The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1938-09-23
TREND OF WORLD AFFAIRS
Prepared by
Lucy Meacham Thruston

AT the emu OF winter OF summer
one who is studying world condi-
tions and charting them looks back
an dasks what Is the most important
development OF these months. For
the last few years the glad cry at
the summers end has been Another
World War has not yet started.
And that brings the comfort that
there Is still more time for earnest
thought and search for wars avoid
ance. But this summer of 1898 sees
not only fears of wars but actual
wars-Spain, China, that corner of
Japan and Soviet Russia where
clashes are occurring-and at every
point the fear springs out anew that
that dreaded World War has started.
But these clashes, tragic as they are,
are not total war, states the histor-
ian, but "undeclared war;. Its APP
pearanaea like other revolutionary
developments, has upset techniques
and thrown into confusion all those
concerned with the making of war
and peace, including statesmen and
politicians, reformers and newspaper
correspondents"
| 1t is a long way indeed from that
closed temple of Janus when the Ro-
man population knew that there was
peace at least for the months when
those doors were shut and until the
spring brought in the open doors and
armies pouring out over the land,
But according to the new technique
Stain says: Nowadays wars are no.
declared they simply start"
| The summer of 1888 has seen the
tragedies of Spain, of China, the
fears in Czechoslovakia; points
where fires fiickered which might
start the feared world conflagration
Perhaps the most dangerous flare,
now dampered down but still
smouldering, was that between Rms
STA and Japan in that far eastern
corner of Vladivostok where Russia
and Japan and Manchokuo Japan
ese controlled) come together. And
the most serious question; who shall
be the supernation in Asia-Russia
or Japan, and what will be the con
sequent developments in world
trade, world unity. Along the insure
boundary lines of Inner and. Outer
Mongolia, Of the Chinese western
provinces of Shensi and Kansu, oil
Siberia and Manchokuo have long
been danger points. These were IL
! land. Vladavistok Is only $50 miles
from Tokyo. Russian bombings ot
Japanese flimsy cities and towns and
villages would be followed by i'm
mense destruction. What Japan Is
doing in China might be done by
Russia in Japan. Russian ambitious
in Asia are evident. Stain Is an
Asiatic, the stretch of Siberia is
huge. The end of 1898 summer finds
the ambitions of Hitler towards
Czechoslovakia tense (Sept. 81 Po-
land trying to build up peace block
in central Europe; and the world
problem no longer in Europe, uncef-
tain as is the situation there, but in
the far east, while the fear that I'm
declared War will start the great
conflagration.
But why "undeclared war;? Why
new war technique? Why war at
all? Why with world drawn closer
and closer together by transporta-
ton, need of one land for products
and riches of another friendly ties
and understandings grown stronger
and stronger, why not work to-
gether"?
The bombings and raidings in
China, the destruction of life by war
and flood, the inability to fast bury
the dead, to feed those alive and
build up their resistance have open
ed the way to spreading plague.
Cholera has to be fought. And the
Chinese Health Administration has
applied to the League, which is CO.
operating in anti-epidemic work in
China, for assistance. They have ask
ed specifically for help in obtaining
at the earliest possible moment anti
cholera vaccine. The quantity ask
ed for is six million doses. The Sec
rotary General of the League order
Gu one ulllilou uoSeS ioi lhhouioeO
delivery and asked for the coopera-
ton of countries participating in the
work of the Health Organization
Eastern Bureau in Singapore, as
well as those in Europe and the
United States.
By the middle of August the East
ern Bureau had received gifts of
half a million doses from Australia
and Ceylon; from the Pasteur Insti-
tute at Hanoi 100000 doses; from
Copenhagen 10000; from Rou-
mania 100000 doses; Yogoslavia
100000; from Egypt 10000 doses;
from Turkey 100000 doses; from
the United States 100000 and
South America 100000.