Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1919-05-16
The Worlds Next Step
No. I
The League If Nations and The Frog
ress Of Civilization


The worlds next step IS 20 be the
formation Of a league Of nations. Ten
tatiye plans fer its constitution have
been approved at the pence conference.
Representatives Of fourteen Of the
greatest governments IN the world
have agreed on The tentative details.
Reports indicate that delegates from
other nations assembled n Paris 10 iix
on the terms fer ending the great war
are ready TO sign a treaty creating
league OF natluns Even the Defeated
nations approve the Idea II not the
details. II may be taken new IS
foregone conclusion that the world
as a whole has decided 70 act m CON
cert, 10 organize 20 prevent vars In
future. to protect the weak and pre-.
vent aggression BY the strong
Since the dawn of history tie world
has been progressing logically toward
this step. though falierlngly md with
mnny slips backward. From The pre-
historic times when It was every man
for himself, down through the ages
when small tribes despoiied Their
nelghboFs. -hen despolisns Of the an-
cient world struggled for mastery.
when fendal lords Who were little
more than robbers made wnrs for
booty. to the development Of tie mod
crn nations as they stood iiVe years
ago. man had slowly been learning
that he could not I've for himself
alone. but must depend on the CO
operation OF his neighbors.
Slowly. very slowly. The ideas OF
right and justice as We now under
stand them grew up Primitive man
learned that 10 protect himself he had
TO live in accord with bis nelghbors.
But his neighbors then we're the few
OF his fellow beings who lived IN his
immediate vicinity. They were sepa-
rated from others by vide stretches OF
jungle. plain or swamp.
As human population Increased
"nelghbors" came to mean all the
members Of great tribes. aud finally
all citizens OF nation.
But scientific progress oufstrlpped.
for n time manklnd's social progress.
There came the application o. steam.
the discovery o. electricity, the icie'
graph. the wireless. the flying machine.
which made the world ueiEhborhOod.
Trnde was carried on from one end
Of the world % The other. No nation
could live an independent iife. Failure
OF the cotton crop In Texas meant pFl-
walton and suffering Ia Manchester;
change In the tariff laws Of the united
states might mean great distress IN
far distant countries. Nevertheless
sthe nations OF The earth continued to
act entirely independently. each look
ing for its own selfish Interests With
out regard for the interests Of the
remainder Of the world.
The individual 10 every civilized
country had long ago recognized the
Justice ~ the limitation Of bis rights.
He no longer claimed the privilege Of
going ont md killing an enemy with
whom he had disagreed; OF stealing
his nelghbors property just heeause
he wanted 1t. Of enslavlng his fellows
Of hghtlng dueis. Of carrying concealed
weapons.
lie gave up al these ancient prisl.
leges and depended on his government
FOR protection. lie did so.in spite u
the fact that there were Individuals n
every land nho refused 70 DO likewise.
He suffered n flmes from tbs thief.
fiae Fobheg lie murderer; yet IS the
centuries went hy BE took he las
into hls owu hands less and ies fire.
quensIg. uniil before lie great var
broke oyer tie world tie greater part
Of the eaf,ls surface was settled, o.,
derby. safe.
Yet il never seemed 10 occur q
those same men vho had submitted 70
so much cursailmcnt Of their iudiyid-
nal privileges that there might ever
be any Joint exercise Of power by al
Of the states OF which they seyerally
happened to be citizens. Nations bullt
up huge armies and navies giared at
each other across frontiers. seized the
lands Of weak or undeyeloped peoples.
and exploited conquered territories FOR
their own benent.
True. some countries notably Ing
land, which held subject colonies In alt
parts Of the earth, and the United
States. which only recently had rather
nnwIilinely accepted responsibilities
in the Philippines. had reached q
stage Of development where they no
longer considered II the proper thing
mercllessiy 10 exploit dependent pe6-
pies. yet this sentiment was lar from
general. Land grabbing was The nc
cepted practice. Peaceful civilization
was held back by the necessity Of de-
voting so much of the resources Of
every land 10 preparation for a
struggle that was deemed inevitable.
Finally, 10 1914 the storm broke
War, costing millions OF lives and
scores OF billions OF dollars. swept
over the earth, involving nation after
nation In the fighting and the whole
IA 4.lF