Evening star., 1927-04-26
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
l. G.. NJ.

Simonds. D. Litt Doubleday,
Page e. Co.
| AS America had no part in the max
| ing of the Great War. SO, equally, has
| it had no part in the peace which is
gradually emerging from that event.
| Entering the conflict in its third year,
! the United States for the succeeding
| year and a half contributed vitality
and definitely to the issue of Novem-
| Der, 1918. Since the arn1istiCe this
| country, according to the European
| balance sheet, has stood recreant both
| to good faith and fair dealing. During
| the entire nine-year. postwar period
| Europe has been experimenting, des-
| perately, toward permanent peace ana
the return to a normal existence. only
| now, and by way Of that which IN ef-
| feet, constitutes a revolution, does this
end appear to be in sight A mo-
mentous revolution which, when com
| pleted, or if completed. will make OF
Europe an example for the world. And
in such outcome the United States will
| have had no part.
"How Europe Made Peace without
| America" is a record of that period
| and of that achievement. 1t is an in
| terpretation as we'll The study, in
| sum, presents a rounded and co-ordi-
| mated sequence of such outstanding ac-
| tivities as were bent definitely and
| powerfully upon European settle
ment and the resumption or staDle
and productive mode of common con-
| tinental life. From point to point this
sequence is illuminated by the writer
wide experience in political obserVa-
| ton and deduction.
The study consists of an outer layer
| and an inner part. With the surface
| view newspaper readers generally
! have a fair acquaintance. Here IS the
| old record of endless utilities and fail
ures in experimentation. These run
| from the spectacular Paris conference
to the lesser ones Of Genoa, cannes,
Thoiry, London, Locarno. The gath
cred effect is that of an orgy OF dec
lamation and oratory, all OF II super
charged with passion and natlonal
self interest. Here, in striking erect
is the confusion of tongues come back
from Babel to confuse real issues, to
defer conclusive action, to oostruct
genuine progress, to threaten new
wars, to bury hope dee. down under
despair.
But. happily, there is another story
running along under this more obvi-
GUS one. Reading off the top here, so
to speak, one at first senses only the
old empty performance of walking up
the hill and then walking down again
"a childish inconclusiVe game, an
elaborate gesture that is quite empty
of meaning. Gradually, however, this
sense changes under the dawning con-
yiction that one is not really climbing
the same height up and down, over
and over. Instead, the fact grows
slowly that these are different mis-
and that each achieved lifts TO
higher level All of them are con-
tributing to an ultimate new height
of clearer vision for these dlsputlng
European nations. And TINS new IlIt
of vision is bringing better under.
standing and reader accommodations
among them. In a word. one, read
ing here, is treading the ways or
an actual revolution whose end is the
making of a new European mind.
Under it nationalism is giving way
to internationalism. The old bound
aries are too narrow. too cramplhS,
too certainly destructive. And so the
continent as a whole is gradually
coming to the consciousness of need
for expansion in outlook and attitude
and activity. No, this Is not a great
spiritual revival. This is no conver-
sion in the fashion of Saul going down
to Damascus. Rather is it stirring
of the deep instinct of life itself under
the conviction of impending doom.
Nationalism has gone bankrupt IN
Europe It's salvation lies in inter-
nationalism.
From the obvious and open facts of
the European situation this aware ana
sensitive political student has thus
shown the rebirth of Europe toward
an international basis OF future ma
tionai conduct and aspiration. Here
is the high point of this brilliant ana
absorbing study--as. indeed, II De-
comes, indubitably, a high point IN
human history itself. The book,
throughout, is. striking example, a
deeply gratifying one to readers, OF
the power to draw from the plain
facts of a situation the hidden cur
rents of motive and effort and effect,
without an understanding of which
the facts themselves are of small
value.
But there are other high points
in this remarkable book, Here is
most competent study of the leaders in
the peace program-studies of Wood
row Wilson, Lloyd George, Clemen-
ceau and others. Here one finds clear
power in the appraisal Of individual
qualities of mind and heart, deep IN
sight upon human motives, a synpa-
thetic understanding of the special pc
culiarities of personality. This part OF
the study sums to psychological
symposium in which each or these
celebrities is oriented upon the SUI
nreme question of war and peace ana
the settlement after peace. Right here
Mr., Simonds sets up for comparative
illumination the perspective OF more
than a hundred years, at whose fur-
ther end is pictured the settlement
after the Napoleonic wars. There are
trained diplomats, practiced in nation
al bargainings, responsible each TO his
king alone. Then, there was no such
thing as public opinion to pass noisy
Judgment upon the declarations, no
such thing as the press to report them.
The contrast serves to point the dlf-
ficulties of the later negotiations to-
ward peace. Out OF these personal
studies bent upon the questions or
the urgent and critical time, one draws
the enormous depths of misunder-
standing, in which they We're all bur
led. No leader knew his associates
nor could approach their points of
view. No nation knew the neighbors
with which it was seeking peace.
America and Europe were as alien to
each other as Mars and the Earth.
The spirit and technic Of govern
ment were in each case X to the other.
Mr., Wilson was stranger to the COM
mon thought of the common people
back home, TO his Congress as well.
So, it was through a dense wilderness
of individual ignorance of peoples TO
one another, of nations to one another.
of leaders to their own followers. that
the long and seemingly catastrophe
bargainings and failures made their
way. An amazing story to read. most
Illuminating and not praiseworthy.