The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-11-05
H. C. WELLS To.
PREACH FROM
ARMS MEETING
Sullivan Says it Would be I'm
economical Use of Genius
for Distinguished Author to
Report Conference.
WILL USE AS PULPIT
Fly MARK SULLIVAN


report the conference. and on his
arrival, has given out an interview re-
flecting his ideas of what is going
to happen here.
Mr.. Wells idea of what ought to
be the outcome of the conference.
and what, in his expectation, is going
to be the outcome, are so different
from what is planned by those who
have official control of the conference
that the contrast affords an oppor-
tunity to make some things clear.
1t is just possible that something
approximately what Mr. Wells antici-
pates may happen. Mr.. Wells ideas
are in the field of very advanced altru-
ism ,and there is throughout America
an amount of uncordinated spirituality
which is constantly increasing, and
which, if Mr.. Wells should succeed in
focusing it, might produce some sur
prising results beyond what is contem-
plated by Mr.. Harding, Mr.. Hughes,
and all the others who are to COM
pose the conference.
Has Many Followers
OF course, Mr.. Wells is not really
going to report" the conference. r.
would be a most uneconomical use
of genius for him to do So Mr.. Wells
has a body of ideas about the future
relations of the nations with each
other, which he believes in with ex
alted ardor. He has also body OF
readers which compose following
probably larger than is possessed BY
my other English or American writer.
Obviously what Mr.. Wells is going
to do is to use the conference as a
I~,t h, oh 10
ideas. In this role, the presence of
H. G. Wells outside the conference
door is fully as important an event as
the presence of any one statesman
who is going to be inside
Mr. Wells is very great man. To
say that he is the greatest of living
writer's of English is. perhaps. a loose
and indolent way of describing him:
but it is a description with which
those who agree far outnumber those
who disagree.
To say that Mr. Wells is in Wash
ington to report what is going to be
said and done by, let US say, Mr.. Ar
thur Ralfour, would reflect conspicu.
Gus defect in the sense of relative
values A more accurate picture OF
the true proportion of things would
be to have Mr.. Balfour acting as stem
ographer to Mr.. Wells.
Is Mighty Big Man
1t is, of course, difficult to compare
Mr. Wells. who comes chiefly from the
forld of literature, with the member:
of the conference, who come from the
world of craftsmanship.
1t would be like comparing Shakes
peare with Lord Coke, a venerable ole
statesman who cut a considerable fig
ure in Shakespeare's day, but is no
now as much heard of as Shakes
peare is.
If there was any common yardsticl
by which to do the measuring. i
would be safe to say that Mr.. Wells is
bigger man than nine-tenths of tht
members of the conference combined
If anyone were going out to buy {
basket of wisdom, he probably woult
90 to Mr.. Wells shop before he woulC
go to the shop of any one of the dele
gates, or, perhaps, of all of then
combined.
If you wanted to be told what sor
of world this is going to be in, le
US say, the year 1000, you would TAX
Mr.. Wells prophetic vision as far NOR
dependable than that of Mr.. Harding
or Mr. Hughes, or Mr.. Root, or al
the American delegation combined
This is meant literally and not figul
atively. Any person familiar wit
what Mr. Wells has done at variou
times during the past 25 years will ur
derstand what is meant, and will SUI
port the comparison.
Has Definite Vision
Now, it happens that Mr.. Wells ha
perfectly definite vision of what th
world ultimately ought to be, and
going to be. He not only pictures
as a prophet, but he works to brin
it about with zeal as great as tha
of any evangelist and with an effet
tiveness far beyond that of most evaI
gelists.
The thing that I aim to do here
to point out what Mr.. Wells vision
and also just how much of that visio
he expects to see accomplished at tn
coming conference.
Having pointed that out l then war
to state Just what Mr. Hughes and NJ
Root expect to do at the coming col
ference and to show what miles an
leagues and worlds of distance ther
is between what Mr.. Wells expect
and what Mr.. Hughes and othe other
expect
Mr.. Wells vision is that of a un
fled world. devoted to spiritual pu
poses, instead of selfish purposes. H
believes in this vision with passionat
earnestness and writes about it wit
exalted and appealing aspiration.
one of his recent books. The Und
ing Fire. he makes one of his cha
acters describe this future world
words as exalted as the best spiritu
writing in the English language
Wells View
In this present world" he say
men live to themselves; having the
lives, they lose them; in the wor
that we are seeking to make they wi
live, indeed. They will, as a matt,
of course. change their institution
and their methods so that all men ms
be used to the best effect in the col
mon work of mankind They w
take this little planet which has bee
torn into shreds of possession al
make it again one garden
The spirit of God in man is cryir
Continued on Page Twelvel