The sun., 1919-08-24
"Sour Grapes and Ashes"
for Professor Heron
By N. p. D.

put together, IIOl' hellVh Ao"o"ho A"i
urging its acceptance, Notwithstanding
and nevertheless, are not unlike doctors
who would advise an operation on the
theory that although it couldn't possibly
do any good it might not do any harm.
Prof. Heron seems to think the League
of Nations as formulated at Paris is
worthless but may be innocuous. He,
therefore, somewhat sadly advises the
world to submit to the operation.
Prof. Herron's book is the saddest book
we have ever read Perhaps Prinkipo
has something to do with Prof. Herron's
present melanchOly-the conference that
never came off, and to which Prof. Her
ron, with Lincoln StefTens, was to be Mr..
Wilson's delegate. Prof Heron had
written book eulogistie of the President
called FoOdrOw Wilson and the World
Pedce. He had written another book
called The Menace of Peace, which is one
of the most eloquent and powerfully NOV
ing statements of the allied cause pro-
duccd by the war. 1t is in contrast with
the fire and the eloquence of these two
previous books that The Greater War is
so sad. Prof. Heron is apparently too
disgruntled over the peace of Paris and
the League of Nations even to be eloquent.
He speaks of the ''brazen defects OF
the league He calls it more "shadowy
than substantial" He says it is "fail-
ure not fnality'; a name and nothing
more He says the league has not even
a foundation on which to build. He
speaks of the Juggling and compromising
of the incredible peace makers at Paris"
He lines himself up with those who see
"no permanent peace coming out OF
Paris" Still the league may not do any
harm, so let the doctors operate.
Another sad thing in Prof. Herron's
new book is that we have been saving
the world for something that never ex-
listed. To the students Of the University
of Basel in Switzerland, in an address on
The Judgment Day Of Democracy, which
forms one of the chapters of the new
book, he said:
at is as true as it is commonplace to
say that essential Christianity has never
been tried; and it is equally true that
democracy has never been tried. just as
there has never been q Christian society,
q Christian civilization, so there has ex-
listed no such thing as a democratic state
or social order. We have had historic
Christianity: we have grown accustomed
to democratic phrases: but historic Chris
tianity has little to do with Christ and the
so-caled democratic states have little to
do with democracy. The teachings Of
Christ have never been applied to world
organization; society has never been
democratically administrated- The nations
or rather the Governments, which have
clothed themselves and their constitutions
in democratic phraseology have no notion
of what democracy means, no intention OF
putting Christ into social and industrial
practice -:
To make the League Of Nations posi-
lively good, instead of only negatively
harmless, Prof. Heron says its constitu-
ton would have to be democratized, and
that it would have 10 provide for complete
economic freedom and also for race equal
ity. He says: "The nations or the peoples
have as little to do with the league, as 1t
is now constituted, as Christianity has to
do with Christ or the peace of Paris with
the famous fourteen principles.
Until it is cleansed of the devils notion
that mere size constitutes value; until it
provides, for an actual equality Of voice