They are, as a German poet, Felix Dahn, wrote, the kith and kin of Thor, the god of might, who conquered all lands with his thundering hammer; and it is their destiny to conquer the world by "the good German sword."
This is the ideal that the Allies are fighting against. What is the ideal they are fighting for? It may also be illustrated by a picture, but this time by a word picture written by a man long familiar with Dürer's wonderful engraving. For years he had a copy of the engraving hung above his desk. As he studied it, he finally saw himself a knight riding on through the world; and he saw riding with him, not death and the devil, but two other knights. One of the knights was hideous to look upon, and rode just behind him; and one was wonderfully beautiful and strong, and rode just ahead of him. And all three rode at full speed forever and ever, the knight, who was the man himself, in the middle, always striving to outrun the knight who was behind him, and to overtake the one before him. Finally he put the thought in verse, for it seemed to him to represent the life of every human being who was free to live out his life as he would wish.
THE QUEST
A knight fared on through a beautiful world
On a mission to him unknown;
At his left and a little behind there rode
The self of his deeds alone.
At his right and a length before sped on—
Him none but the knight might see—
A braver heart and a purer soul,
The self that he longed to be.
And ever the three rode on through the world
With him at the left behind;
Till never the knight would look at him,
Feeble and foul and blind.
Desperately on they drave, these three,
With him at the right before,
While the knight rode furiously after him
And thought of the world no more.
Forever on he must ride on his quest
And peace can be his no more,
Till the one at his left he has dropped from sight
And o'ertaken the one before.
Thus ages ago the three fared on,
And on they fare to-day,
With him at the left a little behind,
The right still leading the way.