Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-05-17
CAN WAR BE PREVENTED?
II Reason Cannot Be Substituted for Force
the White Race Will Be Obliterated

| lNNlSN W pIONtlJ d TtpCllllOll VI IhIu-
| clysms like the present one, then the
white race is destined for early exter-
mination Science is young. Give 1t
| fttB gears more under the direction Of
militarism and II 1CW do to nations UhGt
| ii has been doing to the cities of France.
1t will lift some solitary, gaping mad
man to crazy eminence as a ruler of the
world. Nations of white men will be
oblterated in the successive struggles.
Some such consciousness as this is re-
| fiected in the discussions of Mr.. Taft,
Charles f. Hughes, Charles W. Eliot,
and the others who appeared here
| yesterday at d conference of scholars to
consider war and our own war aims.
Without exception they urged continu-
ance of the conflict at any cost until Ger
many is beaten. And this determination
is inevitable, since Germany must be
beaten before the mind of mankind can
breathe or think again - before the
sariRg logic of monkind can crcr hare
free field IN lchich to operate.
The conference of scholars in this city,
at V hich Mr. Taft presided, is supple
mentary to the idea Of League to
Enforce Peace. The League to Enforce
Peace has subtle purposes aside from
thos2 suggested in its designation. 1t is,
in effect, an appeal to reason.
If the causes of the present war could
be analyzcd down to a single sentence it
might be said simply that mans wisdom
has Jagged far behind his practical in-
genuity. Man has NOT Yct 'cc2ucd how
property to djrCct the &iupCUdoU& forces
Of his o,rU crCdilou. He has PIT his
dcriccS 10 "scS of pcrrCrSjoH His iErcU-
ti0ns hare torn loose from his control and
! h"moHjty is bcmg dr0Ggcd through blood
and dnrkHc&S at the hccLs Of moH8tr0us
| dcricCS Of ScicHcC and phjiosophy 7cbich
| il cannot CrCU HnH,r. The spirit Of Ger
many in this hour is that of newly rich
! vulgari1n, obsessed with possessions, not
| knowing what to do with them, dazed
| with vanity, profoundly and murderously
drunk and rolling in a street Of the uni
verse The world is trying to get it
! under control. But temporary arrest
and confinement will not be enough.
Some system of philosophy not yet
definitely evolved, the exploration of the
hidden depths of race aspirations and
purpose and altogether new ideals Of con-
tentment will be necessary to permanent
peace. Such factors are considered
dimy in the program OF the league which
Mr.. TAFT is urging. Yet the project has
a more immediate value. Should Ger
,,-ip D,rrih;1i{,r
arguments sake, but not more-a league
with the membership even now proposed
would be essential to give America, Eng
land, France and Italy fighting chance
| for their lives. When Germany loses.
as she must the League to Enforce
! Peace may find its basic ideals far
easier Of realization.
In this connection it will profit
| America at this moment to aunIy:c the
! German situation rather than dcUoHnce
it. Germany has not lost. Prccarious
| as her present position seems, Germany
has been gradually setting up the founda-
tions of a vast new empire to the east in
conquered territory that gives her grain,
! metals, OF. and coal in limitless Quanti-
ties-Hs lreU as millions Of men deStincd
| perhaps, to be forced into jutire armies
| for arorld conquest.
The bleak madness of such policy,
the unbelievable and stupid cynicism
of plan which sets up four new
| German kings-men with small skulls
and gorgeous uniforms-over the ruins
of pundered and broken nationalities is
worth attention. Such a policy indicates
family what the future aspect Of the
world might be. The menace is to the
race itself. since Britain and America.
France and Italy could not surrender
until their men were eXterminated.
Can it be supposed, therefore, that
while there is yet time the Thing shall
not be fought, though it requires twenty
million soldiers and twenty years of
war? Happily, this is the resolve of
America and her allies.
Meanwhile, it is but reasonable to pre-
pare for the inevitable German defeat.
Even with Germany humbled, the world
must not fall back again to a reliance
upon force and fear rather than upon
the far more potent means of reason,
logic and mutual Interpretation between
nations. This essentially is what the
League to Enforce Peace has already
recognized. The international tribunals,
the fleets, the cooperating power of the
participant nations have been suggested
chiefly as the protective force for the
larger purposes of education and COM
mon justice.
1t has been said that the problems of
China and other eastern peoples cannot
be reconciled in the general plan. 1t is
said the Orient will yet rise and become
warlike.
China grew wise centuries ago and out
| lived war, War and the forces that