Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-05-25

Special Correspondence Of The Star.

NEW YORK. May -, 1919.
ERE is what Thomas A. Edison
- thinks of international affairs
and Of several other vital
things, including that labor sit
uation, which has been 80 complicated
by the war. It Is notable, as an IN
terview, as any interview with this
one of the worlds greatest thinkers
must be. and is especially valuable
beca use it Is the first expression which
Mr.. Edison has made for publication
since, during the war. his chairman
ship Of the United States naval con-
sulting board necessarily and official
ly sealed his lips for "the duration
/ asked him IL, in his opinion. hn-
manity ia likely to slip back as soon
as may be out Of the immense ener-
citation which the war brought to H.
81 am not sure that the war has
energized America to any great ex-
tent" he answered. sour energies had
boon on the ascending scale for years.
but 1t certainly energized Europe.
whore, outside of mad Germany. en-
ing scale. All the European peoples
now have learned to do things rapidly,
have gained wider vision and Will
produce more and larger ideas in the
future than they ever had before.
eff ii were not for the millions who
have been killed and the more nu-
merous millions who must mourn.
should say that this great awaken
ing is worth to Europe the whole cost
Of the war. In certain ways humanity
has advanced through it $50 years in
four. Surely this has been true in
France, England. Italy, Belgium and
in the Balkans 1t has been true to
some extent in Japan. but we do not
know much of what has happened
there
And while the people have been
energized. they have been taught by
cannon and machine gun that the
golden rule, after all, is not bad
clause for incorporation into tneT
codes, personal and national.
Thus the brotherhood of man has
been advanced by a decade.
Gould anything teach the humani-
ties, so called, SO effectively as the
great society of the Red Cross? To me
this society appears to be the highest
achievement, not of the brain, but of
the soul of man.
"And this war has revealed to all
the Utmost character of the people OF
all nations. No longer will it be pos
sible for a nation to sail under false
colors, to claim to be superior IN
efficiency, for instance. when the ac-
tual facts are that it's real efficiency
is only Is per cent, the So per cent
balance composed of commercial and
diplomatic dishonesty.
"The war also has brought about
combination of those better nations
which contain a larger proportion OF
fine people than some others.
"While a sufficient majority of men
has not reached as yet that stage of
civilization in which the golden rule
is much in vogue, I think the league
of nations will be great aid in keep
ing militarism and it's consequent ex-
pense within bounds. In any event,
1T seems better than a combination
of three or four large nations, linked
by treaties made in the old way. for
the reason that these treaties never
had q soul. They were based on self
interest, while in the league of ma
tions the soul is evident, because it
includes the weak and helpless ma
lions, like Guatemala. Serbia and 9TH
ers as well as the great and strong.
"All informed Americans feel a GER
tain satisfaction with the record of
our country in this regard. We have
practiced that which we have
preached in international affairs, at
least. We practiced what we preached
in Cuba; we are putting what we
preached into practice as rapidly as
possible in the Philippines; we. the
American nation. have practiced what
we. the American nation, preached with
relation to the world war.
X X X
"Rut the world will not go right
continuously until the man upon the
street in every nation achieves a