Scranton Wochenblatt. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1865-1918, 1918-01-24
,WhentheY Youngest
Critic has Died." "
From The New Republic.


endure, but not to endure all
things serenely. Hardest to
endure, for the men who work
and stagger under responsible
ity, is a constant dinning in the
ears of advice and criticism from
those who look on at distance.
Even the man whose work is
nothing more than the con-
struction of tribal lays yearns
eagerly for the peace to come
"when the youngest critic has
died" What must be the feel
ing of the man who is respon-
sible for an important part of
the stupendous business of war
making las, for example, the
arming and equipment of our
newly-levied hosts? Consider
the one item of rifles. Immense
numbers must be manufactured,
and many are the materials
that must be assembled and Sc
lected and tested. Many, ac-
cordingly, are the possible slips.
Skilled men are required for the
making, and skilled men are
hard to find and harder to train.
The responsible head of the SER
vice conceives plans for organi-
cation, coordination, accelera-
tion, and transmits an impulse
through his production machine,
made up of chiefs and sub
chiefs, managers and clerks and
assistants, some alive and ener-
getic, some sluggish and in
cli1ed toward the perfunctory.
AS like as not the impulse
grounds in dead wood or ac-
cumulates in a pigeonhole. 1t
is necessary for the responsible
head to try anew. In the mean
time roar of criticism has
arisen to deafen and bewilder
him. Our soldiers in camp have
nothing like enough rifles to go
around. They must execute
rifle drills in relays, or resort
to shovels, broomsticks and ca
listhenics. "We must put our
faith in time" cries the ha-
rassed chief. Timer" thunders
the critic. Time is the Kais-
er's ally, not ours"
And the worst of it is that
what the critic says is true. We
are short of equipment, and the
time we spend in getting
equipped may play into the
hands of the enemy. Beore the
public the critic and his victim
stand in the light of contestants,
the one asserting failure to pro-
duce results, the other confess
ing, explaining, excusing. The
critic need not take full account
of the difficulties to be sur
mounted. He need not suggest
in detail alternative methods
that might prove more effective.
He has won the case before the
bar of public opinion when he
has exhibited the disproportion
between actual achievements
and the national need. What
refuge remains to the official
whose work is criticised? Only
the higher responsibility of his
superior. If he is not doing his
work, how is it that he is re-
tained in his position? And
thus the collective impact of all
criticism of our war prepara-
tions, as of our military and po-
litical strategy, converges upon
the center of ultimate response
bility, the President
The President is ultimately
responsible for our conduct of
the war. If we arrive too late,
or with forces inadequately
trained or equipped, the blame
for our defeat will fall upon the
President. Nor does his re-
sponsibility end here. More and
more, Frenchmen and English
men, Russians and Italians,
Jungo-Slavs and Checo-Slovaks,
are asserting that the outcome
of the war will be determined
by American action. If the war
ends before the objects that his
tory will pronounce attainable
have been attained, the blame
will rest with America and its
President. If the war is pro-
longed' for the sake of objects
that are not attainable, or if
attained impossible of retention
through the readjustment fol-
lowing the peace, the blame will
rest equally with America and
President Wilson. No other
living man carries a weight of
responsibility to compare with
that borne by our President. A