Evening star., 1933-11-05

we shall never learn, but SO desirable q
state was evidently omitted from the
plan Of creation. We had better forget
it. We shall be happier. and so more
secure, If we do not waste thought,
energy and health in trying to be invul-
nerable against fate and chance. We
ought to remember, too, that when
pleading for our security at . conference
which aims at establishing . system
Of International equilibrium through
justice, and our argument wins and we
thus obtain what We want, then 1t fol-
lows that our neighbor must abandon
his security. II we are secure, he can
not be. The security" Of only two
nations in arms is incompatible with
logic. II one is secure, then the other
Is not. But militarists are never strong
In logic. They are always romantic. In
stinctive and emotional, whatever their
show Of statistics and the extreme tech
nicality of their arguments.
Mr.. Stanley Baldwin, in q minute or two
of remarkable candor. told the British
House Of Commons recently that it was
impossible to defend London from the
air That had been demonstrated. And,
indeed, every intelligent citizen is aware
today that his family is open to poison
and flames from the skies. and that
there can be no recompense except by
destroying the women and infants OF
the invaders
Yet IL generals have signed a protest
against Mr.. Baldwin's "defeatiest"
speech. We should do well to give a
moments consideration to the probable
quality Of the pooled intelligence of
those IL great soldiers When you have
pictured what 1t may be Like, remember
that that is just the kind Of brain stuff
upon which we must rely should un-
practicable dilemmas come upon us
through the release by war Of those
forces which science has made available
All Ignorant Of Future.
There Is not general nor an admiral
alive who Is more than vaguely aware
OF what will face him when the poten-
tialities Of the machines and the elec-
tr1cal. economic, communistic and other
powers are loosed. He does not know,
and there Is nobody to tell him. He
does not know, nor do We. He knows no
more about it than other experts know
OF the mysteries of modern finance. All
he can be sure about is that his military
machine Is well prepared for something
resembling the conditions of the last
great war. But the hazards in events
shaped by forces now only surmisable
will inevitably present him with a stu
alton entirely too late for anything
benefclal TO be done with II.
The extraordinary behavior Of Official
Japan. the continuous uproar in China
while she is deciding whether or not a
Western philosophy Is better than her
own tradition. the feryid peculiarities
exhibited by the present German lead
ers. are. I think, but symptoms Of q
common invalidism.
world Is sick. II Is true that i, their
desperate paroxysms the patients may
do themselves sad injury, yet as any
deliberated Interference of ours could
do Do no nnSn more than = increase the confusion
own neglected code at last and see
whether the soft answer and the
golden rule will work. They have never
been extensively tried. And now they
appear to be about the last chance we
have Quiet reasoning and a show OF
good will, especially when our OWL
state lnclines us to be irritable and
petulant, are not easy, yet the effort
must be made if we would save ouI
own doorsteps, always a sound reason
LOT snow OF amlab1l1ty.
Great Deal to Be Done.
What is there we can do? There /.
a great deal we should do. Unless the
fears that are represented by great fleets
and national jealousies are dispelled
then we may look in vain for substan.
tial national recoveries in America
Asia and Europe Unluckily. Just now
each nation Is showing the timidity and
exclustveness Of a neurasthenic woman
who trembles at the sight Of q strange
bowler hat.
AS men OF peace. who desire the re-
covery OF our own and other countries
our opinions must be definitely some
thing more than pious. We must keer
IN mind the fact that our rulers will dc
what we want them to do il they see
they will be unlucky should they ignore
US. At present they attend with IA,
greater interest to people who want tc
be surrounded by guns. They can even
be persuaded. though short of money
that 1t Is right to spend it on warships
because that provides employment. Sc
does crime provide employment. for
that matter. As II crime should be en-
couraged because it keeps in employ
ment Judges, attorneys, police, handcuf1
manufacturers and builders Of prisons
We are forced to admit that the other
side, the sinister and secretive people
whose major concern Is the extension
OF ornaments. are cleverer and more
pertinacious than men of peace. ANY
administration therefore attends to
them with unavoidable respect. These
interests are rarely very noticeable, but
they have great power. which is backed
by all the fears of the community. Their
representatives haunt the administra-
ton Of each great state like specter,
confident In their chain rafting and
groans
Is the story Of the immunity Of thu
rich iron fields Of the Briey Basin from
bombardment during the great wal
known IN America? Both French and
German interests" were involved. Until
the end Of 1916 that area was not sub
1ect to explosives. though it supplied
the metal which destroyed French
armies. When this became so notoriou.
That 1t could not be ignored by the
politicians, the French airmen raidec
1t from time to time. Yet they die
little harm. The ofiicer in charge Of
bombing operations was formerly ar
employe Of the Comite des FORCES. And
this in wartime itself?
Money Superior to Patriotism.
And now, while we have peace. wher
each nation Is Withdrawing itself into
starvation self suf1iciency. 1t is the
armament manufacturers themselves
whose agents and publicists do so much
to keep nationalism twittering like 9
child in the dark, who alone have
achieved profitable internationalism
Frontiers mean less to them than te
idealistic humanitarians Money alone
IS superior to frontiers and patriotism
The armament firms are now prosperous
because they are establishing in other
countries the means by which theil
own nationals some day may fall ir
glorious defeat. The plain word fol
that Is treason. These people are more
deadly enemies to society than ar
avowed enemy could possibly be.
suggest for one thing. that now i.
the time when the manufacturer ol
arms should be under the control ol
., iy,kAy., ofinrol hnHv opd That Ia av,nv,