New-York tribune., 1916-02-06

about her ears, and yet preserving c","' "''
ordor n rosolu,o example Of endeavor to re
duce the brotherhood of man" to terms o.
Jaily Iife In the midst Of embarklng re
servistsD bcGagged "quarters," all the moV'hg
evidences Of our many-raced, many -psssloneu
and but half-assimilated people. sun thinH
that spectacle was magnificent, ana IL SUN
stirs mo to write Of IL.
We strove nightly those days TO interpfes
America 10 Europe not. indeed, ain terms OF
Europenn attitude Of the past but IN
terms Of America herself, her vast income
zion. her bewilderment, her honest purpose
her failure 10 grasp the issue, 80 clear 70
few from the first Yes, | think there was
nothing in those days that could be SAID TOT
America which we did not say Ana our say
ings were 80 gratefully received by an eagerly
receptive Europe that letters we could Dy n"
means have obtained leave 20 print here were
rushed into print over there without 50 much
as "by your leave" Nor did we care.
SO time went on until there happened q
thing-the Lusitania happened. Prior to TINS,
prior 20 the war itself Mexico, Of course had
been "happenng" all along, with its watchiui
waiting. its failure 70 settle anything, its de-
plorablc Vera Cruz incident, which, under
taken to settle one "insult" 20 the flag, merely
resulted in its being brought back twice un-
saluted instead Of once No doubt Mexico,
too. lay in the European consciousness, latent
and ready 70 bear fruit when quickened oy
new incident These followed In rapid sue
cession Arabic, Ancona, Persa--thst list Of
shames punctuated by notes.
But il was the Lustaaia which first brought
definition to the European mind. After tha'
crime without a class, that horror without a
parallel, Europe had right TO suppose thai
now at last the blind would see, the deaf
hear. the dead arise, that last above ail-oh,
most surely she had a right to believe that
those dead would arise! And when nation's
Gead arise the nation itself does not remain
seated and writing.
Europe waited We also waited, and we
had our ono good moment, our one glorious
moment out Of eighteen inglorious months.
There came the clarion call of the Presidents s
first note, truly affirming, "a 1t seemed TO US
who were so eager 20 believe his other
utterance, that America would ask nothing
FOR herself which she did not demand also
for others" For one single, Bright hour
America stood forth once more IN her place
in the sun" the only one her children covet
for her. the clear, undelegated place OF her
apostolic destiny-free, fearless OF conse-
ouence. the champion Of justice and Of the
weak and the little ones among the people OF
the earth. g,
And then? Then swift on our rapture fell
the second note, and for some Of US (thougn
strangely not for alb the last illusion. For
IL amounted already to a withdrawal; II was
only Americans now who were TO be strictly
accounted for With that evidence that
America would ask for something for her
self she did not demand also for others went
for some of us the last hope that America
would be allowed 10 DO anything nobly hence
forth: all that glory of good service 90 man
kind we saw stripped from her with one
flourish of the pen. Il was plain to Us ana
% Europe that a nation which did not act at
this time would never act, and that, inter
nationally speaking, there was nothing 70
hone from America in this war except heI
charitv-and We are coming to that presently.
There only remained now for her TO act ma
tionaliy, at least
The rest is silence We all know no"
she acted nationally. From that day on IL
has become an impossibility Tor AMERICANS
20 explain their country n terms Of past
European attitude" for Europe, old in sins.
-e. has no "Lusitania incident Eight
months after ours, the American who still
sets sail for Europe "on his lawful occa-
sions" does so after making his will, and we
are still pleasantly dickerng with Germany
over the details Of a tariff for our dead and
whether Germany shall admit IN words what
she confesses IN money.
The whole world g new to the noble exer-
else OF international consciousness and con
science. but old az government itself Is the
accented duty of a government 70 protect It's
citizens lu the eyes OF a Europe battling, IL