THE RE-EDUCATION OF GERMANY
Sna,—It becomes clear that if peace is to prevail again in Europe it must be either the death peace of Nazi rule or the peace of freely co-operating nations. For the former we need make no provision ; for the latter it will be needful that Germany should be re-educated either by herself or by others. Preferably by herself, and, if we might reckon on the appearance of a prophet— a St. Francis or John Wesley—we might trust the German people to follow him as faithfully as they now follow Hitler. But failing such inward purification, how are we to help the conversion? The Christian churches will no doubt have a large part to play ; so, too, should all who care for political liberty or intellectual freedom. To this immense task all good powers of heaven and earth should assemble, supplementing and supporting each other. What of psychology? Has any psychologist turned his attention to the question, How should a nation be re-educated? Can we get no help from this quarter?
In the early-Middle Ages some Saxon tribes were " converted " by being driven like sheep to a lake and there baptised—a master stroke of Satan, as Dr. Arnold held. It may be we are still suffer- ing fjom this master stroke and can only learn from it how not to convert : and since German education must be on German lines the best hope would seem to be in inducing a study of their own good Europeans. Goethe first of all, Yours faithfully,
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