Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-02-17
TRAVELS IN EUROPE

Whenever newspapers contain reports of murders
committed, especially in large cities, vast crowds gather
around the place where the awful event happened, and
although there is nothing to see and nothing to hear, peo-
pie remain standing in front of the place for hours. In
their mind they conjure up a picture of all the grew
some details and take a certain uncanny pleasure in try
ing to thus study the crime. The motive of such inter-
est is nothing but sheer morbidity which is in reality a
disease of the mind, and recognized as such. 1t is only
in the exceptional cases that it needs treatment, for it's
appearance is so general that it is not considered a
phenomenon. In modern literature the morbid instinct
has reached it's highest pinnacles in the works of Zo.a
and Baudelaire and in much of that art which has been
produced in consequence of the world war.
Certain oriental and early Christian sects prescribed
that their members inhict physical pain on themselves,
and we have a thousand and one records showing that
the sectarians felt a sensation of pleasure in suffering.
The sensation agitating a modern mind when witnessing
or studying pain, or whatever there may be found as in
dication that pain has been suffered, is really akin to
the feelings of the primitive ancients-and will probably
remain with US for untold ages to come.
That the morbid instinct Just now is coming into it's
own on a vaster scale than probably before is revealed
in the news that thousands of people are besieging the
state department for passports which will admit them
to France and Belgium. They have no definite end in
view-they want to "ee the battlehelds," want to look
at the ruin wrought by war, and to imagine the thunder,
the cries, the excitement and the rivers of blood of the
battle.
sas The state department acts wisely in refusing to issue
Passports for such purposes. Tourist travel in Europe
Of that kind should not be countenanccd, far less encour-
aged, for it would serve no useful purpose whatsoever.
There are other people who want to visit the battle
fields for a different reason, and when things have been
more definitely adjusted, permission will undoubtedly be
granted to them; for their desire is to stand at the grave
Of their soldier son, husband or brother-to feel once
more that they are, in a way, close to him who, when he
went abroad to fight, was perhaps the best and the
dearest they had. To stand at the grave of the lost rela-
tive who died on a foreign field of honor is a natural
wish and does not in any way betray a morbid mind.
There will be many pilgrim trips to those graves lover
there and it is not unreasonable to suppose that those
who make them will come back all the better under
standing thar" when they set out on their journey, for
they will have seen q light pierce through the veil of
darkness; will have perceived that whatever happened,
1t all happened for the best, and that there is pride in
knowing that the blood of ones best friend on earth was
shed for the triumph Of a common cause.
Sut the mere tourist would have no such result of
a trip to devastated France and Flanders. He would
simply be gratifying a whim and aggravating the un-
healthy morbid feeling of which he is possessed.