LESSONS*
It is a far cry back to 1917. Yet the memories of many of us take
us back and the thought that we had wished that we had profited by
the bitter experience of our past conflicts and had listened to
those who advocated adequate preparation for national defense.
Now the dark cloud of strife has passed and our fears are
abated by the bright sunrise of Peace and Prosperity, and we now*
wish to bathe in the splendor of the new age and its prospect.
Before we are to cast aside the means that gave us the Peace
and Prosperity and assign it to droll stories of personal experi
ences of mistakes and limitations of a blind nation.
No one who realizes the complexity and scale of modern war can
harshly blame these humans for their mistakes and short comings.
The real fault lies with the nation and its people, who year in
and year out have refused to face the facts and make intelligent
preparations against eventualities.
Once more we are, dispite these rough lessons of actual expe
rience and participation, back in the old land of pleasant illu
sions. It seems that some strange hand is shaping our policies
precisely as before the memorable days of 1917. Are they paci
fists or some shortsighted devotees of mistaken economics with
their eyes clouded by their ardor?
Once more we bend our efforts to the compounding of patent
formulae for eternal peace and strive to change human nature with
soothing words of hope.
We plunge onward into the future thoughtless of the past and
its lessons. Let us stop and dwell with thought on the lessons
of the most recent experience still fresh in our memory. Let us
remember that the future may not be so kind to allow our allies to
stand off the horde until we gather ourselves together and take
stock. Luck cannot remain eternally wrapped with her arms about
our neck guiding us safely to the shores of peace.
Exchange.
PACIFISTS PROVOKE WAR SAYS CHAMBERLAIN.
Sir Austen Chamberlain, the British foreign secretary, at the
annual dinner of the London Chamber of Commerce, on May 8th, argued
that the most profound pacifists were apt to be also the most ag
gressive people. ho foreign secretary, he added, could survive a
few months’ experience and not feel that those who were the most
profound pacifists were quite likely to be those who urged upon
him a course most certainly provocative of international trouble.
"Let us go into the world", he continued, "encouraging others
to take steps that are necessary in our own country; put them in
an equally satisfactory way of progress, and let us resolve,as the
greatest world need is peace, that we will give an example not
merely in foreign policy, but in our relations one with another,
as between class and class and in every section of the community".
DELUSION CR REALITY:
Misguided theorists are pledging themselves in all parts of
the country never to support another war - offensive or defensive -
and are encouraging Congress to keep down the Army and Navy to the
lowest possible point on the false plea of economy.
Secretary of War Weeks points out that we have been compelled
to use force of arms 104 times in our 146 years of national exist
ence. While everyone hopes for a lasting peace, he who says there
will never be another war is a demagogue or a fool.