Page:The heart of Europe; an address delivered by Charles Pergler in Washington, December 11, 1916, at a conference of oppressed or dependent nationalities (IA heartofeuropeadd00pergrich).pdf/15

own lights and without outside interference. The value of little nations is only now beginning to be truly appreciated. “The little nations, with their own languages, their own literatures, their glory in their own history, were never more alive, never more important, than they are to-day in this conflict of gigantic Empires,” correctly declared Mr. Lloyd George in a recent speech. The world undoubtedly has already lost very much because of the oppression of small nationalities. Scandinavian contributions to culture—not Kultur!—and to civilization are very substantial. They were made possible largely because the Scandinavians as nations have enjoyed an untrammelled development. A nation fighting for its existence could have hardly given to the world an Ibsen or a Björnson. The value of Czech literature is still little known. Many a masterpiece has been penned in the musical language of this nation living in the heart of Europe. But what would have been the fruits of Czech industry and Czech genius had not the nation been compelled for centuries to struggle for mere existence? No thoughtful man or woman, no normal human being, believes in the doctrine of supermen evolved in Germany—we may not care to go so far as to call it a German doctrine. No one will subscribe to the doctrine of super-nations. The right of small nations to exist, even in the light of purely utilitarian reasons, as important factors in the onward march of the human race, needs no elaborate vindication. The expression “principle of nationality” stands, therefore, for an important force in the scheme of human affairs. But to speak of the principle of nation-