Pueblo chieftain., 1921-04-26
The Vision of World Unity

Writing in the International Magazine for May, Mr..
H. G. Wells says: "Given world law and world secur-
y release from the net of pickering frontiers world
wide freedom of movement, and world wide fellowship
"a thousand good things that beyond hope or
dreaming would into the ordinary life The whole
world would be habitaon and the energies of men,
released from their pre-occupaton with contention would
go and more abundany into the accumulation and
application of scientific knowledge; that is to say,
the increase of mental and bodily health, of human
power of interest and happiness Given only peace
and confidence and union could double our yearly
production of all that makes life desirable and still
double leisure for thought and growth. We could
live universal palace and make the whole globe our
garden and playground
AS writer of imaginative fiction Mr. Wells has won
well deserved place among readers who enjoy that kind
of story telling. AS political theoris he may do an
immense amount of harm among those who unable
distinguish between visions and the practical realities
of life.
As picture of ideal conditions in Mars, or in the
world of A D. 5000, Mr.. Wells vision of world unity
interesting and without suggestion of value But
before accepting his picture prescription for the
of all existing political aud economic evils it might
be well to ask few practical questions.
For example if the hundred million Americans, tho
forywo million Frenchmen and the forty tyivc million
English Irsh Scotch and Welsh, unite with the three
hundred million East Indans the four hundred million
Chinese and the hundred and sixty-scvcn million Rus
slams, in releasing fthe net of pickering frontiers what
practical plan has Mr. Wells to suggest to safeguard
civzatonf Can any believe that unrestricted
migration for all countries and all would be good
thing for mankind' Can anyone believe that two hun
drcd million people of tsehite could join world
unity with Thousand million people of eastern Europe
and Asia and raise them with us higher level than
now occupy?
May it also be fairly asked whether the
of Englishmcn in dealing with the Irish or the
of white Americans dealing with the negroes who
fellow citizens and consttutionally political
equals s such to the expectation that with
world peace, confidence and unon could live in
universal palace and make the whole globe garden
and Playground
No reasonable human being believes that the present
social and political structure is perfect that have
reached condition beyond which further progress
possible But reasonable human beings also understand
something that is commonly ignored by visionary reform
ers, and that is that the present social and political
structure the outcwth of human experience that it is
composed of compromises and expedicnts and that it u.s.
with all its faults the result of human progress up
10 the present time
1t is ono thing to better existing conditions and in
stitutions and to make progress in civilization. 1t
quite different thing weaken the foundations and
destroy the safeguards of civilization and put their
places nothing moro substantial than the fabric of
visions to repeat experiments whose folly and danger
wcrc demonstrated long ago.