Evening star., 1940-12-25
Wants Explanation
Of Americas S Delay
Writer Asks Reasons
For Failure to Help
Brituin's Resistance
To the Editor OF The Star;

To the Editor Of The Star:
Up until the fall of France in June
the American people looked upon this
war from our seemingly safe and COM
placent distance as a local dispute be-
tween European peoples and no affair of
ours. Indeed we called 1t a "phoney war"
and complained because nothing sensa-
tional happened and no large headlines
brought us the thrill to which we thought
we were entitled from the conflict
But when Denmark and Norway were
invaded, when Holland and Belgium were
overrun, and when the German war ma
chine went roaring over the fields of
Flanders to the gates OF Paris, we suf-
fered a remarkable change of attitude
We become a people struck with fear,
literally palsied with terror, shaking and
quaking as the headlines become bigger
and blacker. Hitler became not only the
enemy Of the little and helpless peoples
he had crushed, but the enemy of our
selves, and we, after England, were to
be next on his list.
From thenceforward we began to be-
lieve that Great Britain was our shield
and protection and that in reality she
was fighting our battle. Now we are
telling ourselves and the whole world
that our first line of defense is in Eng
land and that her soldiers and sailors,
nay, all Of her men and women are fight
ing to defend our way of living. For
one, think 1t is time for us to take
real stand, If We ever intend to, and
cease such cowardly and contemplate
self lf-deception. We may be fooling our
and we will not deceive generations yet
to be born.
If England is fighting our war-and
she is-why stand we here, comforting
ourselves that a brave and enduring
people will save us from destruction?
What manner of talk is this, while
England is being reduced to rubbish?
How can we look at each other, much
less at our brothers across the sea with
out blushing for shame?
What is the matter with us? Where
are the virtues of our fathers, who fought
Will SHulllC gums dllO DiOOuy
knives in dark forests and snow-covered
fields, that they and we might have
what we possess today, the blessing OF
liberty under law? Where is manhood,
where is honor, where Is courage that
dares any danger rather than yield to
humiliating compromise with conscience?
Who of us stands ready to sacrifice?
What man of us would give up month s
salary or wages that England might
prevail and all the little peoples OF the
Subjugated democracies be restored to
the same liberties that we enjoy and
boast so loudly of today?
Who Of us would make any real sacri-
fee in this cause, freely and voluntarily?
Who would give half of his material
possessions, or cut of year OF his own
life that the rights which we have in
herited should be handed on to our
children in the same free and unre-
stricted condition in which they came
to us? Who of us would suffer hunger
or cold, or terror by night or horror by
day, or pain, or labor or deprivation,
in order that the thought, the speech,
the religion, the enfranchisement of
man might still be free? You could
count them on the thumbs Of one hand.
Take the profit out of this war and
there is not a man of us would build a
gun or furnish it with ammunition, much
less use it on an enemy which has
already branded us a "decrepit and
decadent democracy" Even now, while
the thunders Of war gather for the last
onslaught, we quibble over whether
or not to produce for the friends who
use them, the implements of defense, on
credit or for the customary fat cash
profits, payment in advance, net without
discount, delivery at our own counter!
If we are saved it will not be because
of any bravery or sacrifice on our part,
and in our salvation there will be no
glory to the history of our people. We
are grown into a Nation soft, SNUG and
conceited, and we place more value upon
remainder of the world can fall to ruins,
mankind everywhere can be reduced to
slavery and its free spirit can be driven
underground to the everlasting dark so
long as it does not interfere with our
"normalcy," our business as usual" our
possessions and our sordid scramble for
the Almighty Dollar.
If we are not saved, it will be because
we do not deserve to be saved, because
we are not worthy Of salvation, because
we have lost the ancient virtues which
brought this Nation into being and
which at one time made it the greatest
protagonist on earth of the common
rights of man.
FOLGER TOWNSEND.
Ienor NJ C.