Evening star., 1921-10-04
Editorial Digest
To Make Armistice Dav Tell,

To Make Armistice Day Tell.
With an eArnestness that equals
that of the President. American edi-
| tors add to his plea for a nationwide
| observance of Armistice day In keep
ing with the significance Of the day
itself and the symbolic services at
Arlington. But more important, they
call for a demonstration so striking
that it will forcibly impress the
ornaments conference on its opening
day with the strength of Americas
purpose that 1T must not be again."
That President Harding could not
nave conceived a more appropriate
program for launching the confer
ence than the one proposed would
and the Knoxville journal and Tri-
bune (republican) declares that "it
should receive the earnest support of
all citizens" According to the plan,
the Evansville Journal (republican)
informs sha1T s.,a u.s. after the conference
| adjourn Immediately, and then ac-
| company the President and his cabi-
net to Arlington. where the body of
an unknown American soldier who
fell on battlefield overseas shall be
buried with all the humble rever-
ence that a nation can pay" and 'fn
| that trilogy of symbolism" the
Journal finds Testimony of the war
that was, of the peace that it achiev-
60 and of the greater peace for which
the the world hopes and toward which
the breaking OF swords into plough
shares through the reduction Of
armaments is the leading STEP"
the days of slaughter and dread
VIII come back to those who stand
with President Harding at the brink
i Iii IS
therefore, the Philadelphia Public
Ledger independently thinks it a fit-
ting ceremony with which ITO begin
| the mighty work Of banishing war
from the earth.'
The triple plan for Armistice day
Is big with possibilities" the Boston
Globe Independently believes; since
declarations OF war have almost al
ways been the fruit of the industry
OF small groups Of special interests
! working under cover. it Is reasonable
| to suppose that when a declaration
against war is made convincingly it
| Will come from great multitudes of
common people working in the open,"
and the Armistice day program gives
| unusual opportunity for a demon
can sentiment. declares the Labor
! World of Duluth. rs against war; it
| is for the limitation and reduction
of armaments." The vital thing, as
the paper sees it. is to crystallize
| that sentiment by means Of great
demonstrations everywhere so that
the delegates to the conference may
know" the real attitude of the Amer
lean people. Just what form this dis.
play could assume the Joplin (Mo.)
Globe (democratic) admits is "a
question" but it contends that some
| thing should be done so that the
newspapers of the country and of
other countries could carry in their
press reports the following morning
such news items as would indicate
Americas s almost unanimous hope for
practical disarmament some
| thing that would impress the world"
There is no reason" the Omaha
World Herald independently declares,
why American citizens should be
ashamed or afraid to express on
| Armistice day or any other day, their
utter devotion to the great cause of
siVe demonstration as the universal
two minutes of silent prayer which
the President requests would, the
; Rocky Mountain News Denver,
| independently implicitly believes,
| work psychological MARVEL be-
| many millions into a single channel
at one time would have a
! tremendous influence upon the people
themselves; and to many this might
be the greatest miracle Of ALL"
While the Baltimore Sun Unde-
pendent democrat) comedies that If
the proposed demonstrations and
| ceremonies can impress our own
| and foreign delegates to the con-
ference with the strength of public
| sentiment in this country" they may
have far more than sentimental
value" it nevertheless sounds a
| warning. The conference for the
| limitation of ornaments, it says, "is
essentially a practical proposition
| which will not be affected by senti-
| mentality though it can be Influenced
by clear. hard-headed public senti-
| ment" The Holy Alliance, the Sun
| recalls. began in the name Of God
and high heaven" and it adds that
| had the Paris conference been
keyed to lower note we might have
suffered less afterwarl from painful
disillusionment"