The sun., 1918-12-29
A Venture Of Thoughts on tho Bust
ness OF Concluding and
PrOclalmlng Peace.

aNb1 "
PrOclalming Peace.
Perhaps the strangest expression In
any of President WILSON'S many elo-
quent speeches since he left the White
House nearly four weeks ago occurred
in the salutatory address pronounced
by him at first contact with boundless
British hospitality. He said to the
Mayor and populace Of Dover:
1T Is with an emotion OF peculiar
qualification that I ind myself hero az
forded an opportunity Of matching my
mind with the minds OF those who, with
lfke Intentions, are proposing to do their
best In the great settlement OF the
struggle"
President WILSON did not quite say
that he had come to match his mind
against" the minds Of the European
statesmen There was. nevertheless. a
suggestion Of challenge In the utter
ance; Of a primarily personal attitude
toward the questions concerned in the
conferences about to be undertaken :
Of Intellectual pleasure in the near
prospect OF a game OF wits to be
played with other expert players.
Understood in this sense, the re-
mark at Dover is entirely consistent
with previous avowals, some Of them
already noted and quoted In THE SUN,
Of Mr.. WILSON'S philosophy Of po-
liticai domination through the mas
terry of individual force intelligenty
applied TO public opportunity. The
declaration Of a competitive eagerness
10 match minds has the impress Of
sincerity rs we'll as OF boldness. 1t
rings true, particularly in contrast
with such purely ceremonial phrases
as abounded In his speech on the
preceding day at Humes, near Chau-
mont headquarters, when he told the
American soldiers that he wished he
could show them his real heart"
and also that with him It haL taken
a lot Of moral courage to stay at
home while the actual fighting was
IN progress.
Another Interpretation of the Pres
ident's meaning about the matching
OF minds finds support in one sentence
Of his reply to King GEORGES grace
full address Of welcome at the banquet
in Buckingham Palace:
TT Is . . delightful to nnd my
self IN the company OF q body of men
united In ideal and purpose and to feel
that / am privileged TO unite my
thoughts with yours in carrying for
ward those standards which we ara 20
proud to hold so high and TO defend"
Whether the President means that
he rejoices at the chance to match
his mind against those Of the states
men Of Great Britain. France and
Italy, bound by the Pact Of London
to unity Of action regarding the terms
OF peace, or merely that he rejoices
at the chance to unite his thoughts
with theirs and hopes to find the con-
tents of their minds coinciding with
the contents Of lis on the subject
OF most momentous Importance to tho
future Of the United States, the main
and singular fact remains the same.
It is this:
The contents OF the Presidents
mind concerning the true lnwardness
OF the principle Of the League of
Nations are entirely and exclusively
his own property. He is constantly
speaking to Europe as the representa-
tive of the Government Of the United
States, as the authorized spokesman
Of American opinion and purpose, as
the qualified interpreter of American
thought on the subject. Yet I'D to
the present time. so far as we are
aware, no human intelligence shares
with him the knowledge of that which
IS In the mind which he Is about to
match with the minds OF the British.
French and italian statesmen.
The Congress to which the presl.
Me