The Washington herald., 1920-08-23
Rgors of Another Revolu-
tionay Winter May Be
Past Endurance.
UNREST WIDESPREAD
Decline Of Confidence in
Governments Cause of
Great Chaos.
BY CARL w. ACKERMAN.
Cwashinston Herald-Public Ledger
Service. Special Cable DispatchO

London. Aug. 22.-aThe great col
lapse" OF European civilization is
approaching.
Many persons in Europe today oe-
lieye that modern governments, our
present social structure and eco
nomic fabric will not withstand the
rigors of an approaching revolu-
tionary winter.
Europe today from the River Bug
to the Thames, from the Baltic to
the Mediterranean is threatened by
revolution. England, Germany,
Spain and central Europe are to-
day passing through revolutions Of
ideas while in Poland, Russia and
the Near East the revolutions are
already military ones
The great puzzle in Europe is
whether the revolutions Of opinion
in England. France, Germany, Hol-
land, Belgium and Scandinavia will
bring about social, political and eco
nomic- adjustments which the peo-
pies demand before conditions them
selves and communistic propaganda
ether life and death struggle.
Threshold of Disaster.
The opinion find in best informed
circles here and on the continent is
that Europe is on the Threshold OF
disaster unless out OF this crisis,
which will become acute this win
ter, there develops a counter move
ment in England or America with
"a
ture.
Those who believe that the pres
ent civilization is doomed, base their
conclusions upon following:
One, the rapid decline of respect
for. and confidence in governments;
two. the inability of the present
governments TO unite and cooper
ate in common international action:
three. the failure Of the league Of
nations, which was 10 have been
cooperative society OF governments,
to furnish a new International con-
struCtive program for this period OF
transition and for the future: and
four. the fact which Is generally ac-
cepted in Europe that the Bolshe-
visits have a constructive program
based upon revolution and COM
munism while they are not opposed
even theoretically by counter
movement. 1t il said that while
Russia has international aims the
only force which is being used to-
day to counteract these aims is
the reserve force Of the present
civilization.
Chaos in Central Europe.
Writing from Vienna a traveller
says:
1t is impossible to stop an ava
lanche when it has begun to move
and yet disaster may be diverted II
England will act. If she fails to do
so both the other ways out of the
chaos will be terribIe-Bolshevis
or the white terror. The one will
equalize the ruin, level the ashes
which is left. The other will eom-
pei the people to work by murder
and bayonet with blood and iron.
Bolshevism may seem a great idea
and to offer to the western prole-
tariat a great promise. For the
western capitalist it ought to be a
great warning.
For me, who saw il at close
\ range. IL is a great negation. What
seems TO be a great idea. a wonder
full living force in the distance, Is
a destructive. leveling wave. a mere
negation. a wilful cry of the op-
pressed without any constructive
idea behind it. At a distance II
may appear sublime. Close TO II II
looks nasty. The salvation Of the
world cannot come from the East
II II comes at all it will come from
the West"
iCopyrizht. 1900. bv Public Ledger Col