The Washington herald., 1922-06-18
YOUTH OF EUROPE
DORMANT, SAYS
SIR PHILIP GIBBS
Continued From Page One.

port of England and America for
any solution which will tide her
over the financial crisis without
forcing her to renounce her claims
under the treaty of Versailles.
All this is producing slowly but
quite surely more reasonable
temper in discussions and has be-
tween France and Great Britain.
eliminated for the time being at
least that passion which was be-
coming dangerous in France. One
may use this lull in the state OF
Europe to examine certain ques-
tions. larger even than Anglo
French friendship. German repara-
tions or Russian reconstruction.
What, for instance. Is the present
trend of thought among European
peoples regarding peace and war
philosophy OF life which will bring
pressure on their leaders? What is
Are they formulating any new
youth doing. II 1t is doing anything,
towards building a new faith, a
new world? Perhaps everything Is
summed up in that last question
which many people, 1 find, are now
asking. Perhaps II was Barries
DtduLlI VI spetCH on yOuln ana It's
need of courage which has brought
this inquiry to the front. again,
but find to my pleasure a chapter
called The Chance of Youth.
which wrote in my last book
More That Must Be Told" as It is
called in the United States, and
from The Hope of Europe" as II
is in England. brings me letters
and visitors from parts of the world
on this very subject.
what Youth Is Doing.
During the last few days. for in
stance, I have been visited by two
young men, one from Canada, one
from the United States. who have
come over to Europe for extended
tours in order to find out precisely
what youth is doing and thinking
about to do as the next adventure in
which they themselves are keen to
take a hand. A splendid quest!
1t seems to me like a modern er-
rantry and should like to set out
along the road with them. The
Canadian boy amused me by his
eagerness and impatience. After a
week or two in England he could
not find out that English youth
was doing anything. yet felt there
must be a great game on somewhere
in which he could play center for
ward. The American boy. from
Boston. was more philosophical
ready to wait longer and go farther
before making up his mind. He Is
going to all sorts of odd countries
to find out what youth Is thinking
and / am keen to see the results OF
his inquiries. There are others like
these two romantics. find Ameri-
can visitors with a bit Of grey or
each side of the temples asking me
what about the boys, how are they
coming along: and they watch and
listen to the lads they come across
with critical. observant eyes as
though waiting for a little revela-
tion on this point, which Is. OF
course. enormously important. Be.
cause what youth Is thinking today
the world will be tomorrow. anc
II could get at that I could tell
in my weekly articles far more OF
the future than now I dare to.
Disappointed I'm English.
It is obvious to me that these
American visitors and others are
disappointed with English youth
They do not seem to be doing any.
thing at all. They do not seem
to be getting together with any
kind of program. They do not seem
ready to adopt Barrie's candid ad-
vice to ignore their "betters," tc
scrap the ''old men" and leap into
the saddle of life with a good gal
lop to the open country.
I'confess / have been disappointed
myself. 1 thought after the war al,
those boys who escaped from the
trenches by a fiuke of luck would
very quickly take up a kind OF
leadership and oust the old mer
from their high perches by a spirit.
ual ardor for something cleaner
sharper, more vitaler in the con-
duct of life. The idea that II was
up to youth" took a strong hold
on the public imagination of Eng.
land. Some enterprising fellow
even organized "A league of youth
which was backed by great names
was asked to speak to them anc
went down with a carefully pre-.
pared grafton in the Barrie style
without a touch of his genius. which
is no fault of mine. expecting tc
be confronted with the flashing ewes
of youth. with rows of boys with
the cleancut. face of youths i'm
print; alas, to my distress. looked
down upon line upon line of bald
heads and old ladies in bonnets
They were all there to support youth
in its Joyous claims. but youth IL
self stayed away.