The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-06-27
THREE THOUSAND MILES AWAY.
Shame on Americans Who Hold That Up
for Thought.

1t has been limited, sometimes even
stated explicitly, that this war is three
thousand miles away; meaning that we
here in America have no concern with
something so remote. Such a hint, such
a statement, implies either a lack of
imagination or lack of patriotism. If
the war is three thousand miles away,
let us be grateful, and especially grateful
to our government because it proposes
to keep the war three thousand miles
away. How long should we wait? How
near should We let it come before we
begin to defend ourselves? Should we
do nothing until our ships are sunk not
merely within a few hundred miles off
Europe but off Long Island and in Ches.
apeake bay, or until our coast cities are
bombsrded? Let us do all in our power
to keep the war three thousand miles
away.
And yet this is but dull-eyed way
of looking at it. During the last hun
bred years Europe and America have
been coming closer by leaps and bounds.
If George Washington had been able to
foresee how steam and electricity would
be put to serve mems needs, he would
never have uttered his famous warning
against entangling alliances. He would
have hidden us tighten the bonds Of
friendship with all peoples whose Gus
toms, beliefs and ideals were similar to
ours.
What is there in three thousand miles
to keep us away from friendsl 1t is
four thousand miles to Rome, which to
millions of our fellow citizens is the
central seat of religious authority, and
to the rest of us the main sourse from
which civilization has come down to us.
It is five thousand miles to Athens
some of us still cling to memories of
Homer and Plato. 1t is six thousand
miles to Jerusalem; have we, whether
we are protesting Christians or not,
nothing to do with the Mount of Olives
Or with Calvary Are friendship, sym
oathy, mutual aid, to depend upon lin
ted number of miles, say fifty or sixty, |
md after that distance to wither and |
lrop off?
The war is three thousand miles
away.
Have we no sympathy for the slaugh-
cred Armenians? None with the Rus
iians who have thrown off the yoke of |
tyranny? None with the Belgians of |
Louvain, Bruges, Antwerp, with moth
'rs whose sons have been deported, whose
daughters have been rayishedf Where
S that solidarity of humanity, where
ire the family ties of democracy, which
rave always been on American lips, and
low have an opportunity to express
in actioni
California is three thousand miles from
and yet they are sister
tates under one government. The hope
# humanity is that understanding, SYM
'athy, mutual aid between states will
lot depend on mere proximity. but upon
realization of common humanity;
hat our neighbors are not necessarily
'eople born and bred within our own
'olitieal borders, but people whom we
an help all the world over. When the
arthquake destroyed Messina, that feel
ny of human solidarity was strongly
ealized in the United States Belgium
as been destroyed by forces worse than
n earthquake.
America is both too prudent and too
reat to SIT still when her ne1ghbors
ouse is on fire and say my house is
Untouched, the conAsgration is a mile
way" Duty tells us TO 60 TO put out
he fire which sssails our neighbor's
ouse, and common sense reminds us that
re will leap from house to house, and
lough we may be safe to-day, to-mor-
NV we too may be sblsze.
If the world is not made safe for
emocraey in Europe, il will not be safe
" democracy in America.
Should we be the only great nation
rat is not working to protect democ-
ICY against privilege in its most brutal
junkerismi Shame on
rose recreant Americans who bid US
tut our eyes and desden our hearts
cause to-day the war is still three
lousand miles away, because only Bel.
an women. French women, English
omen, Irish women, Scotch women.
allan women, Serbian women. are
eeping for their sons who have given
cir lives for the cause Of democracy.
By Henry Dwight Sedgwick Of the
igilsntes. :