Evening star., 1925-10-04


The Germans and the English don't
have anics. But the people of any
ma alton must reach a point sometime
when they feel as | often feel: What 8
the useo You can do nothing useful.
constructive. YOU can get no cheerful
experience in life. you live in mood
of mourning and of anxiety-is life
worth while'
In every time of trouble before
now Il haven't had many 1 have
been able To forget myself in some
good book thought l should
always have this resource. But it's
gone now. The war gets between my
eyes and the printed page. 1t gets
between your golf club and the ball.
Somebody said something here the
other night about Christmas. 1t
startled me. l found myself think
ing it all out as a new proposition
Christmas - December - presents =
the children at home-Santa Claus
the year l9l4-when did 1 hear of
these things before? What does one
do at Christmas? | feel as IL I'd
never care to come to Europe again.
1t will always link itself in my
mind with this supreme crime. Most
of its best young men will be dead. the
older ones forever under the shadow
of this experience, the Continent
bankrupt and ruined, suggesting only
human misery-ha9sard old women.
begears. and starved children. and
manned men. and endless talk All
their lives of this war. The sunshine
on the sand in North Carolina. a
country man splitting At pebble on
his way to church and calling his
scene to me compared with anything
here.
And all the world has taken to
living. You can't believe anything
that YOU hear or read Three times
within week somebody in the
United States lied to the State De
partment.
Here come telegrams: An Amer
ing the English: get him out. We
call the man up on the telephone
lin his office) and ask him II he's
in prison or if he has criticized the
English. News to me- he says and
he goes on with his work. A day
or two later: An American citizen
found guilt OF spying, to be shot
tomorrow; hustle. All the military
camps in the kingdom. all the mill
tary courts, all the police are set
to work franticaliy to find the man
who's to he shot tomorrow. Tele-
graph and telephone are worked
hot Tomorrow comes. Nobody S
heard of such man. We are talk
the man walks in and says he
-uesseS he'd better get n pa assport.
He is asked about being spy and
condemned to be shot and he laughs
and remarks: Il guess my folks at
home were getting uneasy about me.
Then comes telegram about the
, detention of ship with a full cargo
of cotton. Demand its release.
Well. it has so many tons of cop
per in the bottom. On this side of
the world it's the same way. The
Germans have taken Calais-every.
body believes it for a day. To-
morrow night the Zeppelins will come
many people believe 1t. The Ger
mans have seized American food in
Belgium. / get messenger through
to Whitlock. On the contrary, he
writes back, they are giving us every
aid in distributing it. The German
government asks for report on the
scandalous condition of the detention
camp at Newcastle. There has never
been a detention camp at Newcastle.
Periodically l remind the British
government that we cant send pri.
vate inquiries in our Goyernmen mt
pouch to Berlin: will they please in
form the public that inquiries must
he made at the war office? Ger
tainly. The very next day mar
on the staff of the war office comes
in and says Mt since our emba assy
| is the only channel of communica.
tion will we please make inquiry