New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-07-15
OoNCERT AND DOCTRINE
concerned.

DR.. Angeles Phi Beta Kappa Grafton at Hs-.
yard the other day gave a valuable reminder
OF the benefits which have accrued from the
concert or the various concerts, of the Euro
pean powers At times In recent years. observ
Ing only some failure Of It to effect all It had
In view. people have regarded the concert with
a degree Of contempt and derisiou which on
the whole, 1t has by no means deserved. Impo-
tent for some things, In other respects II has
been potent for great good The liberation Of
Greece, the redemption Of Belgium from being
the cockpit Of Europe" to be one of the most
prosperous countries in the world. the protec-
uon OF Holland in her vast prosperity, the res
cuing Of Crete from anarchy, are important
items to be credited to it. In addition TO the
preservation Of general peace upon more than
one occasion: nor can we doubt that, had such
almost uncomfortable necessity arisen 1t would
at any time have been equally effective for the
defence Of any European state against conquest
or attack from any other part Of the world. It
is well to give to that concert the credit that
is its due for being one Of the most benehcent
international influences of the last century.
No less pertinent and convincing was DR.
Angeles discussion Of the Monroe Doctrine as
something not altogether unlike an American
counterpart OF, or counterbalance to. the Euro
pean concert. There is, Of course, this marked
NA-ACAS bSShCS4A luGAl1g LLdl COuC6IG Is
the creature of a number Of powers, and the
doctrine of only one. Obviously, that is because
the United States was at the date Of the doc
Tine the only important power In America In
later times, especially in the last quarter cen
fury, this country has strongly striven to make
that doctrine the basis of a real concert of
America and it is not its fault II that has not
been fully achieved. But apart from that, re-
garded simply as the pronuncamento OF a
single dominant power, the benefcence Of the
doctrine has been INDICATED no less conspicu-
ousy than that Of the concert The doctrine
has preserved weak States from spoliatlon, and
it has no less preserved from attack the Amerl-
can colonies Of European powers. In shield
ing the South American continent from such a
scramble for land as was seen a score Of years
ago in Africa, it has not only protected indie
pendent States from violent subversion, but also
it has probably saved the European powers
from war among themselves over the coveted
epOils Of conquest
There is need for ell nations and all COM
binations Of powers at least to try 70 see
themse9v>e as others see them, and also to try
10 see others as those others see themselves It
is desirable for US to know how Europe regards
the Monroe Doctrine. and also for Europe to
know how we regard it. So It is desirable for
Europe to know how we regard its concert
ana also lOI Us 10 hlOW now Europe REGARDS
It. Neither the subjective nor the objective
view may be entirely correct, but neither are
we to suppose either to be altogether erroneous.
It is by judiciously comparing the two that
the truest estimate is to be formed. We have
been TOO free with our criticisms. and even our
houtings, of the European concert to be en-
titled to supersensitveness at European COM
ments upon the Monroe Doctrine; while, on
the other hand, Europe whenever it feels IN
clined to throw a few stones at the doctrine,
win do well to consider the yirsnps character