THE MILITARY CASTE.
[To THE EDITOE OP THE " SPECTATOR."] SER,—You say in one of your artieles in the issue of August 22nd that "the ruling military caste in Germany and Austria, who have made this war as consciously as a man cooks a dinner, must be regarded as guilty of an unforgivable sin." In another article in the same issue you say that "to every German who lets his fancy play with the greatness of his country's future Treitschke's teaching is a Bible." We know what that teaching is. Is it only the "military caste" who so let fancy play ? The Kaiser could not and did not go to war without obtaining the assent of the Federal Council representing the several Governments of the Empire. He also had to get a vote of supplies from the Reichstag, an assembly elected by universal suffrage, and which has often shown itself far more independent of the Government than has our House of Commons. The vote has passed without a single dissentient voice. The Socialist leader spoke in favour of it. Is it not a ti-tier and nobler thing to admit that we are in collision with the aspirations and sentiments of a great industrial and commercial nation, and not merely with one man or a "military caste" ? We must fight strongly for our own cause, but we should not cherish foolish
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