The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-09-05
I oday Adversity's Hard School. Revenge and Efficiency. The Danger of Western
 Europe. 250, 900, 900 to
 70, ,OO0, 900.
 AnrnxHIKa nnISnA AIr
By ARTHUR BRISBANE

The greatest of all schools is still diversity. and necessity is the mother of invention. France. tho United States and Germany have experi- mentsd with gliding machines. flying planes, built without a motor. de- pending for their navigation upon the iutell;gtrce of the manager
 An American stayed up in the air about one minute without an engine. A Frenchman stayed up one whole minute; two German students stayed up for more than two hours, each.
 Adversity did it. France won the war. Germany was forbidden to build flying machines with engines, fear ing she mi ght come back through tho air. Thereupon. in adversity's harsh school, Germany studied the problem of flying machines without engines. the only kind she vas allowed to build. And thus far she has done just 12o times as we'll as her vic- torious competitors.
 The flying machine without an en- zine Is not considered important. But perhaps 1t Is important. for experi- ments with 1t are teaching the Ger mans perfection in the building of airplane wings. With a small. very light engine attached and only the weight of one man and few small bombs to carry. 1t may be possible to send an army of ten or a hundred thousand flying dynamiters through the air. That would be very un- comfortable regiment appearing above a city st break of day, especial ly If it appeared to make first declaration of war. The English are beginning to worry about that al- ready.
 What was mere gliding toy might suddenly carry an army of 5Oo.ooo trained men from Berlin to London, through the air. That would make the plague of locusts seem tame.
 One thing Europes intelligent men thoroughly understand. You can com quer people like Germany. You can ruin and impoverish, temporarily, other notions like Russia, Austria, but modern war methods do not per- init complete extermination of popu- lation or leading whole populations into slavery.
 Therefore the nation conquered, ruined, impoverished, remains. 1t breeds children and 1t breeds revenge.
 And that the revenge will come Is just as certain as the rising of the sun a few years from now. unless something is done to eradicate .he revengeful spirit.
 England, France and Italy should know. and their intelligent statesmen do know, that it. is only a question of years, possibly very few, when Russia and Germany, having made their plans secretly. will march against western Europe
 Italy may not be included in the struggle, for she is thoroughly dis gusted with the treatment she got to be disgusted.
 Without her neutranAy in the be- ginning, making secure the southeast frontier of France, Germany would have won, and without her active hep later, holding back Austria, Germany would have won.
 Italy may be left out of the next war, but as Henry Ford, in his latest interview, says that war is surely coming, unless common sense, reali- zation of facts and some attempts at just compromise on economic brutali- | ty can be reached"
 Revenge in itself is terrific force The French showed it In the magnifi- | cent struggle that they made and in | desperate fighting man. his life was nothing. France was everything.
 When that new war comes. treaties will have been made secretly, poison gases and new explosives will have been created.
 If the government of the United States is unable. as it is. to super wise and control It's illicit whisky | makers and sellers, how can foreign governments susperviss and control 10000. 900 people in Germany. 1se.ooo.- l 900 in Russia?
 When the time comes, 2b0. 900. 900 of Germany and Russia will be ar rayed against 7o.ooo.ooo of France and England.
 Only intelligent statesmanship. 1 plain common sense, determined ef- fort of the allies to lift Russia and central Europe from the despair of bankruptcy can prevent war more destructive than the last. menacing the white civilization of Europe, in- yiting yellow invasion from Asia.
 This country cannot control the acts of European natiops. If they ehooss to bleed each other now. in the moment of victory. only to be blsd, when their turn comes. 1t isl their business and their fate.
 Our business is tkeep ready with