The Project Gutenberg EBook of Villa Elsa, by Stuart Henry

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Title: Villa Elsa
A Story of German Family Life

Author: Stuart Henry

Release Date: November 28, 2006 [EBook #19946]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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VILLA ELSA

_A Story of German Family Life_

BY

STUART HENRY

NEW YORK
E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY
681 FIFTH AVENUE

COPYRIGHT 1920, BY
E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY

_All Rights Reserved_

_Printed in the United States of America_

TO

Pat and Anna

IN LOVING TOKEN OF OUR WINTER'S
CONVERSATIONS ON THE GERMANS

FOREWORD

This narrative offers a gentle but permanent answer to the problem
presented to humanity by the German people. It seeks to go beyond
the stage of indemnities, diplomatic or trade control, peace by
armed preponderance. These agencies do not take into account Teuton
nature, character, manner of living, beliefs.

Unless the Germans are changed, the world will live at swords'
points with them both in theory and in practice. Whether they are
characteristically Huns or not, it should be tragically realized
that something ought to be done to alter their type. Their minds,
hearts, souls, should be touched in a direct, personal, intimate
way. There should be a natural relationship of good feeling, an
intelligent and _lived_ mutual experience, worked up, brought
about. A League of Nations, of Peace, inevitably based on some sort
of force, should be followed by a truly human programme leading to
the amicable conversion of that race, if it is at heart unrepentant,
crafty, murderous.

In the absence of any particular heed being paid to this underlying,
fundamental subject, the present pages suggest for it a vital
solution that seems both easy and practical and would promise to
relieve anxiety as to an indefinitely uncertain, ugly future ahead
of harassed mankind.

How shall the German be treated in the present