Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-07-30
CULTIVATE WILL TO PEACE


"On every hand, in every land, are
distrust, suspicious, hostility and ha-
tied Of one another. distrust and sus-
picion of us".-Senator Johnson.
This statement is borne out by
numerous incidents and reports and
in the main must closely approach
the fact. But there were distrust,
suspicion and hostility among the
starving peasants of Russia whom
our grain and agents went among and
relieved the suffering. We did not
hold aloof from them in their extrem-
ity notwithstanding their dstrust.
We wonder whether among those
people there is the hostility, which
our agents of relief first encountered.
True. the reception of our effort in
Europe, the use of our money and our
men, the scheming to avoid payment
of obligation and to secure further
advantage at our expense are not re-
assuring. Yet we cannot believe the
French people, for instance, are at
heart utterly ungrateful.
President Harding, speaking at
Vancouver declared: ut is public
will, not public force. that makes for
enduring peace. Enduring peace,
yes, and Ben Franklin is reported to
have said there never was a bad
peace. The President was speaking
to Canadians who enjoy better neigh
borly relations with the United States
than appear to exist anywhere else
on the face of the globe. This is I'M
derstandable. Boct peoples have all
the affairs of ther own which they
are capable of attending to. This
helps nightly to keep them out of
mischief. They understand and re-
spect one another, are not dissimilar
in their views of life and have no old
scores to even up.
Manifestly. If like understanding
and aspirations may be cultivated be-
tween other peoples, similar results,
might be expected. Surely they do
not exist between Germany and
France. between Rumania and Hun
gary, between Greece and Turkey and
II 1t shall ever come about it will be
because Of prodigious effort and I'M
ceasins Christian forbearance. Right
now 1t may be idle to ask If 1t ever
shall come about that the lamb may
safely lie down with the lion? There
are those who in effect argue that if
the lamb be confiding the lion will re-
spond with guardianship. Others
suggest that our lions be fed a veg
etarian diet and so in process of time
the lambs convenient proximity
would nowise tempt the lion. There
are others who would maintain pre-
cautions and take steps to keep the
lion and the lamb apart. This need
not, however, interfere with dietary
experimentation and is the method
which appeals to good sense.
We would not dwell with Senator
johnson on the hatreds existing to the
exclusion Of consideration Of ways TO
lessen those, or neglect to recognize
basis for a better attitude or the pos
sibilities for bringing it about. Once
there was bitter rancor between the
United States and Canada but instead
of thinking only about that, way
was found to improve the situation,
to obtain clearer comprehension, to
cultivate amenities. True, conditions
20 e. 81 ,f nj
facilities for intercourse and enlight-
eminent abound in the world today
Plenty of channels exist through
which cultivation Of the will to peace
encourage their use for that purpose.
First there should be precaution to
make certain Of those channels. That,
for instance, which is offered by the
Russian communists in their endorse
ment OF the National Council for Pre-
vention of War, excites suspicion of
that which Is endorsed. Brigham
writes the Boston Transcript that this
organization has been endorsed by
order Of the Communist Information
ale in Moscow. He declares further
that same Russian organization sent
instructions only last year to COM
munists in this country to get into the
army and navy Of the United States
for the purpose Of boring from with
in. that efforts are being made to I'M
dermine the morale of our army and
navy.
This, however. should not make us
suspicious of our Canadian neighbors
undertaking such iniquity. Their
minds. purposes. constructive meth
DDS, their conceptions Of obligation
and relations between men are in
striking contrast with the rat psy-
chology manifested by those consti-
tuting the Russian oligarchy now
imposing its tyranny on that land, the
psychology which leads to befoulins
that which it is unable to eat, which
bites the hand that feeds it.
Yet there are those who would have
US trust the latter as we would the
former; live in the same relations.
Are we not all brothers? they ask.
But Cain and Abel were brothers and
Abel was unable to defend himself.
The will to peace was lacking in
Cain and he was not at for brotherly
SolQIl00e.