The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-08-25
Editorial Review
HARD on THE PESSIMISTS

piers. just returned from Europe.
are having experiences like that
OF DR.. Johnson's old college friend.
He told the doctor that he had Of
ten tried hard to be philosophical.
but that somehow "cheerfulness
always broke through" Certainly
a great many cheerful dispatches
from Europe break through, al
most before our Respondent trav-
eiers have finished unpacking
their trunkfuls of gloom. In the
first place. the crops are nearly
everywhere reported to be unus-
ually good. France will grow more
wheat this year than ever before
in her history. The agricultural
news from Poland and Rumania
and Bulgaria, also from Hungary
and the other secession States. is
good. The outlook for the harvest
in Russia and also in Germany Is
reported excellent. 1t is evident.
therefore. that the great majority
of the people in Europe are now
freed from the spectre OF starva-
ton. They have gone to work on
the soil, the great source OF the
production of wealth. and are sure
ly going to have enough to eat this
coming Winter. That fact cannot
fail to be OF great political s;gnifi-
canoe. There will not be mObs OF
hungry men threatening revo-
luton.
Many other reports reach Amer
lea about as soon as our diScOur-
aged voyagers, all OF a sort to dis
credit their prophecies of dire and
instant ruin in Europe. The facts
quickly catch up with the theories
and leave them good deal shat
tered. Last week, for example. We
were told that France had finally
thrown aside her mask. She stood
revealed as the great imperialistic
and military plotter, resolved to
break with England and to keep
her iron heel on the breast of
PROSTATE Germany, while proceed
ing to execute her plan to domi-
nate the whole of the Continent
But in only few days great
change visibly came over the spirit
Ct this horrifying dream. The
French Prime Minister declares
that France would consider it
criminal" to do anything to weak
en- the Entente with England.
Moreover, communications are
proceeding between Germany and
France looking to a settlement; the
great industrialists of the two
countries being notably active in
trying to bring about comprom-
Use. AS for England and France.
far from having reached that def
mite rupture over which so many
ressimists We're gloating, they are
still negotiating, and the belief in
both countries is that the next
step will be a general conference
of all the Allied Prime Ministers
in the hope of working out plan
OF adjustment agreeable to them
all.
Turning to conditions at home,
our American jewellers in gloom
find their comforts being taken
away from them one after another.
The prospect >of being able to
avert a strike in the hard coal
mines is brighter than for several
weeks past. AS regards the general
status OF business and employ
nient, official reports of the De-
partment Of Labor and surveys by
trade associations indicate. in the
words Of Director Jones of the En-
nlOyment Service, "a healthy I'M
dertOne and splendid spirit of
optimism practically throughout
the entire industrial field" Even
the maligned railroads are max
ing high records for efficiency. The
tcnmiles of freight during the first
siy months of the present year
show the largest volume for any
similar period in our history, be-
ing per cent greater than the
previous top figures set in the first
half OF 1920.
All these signs Of promise are.
of course, consistent with the ex-
istence of many danger points
both in international affairs and
domestic conditions. It is no time
to settle down into complacent
but blind optimism. Business
men and statesmen alike need to
be on their guard against perilous
tendencies. But, on the other
hand, there is no justification for
the fears land the cries Of alarm
raised by so many. When they
foretell new wars worse than the
worst ever known before. and pic
ture civilization about to be push
ed into the abyss, they are open to
reproach for not taking into ac-
count all the facts-especially the
most weighty ones. Merely few
Of these have been indicated above.
yet any one not irrevOcably COM
mitted to despair must see that
they imply a world not given over
wholly to the civil one and still
quite livable for the vast majority
of mankind.-New York Times.