Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-19
u. S. TAKING WAR
BACK TO EUROPE
Seeds Brought by Our Ancestors
Seeking Home Field, Basil
King, Novelist, Says

DAsIL KING. author Of 1.-THE High
the year. in an interview explained the un-
derlying idea Of his fiction Mr. King. now
known as tho anonymous writer of THE
Inner Shrine" maintains that our ancestors
in coming over brought the seeds Of war.
virtually brought the war, with them and
now are taking II back to Europe.
1T does not seem possible that the coun-
tries engaged in the war were. at the
start. conscious Of the vastness Of the issues
involved" Mr.. King said. "They were
aware Of gigantic physical struggle, but
not Of what was behind it However they
were impelled. immediate action went no
further than immediate motives. 1t was
not until the conflict was all under way
that England. France and Russia began to
perceive how immense was their cause I
suppose that In the beginning they acted
In obedience to some human urge that
far transcended their immediate needs
"Iyen the great word democracy very
inadequately sums up their aim 1t is the
word however. which we best understand
and through which the hugeness Of the un-
for common knowledge.
We Could Not Avoid War
"As a matter Of fact. the whole purpose
Of my book. The High Heart is to show
how. in the last analysis. the United States
could no more avoid its entry into the war
than could drafted soldier. The hero.
Larry strangways. points out that national
ity is not wholly a question Of geography.
but very largely one Of past inheritance.
The American people. In this, are scarcely
in the same position as are the French.
English or Germans. since they inherit
only their own pasts. while We come
in for a share Of the history and RESPONSE
bility of virtually every nation of the
earth.
I'VE did not leave this history and re-
sponsibility behind us when we, or our an
with us our full share of the great Inherit
ance which. as David Jayne Hill wisely
puts II. is largely an inheritance of evil.
''The early reluctance Of this country to
enter the war was undoubtedly due to the
idea that It was an International war. II
is evident now, however. that It is no In
ternationaI war. but the great struggle OF
mankind with itself My heroine. Alix
Adare, speaks of It as part Of the great war
| in heaven: Michael and his angels are
fighting and the Dragon Is fighting with
| his angels This. she hastens to explain
| does not mean that all the good is Oh one
side and all the evil on the other. but that
| the good and the evil In every human beins
| are now openly In conflict. :
'"ro understand this fully one must break
away from all the old local interpreta tions
of the word heaven" the speaker explained
you and know what meaning was giver
to that word when we were children Oul
| Christian heaven was a kind of ascetic Mo.
hammedan paradise to which good peopl.
| went when they died. Nothing less Chris
tian has ever entered into the heart of mer
| to conceive When the founder of tn,
Christian religion appeared the words tina
heraided his approach were Repent We
for the kingdom OF heaven Is at hand.
These were the words which He repeated
later as what we might call the slogan o
HIS Campaign. The words at hand mean. 4
they mean anything at al. near--ver,
near, hard upon us. and as II to make thei
meaning the clearer and the more intsnse
ne hi1nseIf put II aftsrward The kinrdon
i 81 hsaven 4 Within you That Z t9 ~
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