Evening star., 1939-11-13
Alleged Wormonger'
Defends His Views
Says America Hos Obligation
To Persecution Victims
In Other Lunds
TO the Editor Of The star:

To the Editor Of The star:
Few men can abstract themselves
from the whirl of events. Thus 1t has
frequently fallen to the decrepit and
enthusiastically, the "seers"-to fur
nish the race Of men with foresight. and
to latter-day historians to provide the
hindsight.
The contemporary scene seems mud
died to many Of us. Actually, It must
be our minds that are muddled. Shar-
ing this muddled state is no less q one
than H. G. Wells, who wrote IAN Out
line Of History"
For, consider the first article in his
declaration of rights" carried in The
Star Of November 6: Il. That every man
without distinction Of race or color Is
entitled to nourishment. housing, GOV.
ering, medical care and attention suf-
ficient to realize his full possibilities of
physical and mental development and
to keep him in state Of health from
his birth to DEATH"
Certainly the attainment Of these
Utopian conditions would appear q de-
nghtful thing. But many criticisms Of
Its practically can be advanced. rs en-
titled to" reminds me-since Mr.. Wells is
a Socialist-of friends recent remark
regarding the "persecuted Communists"
IN the United States: "Such people," he
said, "are always loud about their rights
but know nothing Of their obligations" !"
Mr.. Wells himself has been heckling the
British government for its war aims,
implying that 1t is his right to hang back
from Englands war, whereas he Is In.
nocent OF any feeling of obligation to
his fellow men-to wit, the Poles, Czechs
and French and the unfortunate Jews
OF Germany and Austria. The answer
to Mr.. Wells question What are the
English governments war aims?" might
be found in Mr.. Wells article-namely.
to secure the benefits OF civilized life to
as many as possible whether entitled to
them or not.
Thus his right brings into existence
his duty and his obligations to his fell
low men, and though Socialist or Lib
eral or disappointed ofice- seeker, he
tinds he must assist his hard -shelled
conservative government which has been
striving to do its duty all the time, and
which, In spite Of every effort to avoid
1t, is now at war with the real war
mongers.
contemporary critics of Europe have
made much Of the defaulted war debts
OF our former allies. European spokes-
men. including the adroit Adolf, have
more than evened it by criticizing
americas default on its promised sup
port OF the League of Nations a promise
implied through Mr.. Wilson's advocacy
OF 1t. Not only did America default to
Its allies. More shameful, it has de-
faulted to the soldier dead who, mufied
in eternal silence, must hear the angry
guns again and know that they died in
vain.
Historians have said that the Chris
tlan nations have been more addicted
70 war than any other peoples. 1t is not
true today. Germany, Russia, japan.
90 not fight under the sign of the cross
and they are the aggressors. Conversely.
question the Christianity of the Amer.
lean Nation taken as whole. Who can
call himself Christian who loves his
neighbor-and yet watch the Ethiopian
slaughter, the Chinese massacre, the
Jewish pogroms in Germany and Austria,
ana the slaughter and destruction Of
Poland-what Christian can live and
see these things in his own time and
say: Hands of for America? He i,
an ostrichlike Christian who hides his
mead IN the sands and pretends these
horrors do not exist. He is a .I,evite"
who draws his cloak closer about him
and passes by on the other side. He
sees his neighbor's OK has fallen into a
pit, but 1t is inconvenient, for reasons
best known to himself, to help get tn.
neighbors OK out. Now if it were bis
OK He sings psalms on SUNDAY and
pays toward the preachers salary. but h.
is not Christian. '''
l must not pretend to be otherwi,.
tnan muddled myself. But NV dear
compatriots are-many Of them-platnlv
more muddled than land, oh-so noisv
w1thal! ALLEGED wARMoNGER
East Falls Church, Va.
November Z.