Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-06
ONLY oPTlMlSTS THINK
EXPERIENCE IS A TEACHER

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The Genoa Delegates Are Proving That
They Have Learned Nothing From
the Lessons Of the War
| "ENXPER1ENCE keeps a dear school, but
- fools will learn in no other" said
Poor Richard, optimstically, amplfying a
remark Of Livy.
Neither wise men nor fools learn much
by experience. Otherwise the world would
be much farther advanced toward an in.
telligent civilization.
Last winter a Polish count in America,
impressed by the failure Of men to profit by
the accumulated experience of centuries.
wrote book in which he outlined a plan
by which he insisted n perfect world could
bo created in few generations. Each gen
Grafton was to accept as established what
the preceding generation had learned and
was to go on from that, adding to the
store Of wisdom by its own experience and
avoiding the blunders Of the past until
everything worked us smoothly as a per.
fectly running engine of a $4,000 auto.
mobile.
His faith in the wisdom and goodness Of
mankind was infantile.
If wise men profit by experience. then we
must assume that the world is governed by
fools. This is not 50 violent an assumption
as 1t may seem at first blush.
Look at what is happening at Genoa.
Representatives from the various European
nations are assembled there supposedly for
the purpose Of agreeing on plan for bring.
Ing about a revival of industry and the
restoration Of international commerce. The
phrase used In describing what they are
after Is "the economic rehabilitation Of
Europe"
Each nation, however, is so completely
absorbed In its own economic rehabilitation
that 1t Is ignoring the needs Of the other
nations. The delegates are like q lot of
cutthroats standing about with smiling
faces, while each one has knife up his
sleeve ready to use the first time he can
catch his neighbor off his guard.
Germany has already made treaty with
Russia intended to give her commercial
advantages, and she executed this treaty
before her delegates had been in Genoa n
week. Italy has made treaty with the
Turks, announced this week, and the Brit.
lsh OIL men are negotiating with the Rus.
SLAMS for concessions In the Baku district
once granted to other intercsts--if they
nave not already secured the concessions.
such negotiations cannot go on without
the knowledge of the British Foreign Office.
Now II one nation secures more than her
share OF commercial privileges. the other
nations will necessarily secure less than
their share. and that economic peace about
which so many fine words have been spoken
goes gimmering down the wind as airily as
thistiedown before n summer breeze.
The same national pride and national
selfshness that prolonged the great war
for years are now dominant in spite of the
iact that Experience stands on the outer
walls OF Genoa shouting in tones of thunder
that Destruction is at the end of the road
which the delegates are travelling.
FOR four years it was regarded MS mora
important in official England that the &C.
tivities of the English armies in France
should be directed by English generals than
that the Germans should be defeated. And
for the same four years the official French
were insisting that none but French gen.
erals should direct the activities Of their
armies. The result was that there was no
concerted plan of campaign. Nothing could
'oe done until a council had agreed on It and
then 1t had to be done by generals each
OF whom was jealous of his authority, As
the result Of the divided counsels among
the Allies, the Germans did almost as thew
pleased on the western front.
1t was not until March, 1918, when II
was apparent that overwhelming disaster
was threatening them, that the Allies finally
agreed to the concentration Of the com.
mand Of all the armies in the hands of one
man. Then definite campaign was begun
with definite objective, and 1t was prose.
cuted with such success that within six
or seven months the enemy was forced to
surrender. At least two years in time,
billions in money and millions of lives could
have been saved II official England and
France had been willing to subordinate all
selfish ambitions to the single purpose of
defeating the Central Empires.
This lesson Is so clear that il lies out
before the eyes Of men like straight stone
road leading to economic peace. There can
be no such peace with the nations Jealous
of one another and grabbing at everything
In sight on which they can lay their hands,
1t Is only four years since the nations
learned that this sort Of thing was pro.
longing the war, and yet their representa-.
tives seem to have forgotten the teachings
of experience.