New-York tribune., 1918-12-23

Perils of the Ideal


which forbids him to step on the meanest
insect, may so far succumb to reality at
the end of weary day as to tie a knot in
the tail of his COW to quicken its home
ward progress.
Necessity can swamp the faith, yet, on
the other hand, faith without reference
to reality invites its fate. Most of the
world is as it is.
We are thinking of the news from
Paris 1t indicates an ecstatic rise in
popular enthusiasm for the application
of perfect theory to plant material, for
an existence without evil, for justice that
shall be beautiful, irresistible and self
evident by its own light to all human
nature. There is no exterior indication
whatever that way has been made toward
any solution of the practical questions.
There was suggestion at the weeks end,
in fact, that the consideration of concrete
matters might have to be postponed.
Much time has been taken up with a
discussion of American idealism, and of
wherein it is like or unlike the idealism
of the English, the French and the Ital-
ians The President of the United States
has been acclaimed Champion of the
Rights of Man and endowed with the sur
name The Righteous. His principles have
been discussed with evidence of profound
respect. No abstraction has been neglect
ed. Nor has anything been defined.
One cannot perceive that the business
of ending the war with Germany has
been advanced; there is the probability,
indeed, that it has been nominally re-
tarded by the business of perfecting the
world.
Nominally retarded only, we should
say. Actually, the practical, human ne
cessity of putting an end to the state Of
war in Europe is too great to be long de-
ferred. 1t has resources for bringing
itself to pass.
The danger is that our idealism and
that cold, intellectual passion for perfec-
tion or nothing which we know so well
will fail to find working compromise
with reality, and that one day the old
hard headed of the world, putting faith
aside, will tie knot in the cows tail and
drive her home in hurry.
1t is, therefore, increasingly important
that American idealism should be kept a
\ thing of this earth, attainable within the
range of average human conduct. This
is very delicate task. You cannot at
tack American idealsm as it has been
represented in Europe by President Will
son. No one wishes to do that Hardly
would it be tolerated Yet for it's own
sake the practical and the concrete also
must be supplied, and this, happily. now
is beginning to be done by the Senate
Senator Lodge the Republican leader,
challenges the situation squarely when he
says that the Allies should not be "kept
in the dark as to the views Of the Sem
ate" and that many "untoward results
can be avoided if the Senate frankly ex-
presses it's views beforehand on certain
leading points for the consideration of
Previously Senator Knox had delivered
under a similar sense of obligation, the
final and convincing reasons why this
country should not, and will not, surren-
der any of its unique sovereignty to a
society of nations.
Senator Lodge voices what we believe
to be the prevailing sentiment of the
country when he says that, first we
should deal adequately with the enemy
that is to say, Germany. Her pledge is
worthless. Therefore there must be
guarantees. When the terms on which
Germany shall be granted peace and the
conditions under which she shall work
out her sentence have been settled then it
will be time enough to define, if we can,
what we mean by such great phrases as
League Of Nations,
Freedom of the Seas,
Economic Equality
and develop plan by which they can be
made applicable to this conglomerate
worlds concerns, in fairness and friend
illness, and without any sacrifice of ma
tional sovereignty.
There is no plan There is only the
idea.
Settle with Germany first. Then pro-
ceed to perfect the world. That is Sena-
tor Lodges proposal. 1t is not only
sound in practical sense, but it is a way
perhaps the only way-to reconcile
necessity and dealism in the peace reck-
oning.