The Washington herald., 1922-06-18

not got together with any kind of
program. They do not seem to have
formulated any kind of philosophy
or faith consequent upon the les
sons of war. Old men are still in
command of the machine and there
is no revolt of youth against them
or their senility. This is distress
ing to those who looked for quick
change. quick action. tremendous
psychological results from the ad-
venture of war in which most of
the boys of the British Isles deeply
engaged
The same thing is true, find, in
France and other countries. were
although there are leagues of
youth in France. Germany. Czecho-
Slovakia, which seem promising but
do not amount to very much in ac-
tual influence. But / think those
who like myself were impatient to
see youth marching in legions to
new spiritual victories were ex-
pecting a great deal too much. for
getting their own boyhood, trying
to put the burden of responsibility
on young shoulders not yet ready
to carry such weight. English
boys are intensely individualistic
like most others in the world and
youth is the time when solitary
walks, day dreams alone in a little
bedroom, doubts. bewilderments. in
tuitions, aspirations, the enormous.
illimitable hopes and desires of
boyhood. are not to be replaced by
collective action. Rowing. adven-
turous talk, illogical. absurd and
fantastic, between a few comrades
in a college room are more pro
ductive of future good than self
conscious societies of young men
with political and social programs
all cut ana dried for the salvation
the world.
Undergraduates Untouched.
At Oxford and Cambridge 1 find
the undergraduates apparently un-
touched by the past tragedy of war
or future peril. They talk in ex
actly the same way as those who
were in the same old rooms in 1913
They are just as careful about the
color of their socks. far more in
terested in the affairs of the uni
versity and sports than the affairs
of the world. And that is the right
mood after all.
On the other hand, 1t Is only
superficial observation which
would write them down as un-
changed by all that has happened.
There is a whole world in men,
tality between the undergraduates
of oxford now and those of a year
before the war. So it is also in
other parts of the world so far as
my own observations go. For tho
thing that happened in 1914 has no;
just touched the intellect of man
kind as a thing with a passing
shadow. 1t has furrowed deep into
the consciousness of all mankind
and the man is a fool who think
that soon 1t will be forgotten. ];
is not being talked about SO much
1t Is put outside immediate thought
but 1t is there always in the back
ground of the mind and Is a tre-
mendous warning of experience. IT.
Great Britain and all over Europe
as ! am profoundly convinced, tn
young men today who are not say
ing much, not doing much outsid,
their usual work and sport, have
as their guiding spirit. as 1t were
the inner peace In order to save
civilization. That Is as far as they
go. and 1t Is far enough at pres
ent. When their time comes they
wilp make blunders, passion will
blind their eyes, there will be
gusts of bad temper. there will be
periods and places, as in 1relan6
now when blood will be split again
That is human life. But steadil
youth in this generation and tn
next will get away from the oil
vendettas. We shall reach highe;
ground, because of what the boys
are thinking now in those college
rooms in the lonely hours as they
lope about the countrysides. a.
they raise their heads from tn
books or the news to say it's
funny old world. So American vIsi-
tors now to England and Europe
need not go back with tales of
nothing doing. There is lot doing
in the soul of youth.
(napwriUht 1000