The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-01-23
S|MONDS FINDING
WILSON TRIP HAS
PROVED WISE ONE
Noted Writer, Reaching Lon
don After President, Sees
Evidences Everywhere That
Justify Executives Action.
BY FRANK II. SIMONDS

The News Scimitars Military Expert.
LONDON. Jan. 23.-ArriVing in Lon
don nearly two weeks after the pres'-,
dents visit with every circumstance OF
that visit unknown. since all reports
were lacking to the ocean Traveller,
one has something of the perspective
of the traditional visitor from Mars. The
value Of this perspective is plain. one
does not measure the result in terms
Of temporary applause and OF momeh,
tary enthusiasm which have come and
gone What is left is the solid result,
and it is great and unmistakable re-
suit
In a visit measured by relatively few
hours President Wilson achieved two
things He captured the imagination
and he strengthened the expectations
and the inspirations Of millions OF -peo-
pie whose thoughts as to the future
were necessarily vague and ill-detined,
and he avoided precisely those dangers
which loomed large in the minds or
the thoughtful who welcomed him with
equal enthusiasm, but were acutely
conscious of unmistakable temptations
and periIs, and this mingled their fears
with their cheers for the president. TINS
thing must be said first out of mere
justice Great as was his personal trl-
umph the greatest thing about it was
not personal, but national. | have
talked with scores of Englishmen and
Americans, and it is the common testi-
mony of all that President Wilson s
visit was a permanent contribution to
Anglo American understanding in the
present and friendship in the future.
My American readers will perhaps re-
member that | was one of those who
doubted the wisdom of the president
journey, who saw the dangers and did
not perceive Compensating BENEFITS; but
| do not think that any American could
be in London today a fortnight after
the event and not feel that the English
phase alone had justified the expert.
ment proving the president right and
the doubters and critics totally wrong.
Took All by Storm.
What the president did. measured by
the result, was this, His visit was
an experiment for England for London.
The official world did everything within
its large capacity 20 make the visit a
success. All that statesmen, diplomats
and soldiers, all that royal military and
civic authorities could do was done.
But when the president came the mass
OF the people took the thing out OF
the official world and made the vel
come it's own. What was naturally Off
cial and formal at the outset became
popular and spontaneous after the first
moment, and to this welcome, the
greatest in the history of London, the
president made adequate response. The
opportunity was tremendous and he un-
questionably rose to it.
What he said, what he did do not
know even now, since / was on the
ocean at the time, but the effect Of
what he said and what he did is to be
encountered everywhere. Nor is it less
clear what he did not do Many Amer
leans and some Englishmen feared that
on the subject of the league of nations
and on the issue of the freedom of
the seas he might speak and act dog
matically; that instead Of prompting
understanding he might excite disa-
greement by raising an issue, But he
did nothing of the sort, On the con-
trary, he left behind him the impress
sion Of reasOnableness which dispelled
long standing appreciation. He i'm
pressed officia! and imperial Britain
not as being dogmatic, but as being
open minded, moderate in search of a
basis of agreement. not insistent upon
any unalterable formula or immutable
doctrine.
But even this achievement and it
was no small achievement was less con-
siderable than the success Of the presi-
dent with the masses Of the people.
To them he embodied an expectation.
He was a visible and tangible advance
agent of just and peaceful settlement
OF the greatest of all world tragedies
His words, his views. vague as they
were necessarily. became definite and
specific in circumstances. He found
the great public expectant on the sub
ject of the league of nations as the
American public has never been, and
before he left the last doubt as to the
possibility that a league of nations
would in some form emerge from Yer
sailes was abolished.
In America when | left men and
women were discussing whether or not
there would be a league of nations. In
London when | arrived the discussion
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