The “German Workers’ Party”
stronghold of German valor, while Center and Marxism were merely intending to cut off its dangerous nationalist fangs, without which, however, an army remains forever a mere police, not a body of troops which can do battle with the enemy—something which subsequent events amply proved.
Or did our “national politicians” suppose that the development of the army could have been other than a national one? That would be just these gentlemen’s style; it is what comes of spending the war not as a soldier, but as a windbag, i.e. a parliamentarian, and losing any sense of what may be going on in the bosom of men whom a stupendous past reminds that they were once the first soldiers of the world.
So I resolved to attend the above-mentioned meeting of a party about which so far I knew as little as anyone else.
When I arrived that evening in the back room, for us later to become historic, of the former Sterneckerbräu beer-hall, I found about twenty or twenty-five people, mostly from the lower classes of life.
I was already familiar with Feder’s lecture, through the courses, so that I could give my attention chiefly to observing the society itself.
It made neither a good nor a bad impression on me; it was just one more new organization. Those were the days when anyone who was dissatisfied with previous developments, and had lost confidence in the existing parties, thought himself appointed to start a new party. Such societies sprang up like mushrooms everywhere, only to disappear without a flicker after a short time. Most of the founders had not the slightest idea what it means to turn a society into a party, let alone a movement. So the groups they founded almost always drowned in their own ridiculous pettiness.
After listening for about two hours, I decided that the “German Workers’ Party” was in the same class. I was glad when Feder finally finished speaking. I had seen enough, and was getting ready to go when the open discussion which was then announced induced me to stay awhile. But here too nothing of any consequence happened, until suddenly a “professor” took the floor who first
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