The Washington times., 1921-11-11
ARTHUR BRISBANE
tcepyrisht. Issi.b

defied tyranny for justice sake ?
Villon, who wrote on lie Preu1
Churlemagne and Les Nei9es D.
Antas, should come back to write
of the unnamed dead, including
the first that tied a string Of
leather to a bow. shot an arrow.
and began scientific war and civ
ilization at the same time. He
began civilization. because he en-
abled the weak to compete with
the strong. The unknown Chi
nese that first made gunpowder
stripped steel armor from the
backs Of bullying mobiles. and
started democracy-although he
did not know It. Where lies the
first that fastened a sharp flint
to the end of a pole. and from
an overhanging branch pierced
the brain of a tiger? He estab-
Gshed mans ascendancy on this
planet.
Where is the grave of the first
woman that planted seed and
tanned a female buffalo for its
milk that she might have regular
food for her children, instead of
dragging them through the forest
at the heels Of her game-hunting
lord and master? Hers was the
first home. She created agricul-
ture. Who first, with signs
scratched on bark, bone, or sand
stone, began written language
that makes it possible for thought
to travel and outlive the thinker?
That unknown will sleep in good
company under Mother Earth.
Mankind's great servants are un-
known; those that we honor by
name mere imitators.
At hand are the worlds best
known, gathered In Washington
from all continents. What will
they do to save other millions
from mutilation beyond recogr,l-
ton? What method will they
propose better than today's plan,
That buries legions in unknown
graves, then honors one picked
at random?
Lloyd George says Washington
Is the ''hope of the world, rain
bow in the sky" May it prove
a rainbow, not mirage, such as
diving men have seen in the air,
above a bloody battlefield. The
world has one duty, to stop muir
der and begin HELPING men In.
stead of killing them. 1t can II
it will.
II the Washington conference
ends in talk and more battleship
building, then this will be world
to make the dead glad they are
out of it. and safe. Chaos and old
night might descend exactly as
H. G. Wells anticipates, with a re-
turn of dark ages and barbarism.
The human race cannot go back
all the way. 1t cannot lose the
printing press, electricity, steam,
unfortunately it cannot lose poison
gas or dynamite. 1t will lose
wealth, civilizations veneer, and
leisure for science, art, and think
ing.
It may, for q while, see a yel-
low triumph over white races, one
man with slant eyes, whip in hand,
directing white men and women
and their children in factories.
That is not impossible. The
yellow, brown, and black races
outnumber the whites, more than
two to one, probably three to one.
Yellow and brown men are pa
tient. resist disease, can throw
hand prenades, drop dynamite
from flying machines, make and
spread poison gas as well as we
can.
This Is Japan's "eight-eighp
shipbuilding program: Super
dreadnaughts, 8; battlecrulsers, .;
cruisers, 90: destroyers, n; sub
marines, 80; river gunboats, D.
Total. 223.
The five river gunboats are in
tended, probably, for China: the
others for white people. Japan
needs no super r-dreadnaughts, bat
lie cruisers, no eighty submarines
70 take care of helpless China or
What are the white nations to
do?
The frontiersman could not give
up his rifle while a menacing
wolf, catamount, or painted In
dian remained in the forest But