Evening star., 1924-09-28

the very nature of things, the or
ganization of peace will be inconclu-
SlVe. Within the league Germany
VIII find security against much that
she fears-for it must be recognized
that German apprehensions of French
designs. however unreasonable. are
! Just as acute as French of German
| but her pathway to restored infiu-
ence in Europe will be easy or diff
cult precisely as she accepts or re-
Jects the European demand for peace.
Popular With Small Powers.
The League of Nations has no
greater recommendation or hold upon
permanency than the opportunity ii
glVes the small states of Europe to
exercise considerable influence upon
European events. Never possessing
1t before, helpleSsly towed after the
great powers to their own bitter cost
they have seized upon it with great
unanimity and have invariably sent
their ablest men to Geneva In the
new situation, moreover. the great
powers have been placed in the posi-
tIon of bidding for the support of the
small, and this is likely to continue
for considerable period of time
given the inevitable differences be-
tween the great powers. But since
| the small powers are the victims of
all their energies to the preservation
| of peace and to the support of the
nations whose efforts are directed to
this end.
After the present session of the
League of Nations, then, il seems to
me, the Geneva experiment will enter
| a new stage and acquire a greatly in
creased Importance, but purely as 4
European factor. If Germany en-
ters, and that too. seems assured.
then for a period of years. at least
the League of Nations will become
the embodiment of that rather vague
thing which we used to call the con-
cert of Europe
What has actually happened. rather
suddenly at the end. disclosed alike
by the Macdonald triumph in Britain
and the Herriot victory in France,
is the revelation of the general Eu-
ropean desire for peace. Those having
| this desire have suddenly seized upon
the league as the single Immediately
available instrumentality. 1t is easy
to say-just as it is obviously accu-
rate-that the real factor is not the
league, but the desire for peace, but
since the league is now to be the
expression of this desire for peace in
Europe, its Importance is Intensely
enhanced.
Limited Without Germany.
If the German unwillingness to ac-
cept the decisions of Paris, in so far
as territory is concerned, prevails,
then Germany will not enter the
league and the league itself will have
only a limited Importance, since the
element of security will long have to
be dealt with by some form of spe-
cial alliances actually if not techni-
cally outside of the league But such a
German course would inevitably put
Germany in the position of a common
enemy and in the end become intol-
cradle for her.
Germany may enter the league, Sc
cretly reserving all her aspirations
and purposes, but for a considerable
period at least she will be fatally
handicapped in serving them by her
membership in the league Meantime
the frontiers themselves will tend to
become established as did those of
Vienna, which, constructed to last
seven years, endured nearly seven times
seven, and finally went down. not from
the attacks feared when they were
constructed, but under the attack of
forces unforeseen when they were
drawn. In any event, aside from ali
else the present Geneva session must
be long memorable as the first au-
thentic and unmistakable demonstra-
tfon of the return in Europe of the
effective desire for peace
Copyright, 1924, by the Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.)