The Robesonian., 1918-07-25
A TIME FOR OPTIMISM.
The Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth
Not the Kaiser and His He'll
Hounds.
Baltimore Sun.

It may be proper, perhaps, for the
military wiseacres at Washington to
raise a restraining voice and call back
to the limits of calm, cool common
sense the enthusiastic optimists who
may have been carried away by the
exurberance of their joy over the
news that has come to US from Franco
It is possible that some people must
be reminded that it is still a consider
able distance to Berlin ard that the
walking is not altogether good or
safe; that it should be again expla in
ed that war is an extremely scientific
game that is to be won not by hurrahs,
but by cold planning and cold steel,
and it is important we should re-
member that at least couple of mil
lion armed Germans are still in France
and Flanders between the Allies and
the German border. s
An admonitory note of caution may
be needed here, as has been the case
in our counter offensive between the
Marne and the Aisne. Some opti-
mistic American soldiers, who started
to go right straight through to .Ber-
lin without Change Of cars,"' had to
be collared and held back; in one case
it is reported that an Allied aeroplane
had to pursue these optimists and
force chem to halt But it is just
this spirit of optimism that has er-
abled France to despise the logic of
arms during the last four years. to
refuse to see that she was "bled white
and beaten; to answer every fresh
demonstration Of German military
science-deadly gas, muyderous aero
planes, the bombardment of Paris by
guns seventy miles away-with but
two magnificent words, unconquler-
able Faith and Hope. France has
bled and lived on optimism since Au-
gust, 1914. And it is this spirit of
optimism that carried the French and
American lines forward last week
with invincible momentum.
It may be that we rang our joy bells
too soon in Baltimore, New York and
other cities, but we doubt it. Pessi-
mism will surely not win this war
There are no pessimists, no doubters
at the front. All are optimists there
1t may be necessary in military oper-
ations to keep soldier optimists in
leash, but there are few persons in
| this country, we are inclined to think
who require to be told that the wal
! will not be over next week. The mar
who believes that would be hard tc
find. But what the optimists here
and in France sense is the turn of the
tide Of battle, the reversal of TIE
, fundamental situation. The most in
spring things that have come out OF
France in the last few days have
been stories like those Of optimist Ser
geant Brown and other optimistic
! A 1ll.Ie
battle game according to the rules OF
prudence, and made themselves i'm
mortal by their damnably foolish opti-
nlism. Ii Sergeant Brown had had the
smallest particle Of common sense. he
would have known that the idea that
got possession of his fool head was
impossible of realization. He ought
like wise man, to have surrendered
or "laid low" till he could make his
escape from the encompassing Huns.
But, like John Paul Jones, he didn't
know when he was whipped, and
with optimistic indiscretion he went
right ahead and performed the impos-
sible.
Let us throw no damper, no wet
! blankets, on optimism in this country
Americans on an average are pretty
ard--headed, we'll balanced people, ard
people who do their own thinking
They are strong enough to stand losses
and reverses, but they hate pessin.ist
worse than poison. Enthusiasm is a
national trait; without it we would
not be Americans. We could no move
have kept still on the receipt of this
cheering news from France than a
crowd in the bleachers could keep
still when champion Of the local
team bats out home run with three
men on the bases. Washington doesn't
have to tell US that the war isn't over,
Farmers, mechanics, railroaders. la
Dorers, rely on DR.. Thomas Electic
VII. Fine for cuts burns hr,,isos