Precept, and it must be sharp and formidable, will not
suffice in itself. We must educate the Germans by our example. The Ger- man people have never had the chance of learning that strength, if wholly self-confident, can be a gentle thing ; to them conciliation seems always a sign of weakness. It is essential that the fact of our victory, the force of our occupation, the resolute unity of our future policy, be brought home to every German citizen. This does not mean that the individual behaviour of our soldiers should not in every case be exemplary. Their good conduct, if it is to serve as an example, must show itself as a proof of personal character rather than as mere disciplinary correctitude. And it is in this way that, not the "prestige" only, but also the example, of the American and British systems will be demonstrated and enhanced.
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