South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-10-18
SECRECY Is PERIL
TO ARMS MEETING,
SAYS PROF. EGAN
Noted Diplomat, Former Notre
Dame Professor, Will
Lecture Here.

The chief danger TO The success
OF the limitation Of armament con-
ference which meets upon Armistice
day is secrecy. Such - the opinion
OF DR.. Maurice Francis Egan, former
minister 10 Denmark and honored as
one OF our great diplomats.
DR.. Egan returned 10 South Bend
today TO renew the friendships and
acquaintances made when he served
as a professor at NOtre Dame uni
versity. bringing with him brightest
memories Of his service here which
not all the experiences in the great
European capitals nor his own dis
tinguished service 10 the country
have dimmed.
He will lecture this evening at
the Knife and Fork club and is
spending the rest of the week in the
pleasan occupation Of mingling
with those whom he delights TO
know as friends.
During his stay ne is a guest at
the home OF W. D. O'Brien.
On Sunday evening DR.. Egan will
talk TO the St. Marys student body.
on Nov. ] he will return TO this
city, when he will appear before the
Women's Dining club.
DIR. Egan distinguished himself as
American minister 10 Denmark from
1907 TO 1918. As professor OF Eng
lish literature at Notre Dame uni
versity from 1883 10 1895, his repu-
tation as a scholar and instructor
was unbounded. He is also well
known writer.
In 1917 he received the degree OF
master of arts at Notre Dame. His
last visit 10 the city was about a
year ago.
In his talk on world conditions DR..
Fgan said: There is some evidence
OF criticism OF the presidents an
nOuncement that too much is not TO
be expected from the approaching
disarmament conference. From my
experience in diplomatic affairs and
speaking with a certain knowledge
Of the psychology Of Europe, l
should say IL is quite right in not
permitting the people Of the United
States to have such undue expect
atoms as they had of the conference
at Versailles"
THE result OF the Versailles con-
ference gave both Europe and our
country a tremendous shock, be-
cause expectations were so unreason-
able high. The president, then, is
wise, in preparing US for certain facts
which our people, who take very lit
tie trouble to be Informed as TO the
genesis Of foreign affairs, might
easily misinterpret"
There is no question that the COM
ing conference will mark one Of the
greatest epochs in the history OF
the world; but it does not follow
that any great conclusion. or any
great action in the nature Of a gen
eral disarmament will come from it..
It is plainly. impossible that Euro
pean countries as a rule can disarm
entirely at the present moment; and
equally impossible that we can en-
tirely disarm: but the conference,
which is purely an American confer
ence. called by the unanimous voice
of the American people. and not at
the initiative of any statesman, may
clear the way to an intelligent APP
probation of what can be done in the
future"
THE chief danger for the confer
ence is that, IL there should be any
attempt at that underlined secrecy
which helped to ruin the prestige OF
the Versailles conference in the
eyes Of the common people Of the
world: if France feels that she can
rot disarm for fear Of Germany, If
Japan is determined TO keep a GER
tain number of war vessels in com
mission TO assist in, what, after all
is nothing more than a reasonable
desire for eXpansiOn-for she must
expand or see her people perish and
become bolshevists, if England feels
that she cannot exist as an island
empire without her fleet, we want
to know exactly Jhe reason for all
this
1--WE are determined if possible, to
reducing our taxes by reducing our
constantly increasing demands for
apparatus of war but our position is
entirely different from that OF either
the nations Of Europe or the two
most important nations Of Asia.