The Washington herald., 1921-08-28

insofar as / eau, the meaning of the popular
49, ideas and the political actions in Europe in
order to forecast the direction OF those changes
which will undoubtedly preface Tor good or ILL.,
new chapter in the worlds history.
II this is wearisome to readers, shall be CRATE
full il they will write and say so; but to me this
task is intensely interesting, because at the present
time it to me that humanity in all countries
and among all classes is putting its most important
problems of life the test of truth and IS trying to
get at philosophy which VIII give mahkho oe'''i
chance all around.
Consciously and unconscously great struggle
is proceeding in popular psychology on IDEAS OF lib
erty and self-government, and almost everything
now happening in Europe and other parts OF the
world is due to clash OF ideas on these subjects
On one side are those who believe, intelligently
or instinctively that liberty, which take to include
self-government and the liberty of individuals and
mnori,ies must be subordinate to the interests OF
the common veal and majority rule
The United States has taken this stand definitely
ON such subject prohibition and also historically
in their State laws. In fact believe the instinct OF
the American people is rather intoerant OF minority
oo;n;on--esDcc;aly individual objcctors to popular
convictions ,
On the other side are those who proclaim the
divine right of the minortes to liberty OF set-goV-
eminent and individuals to liberty OF seteSpression.
II man wishes to get drunk, they see no reason
WHY he shouldn't If woman desires to depart
they support her claim to freedom 1t little State
desires to cut loose from large federation and to
establish its absolute independence, they passonaev
resent coercion. , :. :,
These two schools of thought are further divided.
The first is for extending the commonwealth OF
peoples by wider application OF international law'
The second is for splitting up into smaller and more
isolated groups j,
But the greatest division OF opinion as expressed
in practice is not on the scope Of liberty itself but
upon the use of force by which it may be obtained
Whereas many minds believe that armed force shoua
give way to moral claims presented to the court Oh
public opinion or world justice, others believe, and act
their belief that liberty is best obtained and best
secured BY armed revolt against injustice, by minority
warfare against majority tyranny and BY individual
acts against social oppression.
THOSE abstract ideas, not logical on either side
/ and sometimes hopelessly mixed, the dy-
manic of the Irish question. of the trouble in
Sesia of Russian Bolshevsm. of the labor unrest and
the Greco Turkish war-of all the social strains and
stresses.
For some time after the there ten
dency for the mnortics to what they believed
to be their rights by violent action, while to satisfy
the demand for sef-government Europe was Balkan
lied by the breaking of the Austrian Empire and
parts OF Russia into small states
When Gabrielle d'Annunzo seized Fume, 1t was
only one symptom of the minority claim to the
Of force as proof OF right. Adelbert Korfanty's
similar exploit in Upper Slcsia was recent example
OF the same idea Bolshcvsm itself a violent
assertion by a minority to impose its will against
majority. Going to logical but criminal extremes
the train ourages by bandits in France during
weeks was based on the principle that social injus
tce, inequality, may be challenged by armed
rebcl> for what they conceive to be their liberty aud
rights
So in FraHcs and ini EpslaFt iei tlFafS Pt Ffri