The Washington herald., 1916-02-13
Declares 1t Is Time for a
Discussion of Terms to
End Killing.
DEGREES HELPLESSNESS
OF THE TNTELLIGENTA"
Declares Simple Fight for What Can
Be Grabbed Will Not Pay
ANY Bellserent
By GEORGE BERNARD SHAW.

Special Cabls 70 Ths Washington Herald.
London, Feb. R.-Perhsps the grim
NEST feature Of this war, as OF all wars
is the helplessness Of Intelligentia. In
vain do We play at being romantic school
boys, stupefying ourselves with Quixotic
reyeries, lashIng ourselves into virtuous
indignation and calling the clay we were
born on our mother.
We loahte war as an abomination
forced on US by crude and corrupt
people. Long after we have normally
outgrown 1t, being able TO suppress IT,
we would like to obtain control Of II
sufficiently to dictate its aims and de-
fine its limits. But though we write
most intelligent, interesting and sugyes-
tive articles, we might as well discharge
pop-guns. II It were not for the at
tacks We make on one another, our ut
teranees would pass without notice,
They remain. In any case. without effect
Intelligence is not organized; sverythins
else Is, moro por less. For my part
wish / knew what program the Journal
istic Intslligentis, Of which am not
particularly humble member. are to
support We have no use for hap-doodle,
but We will stand by any reasonable and
adequate policy.
Diam membefing Policies
There is the policy of dIsmemberiny
Germany by detachihg Bohemia as an
independent national state. of detachiny
Poland from our ally, Russia, similarly,
and Of dismembering Austria by giving
Bosnia and herzegovina to Serbia anc
OF splitting the dual monarchy into two
single republics (for there is really nc
use in setting up new states il they are
all to have thrones occupied by Hoehnzol-
lern or Hapsburg cadets thereby reduc-
ing pan-Germany to reasonable Germany.
Alternately there Is the program OF
inviting the belngerents to put their
cards on the table, or rather. OF ceasing
to pretend that the cards are not already
IN full view of all people with eyes In
their heads, and confessing that, as tn.
imminence of bankruptcy, both vital and
pecuniary. threatens to make short WORK
of paper schemes of European recon-
struction by unlimited trinitro-toluene
and reciprocal annihilation, the sooner
we all resort to judicial settlement the
better.
Honor has now been satisfied by dis
plays of splendid heroism in which the
Maori shares the laurels Of the Magyar
and the Prussian guard enters Yalhals
with the Dublin fusiliers.
Need to Discuss Terms.
In the west we have demonstrated fol
eighteen months what happens when ar
Irresistible force encounters immovabl'
obstacles, and in the east we have
achieved a sensational victory for the
one power We were all agreed in despis
ing as negligible, to wit, the Sick Man
alias the Ottoman EN- pire (solemnly guar
anteed by treaty.; after which reduction
to absurdity of the whole business oi
modern war, It Is extremely desirable ir
the interests of civilization that we should
begin to discuss the terms On which We
are prepared to stop killing one another
! it being understood that we are all tc
return VIGOROUSLY from the congres:
bearing peace with honor to our respec
| tive celebrates.
These two programs seem to me to ex
haust the alternatives, to simple hgh
for what the combatarts can grab. which
would not pay any of US.
But Mr.. Asquith may have a tertiun
quid quid up his sleeve, in which case
wish we knew what it is