New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-15

orah.rsive mirage he chooses 20 call goOu
time. Our shopkeeper on holiday, In TACT
The contemplation Of abstract moral virtues
nlavs a somewhat inconspicuous part IN 'he
life Of the ordinary commercial traveller a.
indeed 10 does az picnic. II theh ""s'O'
"a a whole is enthralled in the exac'ing VOC"
ton Of making money, and IN TIE IeSS sNA0'
inc though none the less absorbing occur"
ton Of remarkably getting rid OF H. loh ~
SAYS our onlooker. the most natural tn'ns ~
Tho world for that nation 10 be fairly disre-
oardful Of what we have called me larger
moral Issues? In particular Of the mora
/ issues OF peoples we'll removed by seVetai
| Thousands of sea? The roar Of traffic. the
boot Of the motor car. the cries OF the rem
nist the revivalist, the pacfst, the horrlole
/ hilarity Of those rhythmic savage noises tha'
call forth the dancers, these and more are
| sounds to deaden the still small voice OF the
national soul our friend is fsin to declare
Has any nation. he abruptly asks himseli
in the midst Of these ponderings, ever been
profoundly moved By the moral issues tha'
another nation has declared itself as uphOld
ing? Up 20 this milestone in the progress OF
civilization he is seriously inclined TO believe
/ that no nation has been. Is then the Amerl-
can nation presenting any more lax ana as
maying spectacle than might be expected
But on the other hand, he hastily inquiries
has there ever been more terrifying, more
subversive issue presented to the world IMAM
has been presented by the Central Powers
and as such is il an issue from wnlcn the
United States can afford. even on the most
unitarian basis, TO refrain from solemny
participating in?
Well. and our friend turns back ruefully'
whether or not the states can AFFORD u, they
pretty obviously are sfording II. ana ne puts
his perplexite5 to a sympathetic neignnor'
Things are thus and sO,' he asserts. ms
people is Indifferent"
yes" agrees his neighbor. But neithe'
YOU nor | desire TO do an injustice TO our
countrymen. Has it ever occurred 70 you
that large part of the American people
have a vague, ill-dehned notion that tnis
European muddle is no more nor less 'han
the Vaccinations of kings-of evil kings
I All kings are necessarily evil to our republi-
can preconception. America has no HnR'
and such like. Therefore the whole business
is Just what might have been expected snd'
God be thanked, no affair Of ours
THAT" considers our analyst, sis a phase
Of it had not hit upon. There is much truth
in it. For.example. having lived side by side
with stolid and aw-abding colonies OF Ger
mans (seven people out of ten, if they wish
20 be humorous. will couch their remarks IN
an imitation of Fritz's English, it is pract'-
cally impossible to connect those placid colo
nies with capacity for savage, barbaric mill
tarism. Ergo, it il the fault OF Frltzs wicked
kings. and Fritz himself is a maligned sneep.
And ergo, again. why bother
Our persevering onlooker reyerts again TO
the period of Abolition. Is anything IN the
way of national honor and high ideal ne
wonders, ever accomplished without the direct
aid of impassioned leaders. men who, lit BY
more or less holy FIRE, devote their efforts
10 the exposition Of high moral issues-as
they conceive them to be-to the crowd? The
absence to-day of such markedly consecrated
teachers-it comes down to question OF teach
ing-is very likely prime factor to be reck
oned with in accounting for the promoting
ness Of America The literature--if so be
that such a name shall dignity the output or
our nens--of this country is singularly bar
ron of idealism. Il is a long time since
poet has arisen to sing Of America. They are
dumb on the subject The abstract ideal OF
patriotism. of Americanism, fires no young
pen.
"Nor. observe" tucks in the listening
neighbor. as there any vital, enkindled effort
on the part of this people for abstract peace
+, moral issue, if you like. Blu. We are
still Indifferent. Who IS ready TO lay down
his life for peace
The women OF this country seem TO be more
militant than the men, reflects our friend.
But then. the women are not earning the vast
sums Of money. The brownstone front idea!
is beginning to seem TOO provincial to them.
They have leisure for thought. They travel.
They write. By a misguided but tacit under
standing propaganda of all sorts falls almost
entirely to the female in America. Or at any
rate she seizes upon It.
Tho civic virtues of the German people,
puts in the neighbOr. "are naturally calcu-
lated TO appeal TO the men Of this nation
efficiency. industry. driving force. and all that
sort OF thing-utiiitariaE virtues. But
esthetcaly considered the Germans do not
command the sympathics of our women.
American women. and a good portion OF men,
are. pretty largely on aesthetic grounds.
pro-not- Ally-rather pro-French. You think
that more deeply through and you VIII,
doubt not, arrive at some clearer eXplana-
ton of the cold attitude of this country III
general toward England
81 will" responds our friend. 81 have al
ready ventured, though but tentatively, on
that ground. What do you conclude from all
this?' he continues gravey.
~ conclude nothing" says his sympathetic
neighbor. This is psrsdoxical country
With a great leader or two anything might be
accomplished in spite Of these seemingly dis
mayirg tendencies. Or we may come a
dreadful cropper."
81 wonder" ponders our analyst, whether
in the event of the cropper. you call it,
the real Americans, after it was over,
wouldn't be rs rare and surprising in the
landscape as the dodo7 That is 10 say,
whether all our foreigners wouldn't be the
final inheritors of this land? theoretically It
ought TO work out like that" h. P.
New York, Jan. TO- 1917.