The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-01
After the Whirlwind
A Socialist Cleans

IL
l. spect Charles Edward Russell looks
over the causes Of the Great War for Civ
ilization and sums up his views of its
fruits in the pages of After the Whirt
aoind- 1t is proof of how profoundly man
was moved by Germany's conduct in
bringing on this war that man can read
and reread the story Of Teutouic sowing
the wind with an interest that never seems
to falter or never fails to react to q pas
sionate resentment against the hideous
whiriwind that was the harvest of that
sowing.
The retrospective features of Mr.. Rus
sells text includes his first seven chap
tiers, In which he retells the chain of
forces and events, chiefly economic, lead
ing up to the declaration of the war.
Much as the reading world now knows
OF the evils Of Germany's colonial system,
1t will be Mortified again by the picture
this writer gives rs, in his chapter On the
Totcers Of New Babylon, of the death
and destruction the Germans brought in
their tram through the South Sea islands
In the years between 1880 and 1914, "al
the way from the northernmost point of
the Asrshalls to the other side of Papua-D
The development Of the copra trade and
the phosphate mines, the revival Of
"blaekhrding," the destruction of the So
cial fabric Of @the happiest region on
earth"-aH these things make a blaeker
stain on Germauy's record of colonial NAL
administration than does even the Herrero
war in Africa If any one is tempted to
"forgive" the Germans for the causes that
led to the great war and for the hideous
brutaities of the war itself, let him read
fins chapter and see if be can end it with
out Hhforgivingness ripening in his bo-
semi And let him wonder why it is that
Australia and New Zealand do not want
these human brlftes for neighbors ever
more? This bitter record of an earthly
paradise turned into hell contains the
answer to the two questions we have
asked.
The final SIX chapters Of the book are
devoted to summarizing the blame for the
war, in its least obvious aspects; its ma
terial fruits, in the way of debts, taxes,
national conduct eff industry and the ex-
preston Of the opinion that we shall
never return to the old ways after having
tried the national conduct Of industry IN
time of war. 1t is here that Mr.. Russell
reveals his leanings toward what we will
call the ethical side of Socialism, an as
pnct of his political and social faith that
has been refined by war and pain of all its
grosser materiahsms. Thus be writes:
The antidote to the greatest of all curses
ever laid upon the race is cooperation. -.
Competition drives men asunder; COOPER
alton brings them together. Competition
makes rivalries and cooperation makes
friendships. Competition breeds hatred
and cooperation breeds love. Love, for
nations and for individuals, is a vastly
better investment than hate. Whatever
the world does TO further love is 80 mueh
gained against a recurrence of this hor-
TOR. The war has cost 100000, 600, 900
and 100000 lives. That is enough trib-
ute for hatred to take, yes, to the end of
the world. We have made full trial of the
system that thus splashes the lands with
blood. Enough we have had Of
Sorrow in al lands,
Draining of eyeids, wringing of drenched
hands,
Signing of hearts and, filling up of graves.
"These be the fruits of hatred, which
is the soul of competition. Let US make
trial now of love, giving thanks for the
vast changes going on about us that open
the door upon the new experiment"
AFTER THE WHIRLWIND. BY CHARLES
EDWARD RUSSELL. George H. Doran Com
,Aapv 4 60