The Washington times., 1921-11-09

mate; Recently 1000 marines visited
one Oi the battle grounds ol thc ava
war. These 1000 marines. with their
equipment, could defeat the combined
Union and Confederate armies with
their equipment.
Moreover, they could do IL without
themselves suffering "a single casually
as the other side would never get near
enough TO them TO do them any dam
age.
But suppose we 20 back only TO the
Spanish war. One ship. like the Penn
sylvania or Wyoming. II attacked,
could Withstand the combined fleets
Of Sampson and Cervera, and could
probably destroy them all before they
could get out of<range.
But IL does not do a whole lot or
good 10 Increase power unless We
know what TO do with II. Another OF
the best minds calls my attention Ia
a poem of Goethe's I'm which the
powers OF a magician are gotten hold
Of by his apprentice, the result being
disaster.
Goethe's comment is TO the effect
that II is no use wishing for the pow
ers of a wise man. II those powers
came to an ordinary man the only y,
suit would be the power was sef
srated from the wisdom.
Fairy Tale, Recalled.
Also a best mind recalls to me the
fairy tale of the three wishes, as ex-
pressing the belief OF this particular
best mind that the trouble with the
world just now is that men do not
wish for the right things,
A fairy told "A peasant and his wife
that she would grant the first three
things for which either of them ex-
pressed a wish. They were delighted,
and began to talk over a lot OF fine
things. After a while they forgot the
main subject and began to get hungry.
'I wish" said the wife. absent mind
edly, that had a roast sausage"
Immediately the sausage appeared
on the table. Angered at the waste
of one Of the three precious wishes. the
husband burst out In a rage. II wish.
he cried. that the sausage was on the
end of your nose"
Immediately 1t appeared there.
There was no way to undo that error
of anger except to use UP the one re-
naming great treasure. the third
wish, by wishing the sausage Off the
wife's nose again.
Much Hangs on Confidence.
So the great, powers granted by the
fairy brought no more good to these
two careless and quarrelsome peasants
than the powers of nature brings to
us II we do not use wisdom In de-
Gliding what to do with them.
Senator Lenroot observed the other
day:
& "They could not tell by the looks
of his track whether he was com.
ing or going back"
What makes the situation in Waeh.
ington so thrilling just now Is that
everybody is watching intensely to
see whether or not the conference Is
to carry us forward or by discourage
ment throw us back. and people In
general become more and more con-
vinced that much of the worlds fut.
ure hangs on a correct decision.
/ was in Paris a while during the
conference there and I saw nothing
of the mood that prevails here now.
There were a few people who took
the view I have been describing. but
they were not enough to create
general mood. The interesting thing
about this point of view is that it is
absolutely the prevailing mood.
I do not mean that there Is not
doubt, even cynicism. There is
plenty of 1t. There are plenty who
express the opinion that the confer
ence will not do anything. Maybe
there are as many who believe 1t will
accomplish nothing as there are who
believe 1t will do most of what 1t set
out to do.
But both factions. those who expect
much and those who expect nothing.
will on the whole agree that II 1t
does fail to mark out lines Of pro-
gress and safety. this old world will
be in a perilous state.