydd meddwol, yr oil vn cael eu cadw gan Gymry glan, dynion ieuaingc y'mlodau eu dyddiau, ac nid hen bobl fethiantus nas gallant enill eu bywol- iaeth drwy weithio.— PESSIMIST.

Hysbysiad. Mae y llytr isod I'W gael gan K. K. Jones, Treiew, 30 cts. yr un. Rhoddwn yma farn ysgolheigion a duwin- yddion Cymru am y ]lyfr: Casgliad o Feddyliau ar Destynau Amserol. "Fe! efrydydd (lyfil a meddyliwr treidd- gar, y mac Mr. Joues yn adnabyddus i rai ohouom er's biynyddau. Amlwg yw ei fod yn gwyJio arwyddion yr aniseroedd gyda manylder Rhed axxlel werthfawr o awyr iach trwy y cwbl, a gwna ei ddarllen les diiiiilieuof.Proff. RICHARD MORRIS, M.A., B.A., Bala. 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mae y llyfr hwn yn arddangos llawer o feddylgarwch, ac wedi ei gyfansoddi mewn arddull ddymunol, fywiog a chlir.-Parch. R. E. MORRIS, M.A., Wrexham. 000000 Y mae'r inaterion, yn ddiau, yn rhai amserol iawn, a thraetha yr awdur yn wir dda arnyut. Bendith anrhaethol i ieuenc- tyd ein gwlad fyddai eu trwytho aT syniad- au sydd yn y llyfr liwii. "-Proff. JOHN JONES, B.A., Bala. 0 0 o o o o Meddyliau mewn gwirionedd, yw y rhai hyn, ac Did mcwn enw a'r rhai hyny yn braff a thiNvs,clwy i,odwe(ld na chyf- erfydd ond yn dra anfynych inewn lleii- yddiaeth Gymraeg." Parch. MOELWYN HUGHES, M,A., Ph.D.