Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-07-26
GERMANY'S FOES

Tor the perlOu Oh tne Wdf.
Some of the best stuff we have
ever read emlnated from its edl =
torial rooms. Following Is not =
able example:
ION the DAYS when the news
from France has been most de-
pressing / have noticed a curious
phenOmen.
u have noticed that many peo-
pie say to me on such dark days,
1t will be a long war. But not
one single man or woman Will ad-
nit the slightest doubt that Ger
many must ultimately lose.
NO matter how much ground
the Germans gain, the common
man persists in regarding their
gains as purely temporary.
How shall we explain this fixed
and stubborn blindness that refus-
es to accept the evidence OF the
war maps?
THE common man is not good
at seIf-analysis; he would PROB
ably find difficulty in giving reas-
ons or the faith that is in him.
But that faith is founded on
rothing more nor less than this
that no cause can finally prevail
which is built upon and bolstered
Up with lies.
Some day the German people
will understand how great a mill
tary defeat they suffer ed when they
started their war by trampling up
on truth. Indeed, there are signs
that they already begin to realize
It.
1.-THE war was forced upon US,
their rulers cried. England
sChemed and plotted it.
The world knew il for u lie in
1914; and now, in 1918, comes
Prince Lichnowsky, the last Ger
man ambassador to England, con-
Tossing in his memoirs that it was
d ie-that England strove to the
uttermost for peace.
They may prosecute Prince
LichnOwsky for treason; but truth
they can neither imprison nor wipe
out before a firing squad
Emperor Carl of Austria may
dismiss his minister and explain
until he is breathless that the
French have falsified his peace let
ter
THAT common man is unim-
pressed; he has passed judgment
upon those explanations even be-
fore they are uttered. For four
wears every days history has been
teaching him that German explain
ations and promises and treaties
are unworthy of his trust; and
it will be four hundred years be-
fore the influence of that teaching
dies out of the world.
The common man does not know
much history; but embedded deep
in his heart is a conviction that
the world is slowly growing bet
ter; that in the long run right tri-
umphs over wrong; that truth
crushed to earth shall rise again.
Truth is no more to be with
stood than any other natural force
(says EmersOn). We can drive
stone upward for a moment into
the air, but it is yet true that all
stones Will forever fall; and what
ever instances can be quoted OF
impoverished theft, or of a lie which
somebody credited, justice must
prevail, and it is the privilege of
truth 10 get itself believed.
AT almost every period of the
worlds history some man or body
of men have sought to set them
selves against this memorable law
"A lying, jealous populace fore
ed Socrates to drink the bitter
hemlock-and succeeded only in
making Socrates immortal.
"A crowd of false witnesses
rushed Jesus to the cross; and the
truth which they thought they had
crucified with Him rose triumph
ant, to spread its power around the
world.
Napoleon, enc of the greatest
!:ars of history, sought by might
yoked with deceit to build his en-
pre-. He was wiser than the Ger
mans-wise enough to know that
TIE foe he had most to fear was
truth.
He sent Madame de Stael into
exile because, as he said, she in
spired thought in those who bad
never taken It into their heads to
think before or who had forgotten
how.
But, in the end. the truth that
he tried to suppress by his DEGREES
of Punishment rose up and sup
pressed him.
Until Germany has destroyed
mems conviction that truth must
prevail it will profit her little to
destroy ships and soldiers.
Her chief enemy is not an arm
ed force, but the deepest, most sac
red faith of the human heart:
The faith that righteousness,
though often eclipsed, is never fin
ally destroyed.
The faith that lying cause is
resisted by the very stars in their
courses and by the arm of Him in
whose sight lying lips are abomin-
alton
Democracy is Christianity in
Democracy is Christ proclaim
ing universal brotherhood. a
Democracy is America liberal
ing the world.
America is idealism leading the
world.
America is Christianity against
the bondage of Imperialism.
America is the human soul
against the domination of. auto
cracy.
America is the human spirit in
unity with Diety, proclaiming
again the words of Christ, 4 was
an huupared and We oava No 49,. +,