New-York tribune., 1918-03-01
Veble7a S Book
70 n K. HENRY A. WISE WOOD. who
" 2 knows and apprehends disloya-

tIlS newspapers q statement UenOuNClNS us
the most amazingly damnable piece Of
pro-German propaganda that the Federal
authorities have overlooked' a book by
Professor Thorstein Neblen. forbiddinglv
called An Inquiry Into the Nature o.
Peace and the Terms of It's Perpetuation. y
His violent characterization of the work
was supported by q quantity of quota
tons, inspired with what seemed to him
sabtle and intellectual pro-Germanism
logically pursuing the idea that the world
by submitting to Germany could gain a
comfortable peace without honor.
The Tribune printed MI Wise Wood
statement without having read the book
and this it deeply regrets for three rea-
sons, namely: li) That to do so was un-
fair to Professor Ncblen, CD that its
faith in intuition is weakened, and CD
that it has been obliged to read the book.
Il is not a pIo-German book. 1t is un-
doubtedly one of the most ant-German
books in English print Nevertheless It
may be dangerous book. For one thing
YOU have TO read past the middle TO reach
the anti-German arguments by which the
pro-Gcrman arguments in the first half
are friphtfuly demolished. For another
thing. intellectual detachment so rare and
profound as to enable one to refer, as
Professor Veblen refers, to "an excessive
adventure in atrocity' is bound to be
grossly misunderstood in q world now
highly emotonalized.
Alr Wise Wood misunderstood it. Be
sides, he did not read past the middle
Of the book, for if he had he would have
discovered that Professor Neblen after
having scientifically examined peace with
out honor by submission to Germany,
calmly and remotely concluded that it was
quite as impossible as Mr.. Wise Wood
himself thinks it is.
Professor Vcblcn finds, on Page POI,
as TO the Germans, that
''with their archaic prcconceptons
of what is right and moritorious, their best
Intentions spell malcvolencc when project
cd into the civilized world it standa
to-day"
He ndicts Germany as the peace
breaker.
at may ~ccm invidious to speak 50 re
currently Of the German imperial estab-
lishment as the sole paternal disturber Of
the peace Of Europe. The reason for so
singing out the empire for this invidious
disturbance is that the facts run this way"
What makes the German imperial es-
tablishment so redoubtablc, beyond com
parison he says:
rs the very simple but also very
grave combination Of circumstances whore
by the German people have acquired the
use of the modern Industrial arts IN the
highest state of efficiency at the samc tima
;hat they have retained unabatcd the fanat-
ical loyalty Of fcudal barbarsm.'
He believes that
go long and so far as this conjunctior
Of forces holds, there is outlook for
peace except on the elimination of Germany
Us a power capable Of disturbing the peace"
The writer argues that a league to
enforce peace would have to begin its
regime
with enforcing peace on terms of
unconditional surrender Of tho formidable
warliko nations; which could be accom-
plishod only by the absolute and irretrev-
aolc defeat Of those powers they now
sand
He asks if the pacific nations will go
to that end. viii they think it worth the
cost?
And writing at the end of 1916, while
the United States was yet the most power
ful neutral on earth, he answered those
questions in the following remarkably
prophetic passage:
"Nhat can apparently be said with some
deercc Of confidence is that just now, dur
ing these two years past, sentiment has
been moving in the direction Indicated, and
that amy growing inclination Of the kind is
being strongly reinforced by growing
realization that nothing but heroic rem
edics will avail at this iuncturc. If it
comes to be currently recognized that a
settled peace can be had only at the cost
Of cradicating privilege and royalty from
the warlikc nations, it would seem reason
able 10 expect, from their present state of
mind, that tho pacific nations Will scarcely
hesitate 10 apply that remedy provided
always hat the fortunes of war fail out
as that measure would require and pro-
Tided also that the conflict lasts long
enough and is severe enough to let them
make up their mind to anything so drastic.'
The Tribune apologies for having
printed Mr.. Henry \. Wise Woods attack
on Professor Thorstcin Neblens difficult
book.
he Least We Can Do
ro ;he Editor Of The Tribune
Nir. Wc havn o,,o ho,. ;, a., .;.,