Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-04-16
GOVERNMENTS


TVERY cloud has its silver lining, and
| e. now that we have fully grasped the
shame and degradation of barbarc warfare,
our writer's are reminding us of some of the
! possible compensatons which may result out
of the present European conflict
The magazines this month present nearly
so articles on economic and governmental
conditions, and easily three-fourths of this
number consider situations as shaped and
affected by the war. For though we are
officially and to the best of our ability
neutral, the extent of the world war; is
so far reaching that we are compelled to
share some of the hardships of the belliger-
ents in matters of trade, etc.
1t would undoubtedly be considered crude
and callous to complain of the hardships of
war as affecting all our flock of summer
tourists, who will this spring be compelled
to forcgo the accustomed European diver
sions And yet the most respectable and
conservative of magazines do not hesitate,
after an apologetic Introductory cough, to
point out the disadvantages and advantages
of the present war to American trade and
finance.
One of the most noteworthy articles which
the war has produced is a study of the COM
paratlve activity and efficiency of modern
governments in times of war and peace by
Edwin Davies Schoonmalier, in the Cen
tury %:
The present war is probably the most per-
feet demonstration of the efficiency of Social
ism that the world has ever witnessed. The
tocsn sounds and the clothing appears; the
rife instinct with life it would seem, leaps
to his hand; for the cavalry. the horse with
bride and saddle is ready Long trains are
in waiting, and with what unmaGinable con-
venienccs! Kitchens, with cooks capped and
aproned: hospitals with doctors and nurses,
cots and bandages, medicine for the least blis-
ter of the foot. A whole society is i'm motion.
Comforts such as men dream OF in their homes
are here in abundance, though some magician
were abroad assembling out of the air these
wonders. The age of childhood has returned.
One has only to run to the great father and
be fed with the most wholesome food and
clothed with the most scientific clothing, and
have poured out at his feet such toys as the
heart of a child never dreamed of, swords and
guns and cannon of every description, trains
and motors. submarines and flying ships. search
lights for the night and wonderful telescopes
for the day. And In what quantities! Usually,
when a paything has been broken, there
days of deprivation. Not so here.
Man who was yesterday an orphan is today
cherished offspring Money or no money, he
is cared for, For once his real worth as a
man is appreCa ted. This is the most astonish-
ing thing about the present war 1t has made
of the miner, the mason, the factory hand,
the street conductor an asset of such value
that, for the first time, II has become, with
no opposition from the capitalist press
the sacred duty of society to see not only that
he is well fed and well clothed, but also that
at the public expense, he is supplied with doc
tors and nurses, And as he fingers between
life and death never thought of who is 10
meet the expenses OF the burial, never the dread
that perhaps wife and children will starve The
great father and the great mother will provide
for them.
Sooner or later, il the world is to stand and
mankind is TO continue to advance, Peace will
have TO go to school to War to learn the art
of caring for men. That divine altruism which
fusing in one great glow the armies of
Europe today will somehow have to be blown
abroad through the infinite tomorrows The
millions who in the trenches today see on every
hand the manifold advantages of cooperation
will not forever tolerate the lack of this fine
thing in times of peace.
Knocking Down and Building Up
Analysing the effects of the war on social
reform in all the countries involved, and in
this country as well. Current Opinion CD
says:
A great war, as we all know, sucks into its
maelstrom all other issues, and the form in
which they emerge afterward is a matter OF
keen solicitude What the effect OF the Euro
pean war Is TO be on democracy, socialism, pro-
hibition of the liquor traffic. etc. becomes a
more lively topic of discussion as the hopes Of
an early peace begin for some mysterious rea-
son to find expression. The first result of the
outbreak of hostilities was the submergence of
the Socialist propaganda in Europe the militant
suffragist movement in Great Britain, the inn
pending labor upheaval In Russia and many
less conspicuous movements in all countries
neutral as well belligerent
II Is quite possible that the setback received
by the Progressive party Ia the November cleo
tlOns was due, In large part, to the same cause.
MtaFism for the time being simply blotted
these things out OF sight all except the cause
OF prohibition Now the social reformers are
beginning TO ind their breath again. Ia Feb
ruary, the Socialists from Russia, France, Bel
GUM and Great Britain held conferences II