Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-11-11
Victory and Peace.
Today we celebrate Victory and the

Peace of Justice that follows it.
Peace with victory! Peace with
righteousness and justice, Peace that
will endure.
Such is the peace that is virtually
achieved through the signing today in
France of terms of armistice, by
which the German forces are placed
in a position to render further hos
tilities impossible, pending the fnal
writing of the conclusive terms of re-
adjustment.
Whatever doubt there may have
been as to Germany's final signing of
the armistice terms was removed when
the revolution swept away the i'm
perial government at Berlin and sub
stituted government of the people
The emperor's abdication on Satur-
day gave the plain indication of the
trend of events. But it was not known
then that this carried off as we'll the
military party. The flight OF the
former kaiser and virtually the entire
general staff into Holland was in
recognition of the hopelessness of re-
sistanee to movement that had in
volved the army and the navy.
Had the armistice been delayed per
haps only day longer the German
forces in the field would have been
driven completely out of France and
half way out of Belgium. There was
no hope whatever for the restoration
of discipline and power of resistance.
Only the haste of the delegates at
Foch's headquarters to sign before the
expiration of the time limit saved the
enemy from an annihilating catas-
trophe. Even without the revolution
rnd the kaiser's abdication and the
quitting of the general staff, the Ger
man armies were beaten and their
utter rout or capture or destruction
could not have been long deferred.
And so the war virtually ends, after
over four and quarter years. 1t ends
IN triumph for the principles of hu-
manity, equity and justice. An evil
thing has been crushed. The cost of
this victory is enormous, appalling, in
calculable. But the end that has been
achieved will, if righteousness prevails
in the settlement, be fully worth that
cost. Those who have been slain can
not be brought back to life and the
thousands of square miles of devas-
tated areas can never, perhaps, be re-
stored to their former state. The scars
of this conflict Will endure forever.
But they are borne with pride by those
peoples who have taken part in the
fight against the forces of evil.
Now will come the work of recon,
struction, a work of perhaps even
greater difficulty than that of war it.
self. 1t presents manifold problems
some of them international, some do.
nestle. The war has dislocated all the
activities of mankind and the utmost
wisdom will be required in the process
Of rehabilitation.
In this hour of rejoicing that victory
has been won it must be remembered
that the work of the brave men who
have gone over seas from this land i:
not yet finished. They will be called
upon for continuous services abroad
for months to come. while the elements
of order are working out the end OF
peace. 1t is now our hard task to wait
patiently for the time when it will bt
safe to bring them back. host OF
triumph, bearing the highest honor.
mea can win, worthy of the riches
rewards that can be bestowed upon &:
victorious army.