South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-01-27
Chesterton
Explains How
and Why MIR.
Ford Misunder-
stood the War
The English Publicist Wants
to Know What Americans
Would Have Said If an Eng
lish Owner Of Hanson Cabs
Tried to Stop Our Civil War.
By G. K. Chesterton
the Distinguished PubIIeIst.

zR FORD. the celebrated American
MI comedian, is now on tour with his COM
Iva pany: and the type OF advertisement as
we'll as the troupe itself. is much nthe man
ner Of Mt Barnum. How, happily, the
humorfst manages 10 keep his inventions re-
mote from any too painful reality may be
Judged from the following remark, which ne
Is reported as having made TO an interviewer:
81 believe that the sinking of the Lustania
was deliberately planned to get this country
into war Il was not planned by any one
nation. II was planned by the fnanciers OF
war"
7 think that is quite sufficient regards Mr..
Ford in relation to the probabilities OF politics.
There seems no limit TO such line of thought
and I am surprised that he has not carried II
further. I have often denounced the inter
nationaIism of finance myself; ! believe that
hanks are often really the fortresses OF a
silent invasion But have some difficulty In
believing that bankers swim under the sea to
cut holes in the bottoms OF ships; l presume
Mr. Ford thinks that several millions OF bank
clerks. disguised as German soldiers, crossed
the frontier and laid waste Belgium, while the
peaceable German army remained at home
II may be that by "fnanciers" Mr. Ford
means naunition-manufacturers. for his style Is
by no means clear: and | myself have OFTEN
pointed out that the German firm is krupp
and Kaiser and not Kaiser and Krupp. But
the attempt to explain the collision OF all
human ambitions and interests by the mere
materials through which they work is thing
at for a lunatic asylum. | could not make
Mr. Ford commit a murder by giving him re-
volver as a Christmas present. even H. In the
warmth OF my affection, had made 1t for him
myself Nor could anybody make thousands
of ordinary march and starve and die
happy, merely by providing them with pieces
of metal for the purpose. Nobody could make
them carry heavy rifles by making heavy rifles
for them to carry. The whole thing is windy
nonsense born OF wealth and security and a
gaping and CHASTITY ignorance of, all tlat makes
men behave like men.
That pride and ambition and avarice orten
Lead to wars is true. and another matter; but
that has nothing TO do with the mindless
materialism w1fch would explain things by
their tools Torture circumstances is a horrible
thing; and real religious enthusiasts have
often tortured each other But II any man
were to tell mesthat they tortured each other
because the manufacturers OF instruments of
torture wanted to sell them, L should take the
liberty OF calling him fool do not believe
that the Reformation came because shop
keepers4wished to do brisk business In racks
Nor do 4 believe that the epidemic OF witch.
burning In the seventeenth century was due to
a conspiracy OF timber-merchants. People
wanted 10 fight under such insult and wrong
as the ultimatums 70 Serbia and Belgium long
before there we're any modern ornaments or
modern armament firms. l have sometimes
fancied that people wished to travel be-
fore the invention OF the Ford car.
There Is one way " whichsMr Ford and his
tour viii probably do good. 1t will clear the
pitch of much more plausible and presentable
individuals il they attempt to prevent the
thorough purgation OF christendom. There are
ether pacihsts. many of5them men who neoes-
serIy command respect who may attempt to
create the reconciliation without understand
ing the quarrel Such men viii mean nothing
but good and do nothing hut harm; but they
viii certainly do less harm If they find.
wherever they go. the torn and faded posters
Of Mr. Ford's unsuccessful circus.
I have been told q do not know whether
there is any truth in IT'D that during American
elections the opponents OF some politician
wiz send round a sort OF living oaricature of
him; another dressed up in undignifed
imitation of him. and carrying on q need
hardly say in a manner little to his credit.
These artistic wire.puliers send their walking
cartoon not after the hated politician to parody
him. but before him. to take the words out of
his mouth. So that astonished statesman
aDds his nose sober remarks hailed With happy
,aughtsr TX
do act suggest that We should, apply this
method u IKE pGciilsts ourselves; or attempt
% s0rsstaA Mr.. Morel or Mr.. Philip Snowden
by sensns some funnfeg person IN front OF
hem. yor one thing. do not see Row there
couIz Re any funnisr yerssn than lfr. sIorea
or Mr. PEnlp snowden And for =anfsar such
JOKES IN the grand style require the -sszmpagne-
like ar which seems 70 serve that nation
(symbolically called Carrie Nation) as a sub
stitute foE champagne. But If il Is difficult For
10 DO 1t ourselves. ought 20 be all the
more grateful 10 Mr.. Ford II he will DO Il for
Is And cannot imagine anything more likely
turn a premature peace into a permanent
.0ke than a man who begins his persuasion OF
he world by telling US story about the sink
ing of tbs Lusitania, by which the Prussian
Government defended what it did not do.
Fer the responsible pacihsts in America the