The Washington herald., 1921-11-25
FRANCE'SLUCK
IN FAILURE OF
FORMAL PLEDGE
Is olatiOn Cause Would
Have Been Impaired, De-
clares Wickham Steed.
By WICKHAM STEED.

editor of the London Daily Times
The. truth that when what is
good is not thought good enough
it may easily be made worse. was
nearly vindicated in the grand com
mittee of the conference on We'd
nesday. Not satisfied with the ex-
cellent outcome of Mondays plenary
sitting, some members of the
French delegation desired that the
grand committee should cast into
n formal resolution the virtual
pledges given by Mr.. Bslfour and
Mr.. Hughes. that in the event of
renewed German aggression France
would not be morally isolated.
Protracted discussion fortunately
showed the impossiblity of drafting
a satisfactory resolution. say
fortunately" because France would
have lost. and not gained. had the
remarkable unanimity Of the Anglo
American response to NJ BRANDS
statement of her case been reduced
to the text of a resolution. The
inevitable tendency in the future
would have been to take the text
as a maximum, subject to inter
probation of its precise meaning
OF the meaning of Mondays mani
festation there can be no doubt.
Despite the inveterate French tend
ency to strive after precision and
clearness, even when precision is
attainable only at the expense Of
something greater albeit less we'll
defined. NJ BRAND can return to
France well satisfied with the re-
suits of his visit to Washington.
Definite Methods Needed.
In this conference it is a ques-
tion of finding appropriate methods
of dealing with the various issues
according to their intrinsic char
acter. If French fears of moral
isolation are best treated by moral
means. the more concrete problems
of the Far East require more def
mite handling. Into the relations
between France and her comrades
in war sentiment enters largely.
From the examination of the
Chinese question sentiment needs
to he largely exercised. excepting
always the strong sentiment Of
good will towards the hundreds of
millions of Chinese people. These
people are dumb. and it is by no
means certain whether their true
desires and the requirements OF
their independence and welfare are
adequately represented by Gthe
Chinese delegation at Washington.
One of the gravest dangers to the
conference is that British and
American sentimentalists may mis-
lead public opinion into identifying
the personalities of the most con-
spicuous representatives of China
with the caues of China herself.
The fact that some of these person.
alities have received Western
education, and have acquired a
facility in the pronunciations of
Western shibboleths. if not in the
expression OF Western ideas, may
blind the undiscerning to the truth
of the axiom that the more an
Oriental is Westernized the less
does he command confidence in the
East.
Vicious Circle Problem.
One of the tasks of the conference
is to seek means of breaking
through the vicious circle, which
has wrought so much evil to China
and has brought things TO their
nSesent chaotic pass. The rapacity
of some Western and some Asiatic
powers, acting upon the selfishness
and venality of Chinese officialdom.
has engenedered a series of ills
which. unless checked, may ruin
China and much else. Both rapac-