But the American will feel the effects of the fate of the Old World.
Even though he knows his own country is not directly involved, he will
certainly realize that the great net of international traffic and the
progress of his country are connected by many strong ties to the life
and prosperity of European peoples. He will be affected by every victory
and defeat, just as by the sun and rain in his own country. He will
doubtless remember that of all European countries Germany is the best
customer of the United States, from which she purchases yearly over
1,000,000,000 marks in cotton, food, metal, and technical products. If
Germany is economically ruined, which is the wish of Russia, France, and
England and all allied friends of wretched Servia, it would mean the
loss of a heavy buyer to America, and thereby cause a serious loss to
America which could not easily be made good. It would be a great blow to
American export trade, of which Germany handles not less than 14 per
cent. yearly.
The material loss is not the only feature. In the economic struggle in
the world markets American and German commercial men have learned
mutually to appreciate one another, to appreciate one another more
highly than do any other two rivals.
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