The Washington herald., 1916-07-24
Prospects of Peace.
BY JOHN ID. BARRY.

thdn SIX HonlhS now, | have been hearing people
ask why President Wilson has not done some
thing to stop the war. The questions have been
asked even since it looked as if the United States
might be drawn into the conflict. Your country
is so strong and great" Swedish lady said to
me not long ago at is the country of all coun-
tries that has the power to do something now
for peace. 1t could give such wonderful ex-
ample to the world"
have tried to explain that President Wilson
has done all that he could, probably much moro
than the world knows, and the world knows that
he has made effort His experience does not
mean that he may not yet succeed; but it does
have dscouraging effect some of the neu-
trail countries in Europe that would like to CO.
operate in great peace movement.
That President Wilson has been most care
ful in his sounding out OF the governments is
plain enough. For his self-restraint in we'll do
ing he has been receiving the highest credit So
often in a situation of extreme delicacy the
slightest misstcp may be serious. But that the
United States has been almost overcautious in
its attitude toward the war has been shown by
the treatment of certain American workers for
peace now in Europe. Some rather surprising
obstacles have been put in their way by the pass
port authorities, apparently working under in
structons from Washington.
There has been talk OF the Scandinavian coun-
tries working together to start an official neu-
trail conference. 1t does not look now, however,
if it would lead to anything. In Sweden there
still intimations of grave concern among some
people lest the country be precipitated into the
struggle. The party lives close to the dan
ger line and keeps sounding the alarm against
Russia. But the general feeling now seems to
be that the crisis has passed. The radicals are
for the most part. bitterly opposed to the war,
ready to go to extreme measures rather than let
the workers be sacrificed. But there is a great
difference between ant-war feeling here and en-
:husiasm for peace. Among some OF the peace
lovers there is apparently, of helpless
before a cataclysm too vast to be COM
passed by the imagination.
Some Of the peace societies in the United
States have frankly given up. A few have be-
come leagues for preparedness. Just now, Of all
times, when it would seem il all these socie-
ties might be striving hardest they feel that
resistance is hopeless. They believe that the best
time for working for peace is during peace, and
they place their main reliance on the wider and
wider acceptance OF these principles that tend
to make increasingly unlikely. War has
practically disappeared from the world except
among nations" argue these peacemakers "Cities
don't fight another any more or factions
within a single nation. So war disappear
altogether" The argument is not wholly clear
convincing, but it may one day be demonstrable
The fact remains, however that war is a con-
tradiction of all that civilization stands for,
anomaly phenomenon that may yet be scien-
tifcally explained and dealt with 1t the scien-
tihc treatment of the problems that some of the
more ardent peace workers now devotng
themselves to. 1t is not this war that they wish
to stop, it is war.
On the other hand there are organizations in
Europe just now concerning themselves with the
definite problems that associated with the
coming peace. They think that they may be
able to hasten the peace by presenting possible
basis for discussion. Some of their ideas are
practical; others of their ideas are idealistic
Among them to be found the rather gratui-
tous assertion that the coming peace is not to
have anything to do with military considerations
1t is by talk Of this kind that the peace advo-
Gates often damage the prospects of peace or
weaken any possible influence they may exert
What is most regrettable about the situation
from the point of view of the pacifsts is the
apparent impossibility of uniting the peace forces
Of the world. If they could be united the prob
lem would be comparatively simple.
Just now a good many people are looking
about TOR some one who could typify the moral
power OF humanity and express it in way that
would make powerful appeal In this connec-
ton the Pope is often spoken Of Perhaps he
could do something There can be question
that ever since the war began he has been at
work. But even he must work under tremen-
dous difficulties in spite of the general acceptance
of his disinterestedness.
There has been talk of trying to unite the
greatest men and women of the world in an eff
tort that shall rouse the feelings of humanity in
favor OF an armistice. Whether it would do any
aehnite good is question; but it might be the
indirect means of bringing hostilities to a stop.
Inc chances are that an armistice would lead to
peace 1t would be hard for the belligerents to
start the war again. with the feeling of the whole
neutral world SO vigorously opposed. 1t is safe
10 say that, at this time of the greatest war in
history war has before been SO pro-
foundly detested.