Evening star., 1925-08-23
BY SHELDON S. CLINE.
ONDON.-The one impression
which most vividly stamps

which most vividly stamps
itself upon the mind of the
IL American observer in Europe
is the widespread sense OF
insecurity and instability. You get
1t everywhere you go, obsessing mems
minds and influencing all their actions
Like Mr.. Micawber, Europe today ap
pears to be chiefly engaged in waiting
for something to turn up. And
Europe doesn't seem to have any more
idea than did Dickens picturesque
character as to what that something
is likely to be. The difference lies
in that Micawber was expecting good
fortune, whereas Europe generally
expects its fortune to be bad.
1t is hard for an American to ap-
preciate a state of mind like that, It
is so wholly beyond our experiences at
home. America is young and op-
tfmlStic and never has known any
really serious setback in it's progress
toward better things. Europe is old
and peSsimistiC and is able to dis
Germ no avenues of progress. The
statesmen of Europe have become
largely opportunists. Instead of crap
ping with their problems and really
trying to solve them they appear to
be stalling and playing for time. No
better illustration of this can be
found than the manner in which a
coal strike was averted in England.
Stanley Baldwin knew that his hun
dred-million-dollar subvention of the
mining industry was not even the
beginning of a solution. but it got
England a breathing spell-and some
thing might turn up"
Europe Lacks a Program.
And so it is with postwar problems
everywhere in Europe. No one eX-
poets things to go on as they now
are going, but no one seems to know
what to do about it. When the
Dawes plan was inaugurated we in
America supposed it was a solution
of the problem of reparations. Europe
doesn't think so. Europe is skeptical
whether Germany will or can meet
the payments called for. But it gave
Europe breathing spell, just as the
Baldwin coal subsidy gave a breath
ing spell to England, and it is hoped
something may turn up" When
Germany defaults on the Dawes pay
ments something will have to be done
about it, but nobody knows what
There is nothing like a program. On
the contrary, both in England and
France there is a great deal of un-
easiness for fear that when the time
comes the British and French gov
ernments will not be able to agree
upon a common policy. And unless
England and France can agree upon
policy and keep on agreeing Europe
is going to arrive at the place she
seems headed for, and it isn't a pleas
ant place at all.
In discussing the fneffectiyeness and
apparent aimlessness of European
craftsmanship I don't want to con-
Vey the impression that I believe
American statesmen would do better
under like circumstances. Probably
they would not. 1t is easy to be a
rear-seat driver or grandstand man
ager, and the difficulties in the way
of solution of Europe's postwar
problems are very real ones It must
be acknowledged that some progress
has been made in liquidation of the
war, but whether craftsmanship or
time has been the liquidator is a mat
ter of opinion. Some progress has
been made, but that which remains
to be done is so Overwhelmingly great
that actual accomplishments are
dWarfed in comparison.
In Political Bad Health.
AS time gives US better perspec-
tive on the war and it's consequences
the settlements arrived at by the
peacemakers at Versailles become
more and more amazing. The most
charitable explanation is that the ma
tfonS of Europe were Shell-shocked
and in no condition to negotiate an
enduring peace. Already some of the
mistakes of the peacemakers have
been modified and there will have to
be many more notifications before
Europe can hope to regain her health,
either economically or politically
There are spots where exceptional
conditions have brought about a
measure of prosperity, but on the
whole Europe is economically in a
bad way. But bad as economic con-
ditions are. political conditions are
worse, for European politics are fash
ioned and governed to an astonishing
degree by fear of another war What
ever else men may prefer to talk
about, this war fear lies in the back
of their minds and hangs over their
lives like some horrid nightmare The
appalling feature of it is that there
are indications of spirit of resigna-
ton to the ineVitable-a state of mind
in which men wonder when and
where the storm will break, not how
1t can be averted.
Certainly war is not wanted by any
nation or people in Europe; but wars,
as a rule, are not the products of
desire. Wars are engendered by an
ticipatlon, and all Europe anticipates
another war. On every hand one is
told that the last war staggered
civilization and that another war
would finish it, yet another war is
looked forward to as something that
is inevitable. 1t would seem that in
Europe men look upon war as they
look upon death-a thing to be
dreaded, but in no wise to be escaped.
Men take all manners of nostrums and
submit to the surgeons knife in efforts