El Nuevo mexicano., 1919-07-24

Gerald Stanley Lee in the last mum
ker-of the Saturday Evening Post AZ
an overwhelming Niagara OF some
10000 words seeks To have JUS MAKE
a s~uper.being II OF President Wilson
In relation to HIS work for a league OF
nations. He has President Wilson
all sounds and blind to all sights say
that of 40 nations pleading Tor peace
and happiness; oblivions to all petty
nationalistic wranglings and thinking
and acting only In terms Of a thousand
Years 81 history
Mr.. Lee is the apothe0sis OF the
Thank God-for-W Wilson idea. He finds
tho president far aloof from the al
legged pusillanimous puerslity OF men
like Lodge. the analogy beng some
thing like that OF a mosquito biting
the Angel Gabriel while that worthy
is blowing his horn. The Big Idea il
fthe all; no mortal should DIRE to
think of such trifles as the practical
application OF the terms of the peace
treaty. lost IN the gigantic conception
Of q s~uper.nation organized by this
super+sfatbsman. We should not
question or bubble about the actual
language Of the treaty or the league
any more than a woman he says.
should refuse to give birth to off
spring unless she could dictate the
color of It's hair or eyes
Here we are again suffering from
disastrous extremes, The farther New
Mexico's ant.-senator goes in the di-
rect.on OF painting the treaty as full
OF black wickedness, along with the
rest OF the interpretation the
further some hysterical visionary like
this writer wants us to believe Wood
row Wilson Is ascending and descend
ing with the angels on a golden ladder
reaching into the clouds. The idea Is
that we must have faith to believe;
but faith without works is vain and in
q still-material world we should be Oh
all men most foolish did we not keep
u eye on the works.
Gerald Stanley Lee has struck one
rational chord: the treaty must be
chung 10 al all hazards. But not be-
cause OF the infallibility of the Di-
yinely appointed spokesman for the
Covenant. Few statesmen have shown
themselves more fallible, more prone
to mortal error, more finite in envi-
sioniDg the future than Woodrow Will
son. There could be no more disas
trous mistake than to trust our ma
the man who, his eulogist enthuses,
can see further into the future and
into the past and mold the unknown
10 suit his will better than any other
who ever lived. It is superflous to
specify the innumeraDie instances
which have demonstrated the remark
able Observation-Disclosures OF this person
and the distortion which his historical
perspective has suffered.
Mr. Wilson is a very mortal man,
quite human in his Limitations, quite
subject Gerald Stanley Lee to the
contrary. to the tangential effects Of
personal preiudices just as Senator
and others alleged to be puny
in stature compared TO this clair
giant. The thing to tie to is
that he has chung to the Big Idea.
Els self-willed persistency is Of serv-
ice to the world in this. There is no
doubt that his personality and his
leadership have dominated the peace
conference. But this idealist has been |
dealing very frankly in extremely i,
practical and "expedient' things. II
remains to be cleared up yet whether
Or not he has acquiesced in a great
rational injustice in the Orient to get
The Big Idea over. He himself has
admitted that the reconciling Of war
I.ng ambitions has resulted in some
thing which is not perfect, but the
oest that could be done and a start
Only on the theory that the ingtru
ment is perfect a this country, IN
ratifying it, be stopped from dealing
in probabilities and safe
guarding vital national interests by
and reasonable reservations.
Hold to the Big Idea but keep your
Ieet on the ground. Ones unfaltering
vision OF heavenly things is some
times seriously impaired If n stubs
toe on a brick and emissions
siars which were never in the firma
ment. We do not question the
courage, the persistency and to a GER
ain extent the vision OF Mr.. Wilson
his infallibility, however, Is not
We can make the best use OF his
achievement by ancloring 1t to solid
where the guy ropes are weak
ind make alutfuism effective BY
preserving our national ability 70 be
effectively altruistic.