474. The English admit that, owing to the demoralizing influence of Edward VII., they are in a state of religious, social and economic decadence, but their illusion as to the incomparable superiority of England prevents them from tracing the evil to its true source, and as some one must be to blame for it, the fault must of course lie with the rapidly climbing Germany.—Prof. A. Schröer, Z.C.E., p. 34.
475. Every man wears the same trousers, every woman the same hat. I remember once being unable to find in all London a single blue necktie—blue was not the fashion. This would have been unthinkable in Berlin, Paris or Vienna.—H.S. Chamberlain, K.A., p. 18.
476. Thus science, which to us is a very serious matter, is to the Englishman, like everything else—except money-making!—like, for instance, politics, administration, the care of the poor, &c.,—a private hobby, a sort of sport.—Prof. A. Schröer, Z.C.E., p. 43.
477. On the day of the Oxford and Cambridge boat race, one walks, in the giant city of London, through literally empty (buchstäblich leere) streets. From the oldest duchess to the youngest chimney sweep, all are seized with the same mad enthusiasm for this event.—H.S. Chamberlain, K.A., p. 18.
478. [Puritanism leads to] that shrinking from the frank expression of emotions which (for example) explains the fact that cultivated England reads its great poet Shakespeare for the most part in editions in which everything is deleted that could give offence to a sensitive old maid.—Prof. W. Wundt, D.N.I.P., p. 32.
479. At the parliamentary elections [before the war] nothing is spoken of but the hatred for Germany, which animates the speaker and his audience.—K.L.A. Schmidt, D.E.E., p. 10.
480. [British ignorance is] so horrific that a German can scarcely conceive it. Five years ago, in a town of 40,000 inhabitants, it was impossible to find a single man, who, for payment, could read English correctly to an invalid.—H.S. Chamberlain, K.A., p. 18.
481. Attention has recently been drawn, by an authoritative writer, to the fact that English biology and the theory of evolution, which have achieved so much celebrity, are in essence nothing but the transference of liberal middle-class views to the processes of life seen in nature.—Prof. W. Sombart, H.U.H., p. 17.
482. Is the noble land of Shakespeare fighting against us? Not at all; for Shakespeare we have long conquered. He has long been more a German than an English poet.—O.A.H. Schmitz, D.W.D., p. 15.
483. About the middle of the last century, England was in a fair way to save herself from decadence through the revivifying virtue of the philosophico-ethical influence of Germany.—Prof. A. Schröer, Z.C.E., p. 69.