Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-01-06
Few Realize Conditions.

AS~ ASSdAA6G SoAaltlOAS.
There are apparently not a great
many people in the United States who
realize that there are no independents
states now in existence in Europe ORD
elsewhere. whatever their attitude to-
ward each other at present. who hav04
not had m the past very real griev<
ances and aatipathies against ali thefrSf
netghbors- There have been timeA3
when Belgium was as much afraid OIL
England as she was later of Franced
and as she is now of Germany. Italy4
has had old scores against France. Aus-\
tria. Germany and England. One has
merely to think of the relations OIL
England and Scotland no longer aEo4
than the fifteenth and sixteenth cen-
turtles to realize how very great AMI
tfpathies have beer, between nationaI
whose cooperation and respect for one
another is now taken as a truism.
Indeed. the great majority Of war;
have resulted in the past from causes1
which have not been permanent and
which have been replaced by tho4
strongest ties Of confidence. i
Yet there are many who for want -
moments thought do not realize thz}
the wars and quarrels between tho
United States and England never ward
at any time. not even during the revo-&
bulk of differences and antipathies bed
I tween European nations. Historfand
have been pretty well agreed for q
generation that the American -evo1uz
lIOu was MISUNDERSTANDING on Doll
sides, misconceptfon due very largely<
to conscious misre presentation at the
time. The number and character OF The
ps triots was not understood In EngS
land. their purpose misrepresente46
their determination little realized b.
George III and Lord North in particu<
lar. Had the Graftons and the Town<
sends known the truth the revoiutioa&
never would have taken place. The war1
of 1912 was again a misynderstAndiu9sj
a clash of minor interests. the result tr4s
the main of resentment in England ana
America due to the first great misun-}
Outstanding in the revolution itself. IL
the one had not occurred the othe1g
scarcely could have happened.
Issues Raised Then Now Dead.
Today every issue raised at that time
ts dead. Every difference which efthafI
country thought existed Us certainly
disappeared. Every interest whics
exists and there are very few states III
Europe today which have not more re4
grievances against their neighbors and
friends and allies than those which we2
fancied we had against England q cerN
fury and a half ago.
No Englishman, indeed, wishes to ma
do the American revolution. and thos
recognition Of its salutary lesson. OF thof
gravity of the biunder in policy whichf
they had committed, was hearty anal
very general at the time and absolutely
universal today The British agree tha1f
il the positions had been reversed anAl
we had acted as they did they woul33
certainly have done not less than wei
did. But they are also agreed thaof
it was nevertheless deplorable that wei
should have parted with bad feelfngd
which was on the whole not warranted4
by the facts. and that children shouldt
have been taught in America and EnGNt
land that a strong permanent dtver-
gence of interests existed between th0f
INIT na tot
No one is contending that there ver0
not differences. that there was not jus>
LITIGATION for what the Americans
thought and for what Englfshmen did,
The contention which is correct il thall
there are few nations in history which,
have ever existed for as mary years.
with as few discords and with as littl0f
reality behind their antipathies Rof
there have been behind those Of Greauf
Britain and the United States.
The realization of this fact Is one Of
the most important things in the prose-e3
cution of the war: the spread Of THU
idea throughout he community broad]i
cast is one of the duties that every mAnt}
and woman should take upon thems
selves in order that this subtle and tn-G
sidious propaganda, SO long and sol
well planted by German agents through
speech in this country. may be counter>4
acted in time and fail Of Its deadly pur4
pose. If any man approaches you who'll
wishes to make you believe that there's
is something un-American about sym-Sl
pathy for Great Britain or co-operati0uf4
with her. look narrowly to his ante<0
cedents.