The Detroit times., 1915-05-27
The Real Unit
BY Or. FRANK CRANE
(Copyright. 1918. by Frank Crane)

War. as has been stated often. Is n
deluSion. II also rests upon delusions.
Not the least one of these is the de-
fusion that considers A NATION AS A
UNIT.
That means that every citizen Of Ger
many, for instance, is responsible for
whatever his government does.
This is not SO. Of course But IL is one
.or those universally accepted fictions OF
which there are not few lingering in
the human mind like old stumps in a
swamp.
In Amiers Journal Ito which Mr.. c.
&. Georgen calls my attention. occurs
this passage
Historic justice is, generally speak
ing. tardy-so tardy that il becomes UNI
lust Louis XVI pays for Louis XIV,
Alexander H. for Nicholas"
Regarding the nation as a solid unit.
the German mind Enthusiastically goes
10 the logical extreme. The Germans
believe that everybody who is English
IS 10 be killed whether non-combatant or
not: hence they drop bombs on cities
and torpedo unarmed vessels. To them
il seems silly for non-combatants To COM
plain rs il would be for the leg or the
eye Of a duelliSt 10 complain Of being at
tackled when the hand is the only often
sive member.
The other nations start from ia
same principle OF national solidarity, but
they allow the sentiments of humanity
90 render them Illogical.
Both are wrong. the logical Germans
and the illogical English and French.
For the REAL UNIT Is NOT THE Ma
( TON. IT Is HUMANITY.
/ If we could get that into our noggins
lit would disrel the cloud of unreason
| that envelops war.
! So long as the nation is unit. the hui
Imam beings in il are but the pawns OF
small group Of statesmen. They must
1 .i,ht and die for the blunders and ambi-
lions Of this group.
They are fred by ambitions and pas
,ions Of national glory and patriotism
which are artificial and baseless when
subjected 10 intelligent analysis, and
which bring them only ruin and suffer-
1 ing as a victory or conquest is as inJu-
Irious 10 the Ill MAN BEINGS IN A Ma
TON as a defeat would be.
Absolutely the only cure for the war
mania is TO get the ideal Of humanity
substituted for that of national glory.
That is the true vision, and where
there is no vision the people perish.
President Wilson seems to have caught
A CLEAN of this when he said the other
day:
For the interesting and inspiring
thing about America is that she asks
nothing for herself except what she has
a right 10 ask for humanity itself We
stand ,elGshly in the way Of the develop
ncnt OF no nation we want nothing that
Ue cannot get 10y our own legitimate en-
erpri,e and By the inspiration Of our
own example. and. standing for these
.hings. il is not pretension on our part TO
saw that we are privileged 10 stand for
what every .,tion would wish to stand
for and 10 speak for those things which
II humanity must desire.
The highest convention ~ America is
hat il is not a nation. as the states OF
europe arc nations. ii is q section OF hui
rnanitv II is merely convenient division
If the human race and il contends only
Tor those things that benefit "all men
everywhere.
Some dav We will cease singing chau-
whistle songs and lauding the magnih-
|cercc of our arms and death dealing ma
|chinerv. and shall learn such hymns "a
This. used in the Robert Browning Set
Element AT Walworth. London:
Good make tho world one state
All nations small and great.
One civic whole
SELF ruled each people be
Az peoples linked and free
Glorious in unity
From pole 10 pole
ono world destiny;
one race one family.
Ono God above
All states upheld In ono,
All laws cNceled In one,
Al lives impeled by one
one life one love"
RANGE OF THE EYE
Contrary 10 the general belief that the hello
yIr,uoIiy 10 an Instrument for signaling