New-York tribune., 1920-01-07
The Tragedy of the Radical


There is one factor making for
the present mental state Of the radi-
cal which grows wholly out of what
is now past and which yet bears an
important relation to his or her
present point of view. We think
an appreciation of it is necessary
to an understanding of the radical
mind of to-day that sees only gloom
all about, that has no faith in any
existing processes or institutions and
that clutches at anything as a for
lorn hope.
That factor is the unfortunate
failure Of the radical to share in
any of the generous and high emo
tions of the war. We do not mean
to argue the morals Of the war or
the right and wrong Of such emo
tions. All we are stressing is the
vast difference in mental and emo
tional experience between those
who were swept into the war and
those who were not. The black side of
war is great enough, heaven knows.
But it has its noble side as we'll, a
side of splendid, unselfish enthu-
siasm, of cooperation, of sacrifice
unequaled in other generations.
The evil of war all shared. The
shadow of it's tragedy and awful
ness fell upon the whole land. But
it was the good fortune of all who
conscientiously believed in the
righteousness of the war and it's
necessity. that this shadow was lit
with unselfshness and an enkindling
devotion. Such great emotion can
not leave human being unchanged.
We do not believe that war trans
lates men into higher creatures
any more than it makes them devils.
We should, at a guess, say, rather,
that it intensified all their emotions
and especially deepened their faith
in individual human nature. If it
destroys their hopes of an immedi-
ate realization upon earth of their
ideals, of perpetual peace, of
internationalism, of universal broth
erhood, it intensifes their faith in
the potential rightness and decency
and glory of human nature, man by
man.
Now, neither the extreme radical
nor the neutral, nor even the half
hearted-who for some of the many
reasons, racial or social, we're not
moved by the war-shared these
emotions and the intense hour of
life that war is. We think much of
current radical psychology is due
to this fact. The present pessi-
mism of the radicals and the paci-
fists, for example-leading them to
lose faith in all existing processes
and institutions and to reach wildly
for any, to them, strange and novel
means, the Christian religion, for
instances largely due to this diff
ference in experience, we suggest.
These aloof ones were present
throughout the war. They may
have done their share in it's work.
They were unquestionably moved
and grievously moved by it's horrors.
They missed, however, all it's COM
pensations. They have read and
heard and may think they under
stand the noble emotions of war.
But they were not part Of those
emotions. For better, for worse,
they never can gain that experience.
That is their misfortune and the
country's misfortune, for it sets up
within our borders a group of peo-
pie, often high-minded and finely
intentioned and of much intellect
ual capacity, who stood outside the
stream of our national life at it's
most desperate and stirring hour
and will, of necessity, misunderstood
and be misunderstood for the rest
of their lives. That is, we con-
ceive, the true tragedy Of the
radical.