South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-04-12
CheStcrtOn
ExplainsWhy
EnglandCan't
USeCernnan
Methods
By u. X. LnesIerIOn
Tn. distinguished English PubIIcIst.

argue with people ABOUT CFeeuSs DuL NOulu
kin them for catchwords. Short of this. much
might be done by voluntary ascetcism and
seIf-denial Journalists might take vow not
20 say "a strong man" for eight months, after
which time they might begin to have some
faint adumbration of what il anything. they
meant by IT, They should fast from the word
Stacker" They should only allow themselves
to say doing his Bit upon great feast days.
But other phrases should be extirpated ut
terry because they are part Of whole view
OF life which has been proved to be apish and
impertinent
AS things stand. they choke the channels OF
human thinking everywhere. The clear here
sizes like Fatalsm or Authoritarian are bad
for conduct; in them action is spoiled by
thought But in these things thought is spoiled
by language Especially by the same language
used again and again. have seen hundred
times. II have seen It once. the phrase about
the present war: I'VE want not people who
talk, but people who do things" There are |
know not how many COMMISSIONS In those few
words
To begin with II is within the humble capA-
cities OF human nature to talk sense Prob
ably the best thing that an enforced civilian
can at present do for his country is to talk
sense. It is also possible 10 do nonsense.
the Germans do when they "gO bang. bang!"
las the children say) over English watering
places or as some Engifshmen do when they
try 10 suppress German music Then, OF
course the phrase involves the division OF
men into two different kinds-those who can
speak and those who act. This is idiot
simplicity. like dividing men into those Who
near and those who smell.
Would English Admirals
Eat Their Cannibal Captives7
There is not. and never has been. the
smallest grain Of evidence that the two capaci-
les are incompatible; and all the largest his
,orical evidence proves that they generally go
together. Danton. who stamped his foot and
armies came out OF the earth ; Chatham, who
sent the English nag round the world were
both OF them primarily and supremely men
Of words. They could talk well and act well.
and their chief obstacles were powerful dunn.
mics WHO could do neither But. in contra
d,ction 20 the planest fact, this absurd tag
stin trails It's length along: and a is often
supposed TO be able to do everything merely
because he cannot tell anybody what he lie
doing.
Another endless nut into which many OF our
writer's have slid is phrase about lighting
the Germans with their own weapons. Now.
first OF ALL sensible person does not fight
anything with fits cwn weapons. He does not
BITE shark OF scratch a tiger. The wise
will not place his principal hopes IN the pos
sfbiity OF tossing a bull He will not be found,
IN HIS scientific rsmbles. endeavoring patiently
20 sting a hornet II is sufficiently obvious,
one would think, that victory over an oppon-
ent can best be obtained not by using the
methods with which he Is familiar but the
methods with which he Is not familiar
But when we come to moral and intellectual
differences this self-evident truism seems to
fade from the minds CT men. II were at
var with the King of the Cannibal Islands.
these people would say that our admirals ought
to eat their prisoners. At least they show no
perception of any intellectual principle that
could save them from such conclusion II
does not seem to dawn on them that we do
not eat savages for the same reason that We
do conquer them: because not savage.
We do not swallow human gore for the same
reason that We do not swallow slavery and
humiliation: because they make us sick.
am sorry TO see that even so candid and hu
name a writer as Mr. Blatchford, to whom we
all owe so much slips into the same rut He
says sarcastcaIly that are not allowed TO
use certain forms Of retaliation because our
Government is so kind to the Germans Now
certain special retsliations may be right or
wrong: but it is mere slipshod sentimentalism
&c suggest that those who think them wrong
have any particular Teutonic sympathies
Would Mr.. BlatchfOrd. for instance. say that
We should poison wells because the Germans
poisoned them? And II not why not? The
real reason. Of course. would be the same for
him as for me: and we should not refrain out
OF respect for Germans. but out OF respect for
ourselves.
This nlain nrincr'e must no the test IN su
tax about the morality Of ne4hods For II e
the whole challenge that Is rendiug the world.
We are hghting for human self-respect: we
cannot possibly lose what we are hshttnK for
even in order to fight better. The Prussian
sticks al nothing in pursuit OF triumph be-
cause he understands nothing except triumph
Losing the hattie is 70 him what losing his
soul Is 70 a deTufee-s thing he normally hopes
TO avoid. t'tng be hopss II may not be too
hard to sv6S4 hut thing which, hrst and
last he must avoid. and the avoidance OF
which viii dwarf everything else that is en-
n~ ma Ia