Evening star., 1940-02-18

claims that Britain is warning to
protect the principles of democracy
against aggression, he points out
that England went to war over Po-
land, "a totalitarian country hold
ing in defiance of the League Of
Nations, wilma, which it had taken
from Lithuania: large areas Of nom
Polish country 1t had conquered"
from Russia, and fragments gained
by the disemberment of Czecho-
Slovakia. 1t only became a democ-
racy, even technically and for q
brief period, before its collapse in
September, 1882" when the war be-
gan.
Not only does the author of 1.-The
Outline Of History" protest the Brit
ish war aims; he attacks the con-
duct Of the struggle. He is "exas-
perated" at "the systematic suppress
sion Of news" with its resultant "loss
Of confidence in the government and
social order" He thinks most Of
his countrymen secretly agree with
him.
Most people in the British Isles
are heartily sick Of MIR. Chamber
lain and his government" he wrote,
but they cannot face up to a politi-
cal split in wartime.
He Sees Change Coming.
''The British crowd is already a
sullen crowd. The world has not
seen 1t in such a bad temper for a
century and half and, let there be
no mistake about 1t. 1t is far less in
a temper with the Germans than it
is with its own rulers. = -
This time our rulers will emerge
discredited and frustrated from the
conflict to face a disorganized popu-
lation in state of mutinous inquiry.
They have made preposterous prom
ises to restore Poland and they will
certainly have to eat their words on
that. Or, what is more probable,
the government will give place to
another administration which will
be able to eat those words for them
with slightly better grace"
BY the very making of war. Mr..
Wells continued, the British are lay
ing the groundwork for the collapse
of the ruling classes he says they
are trying to save. Continuance of
the struggle. he said, should prac-
tically extinguish the once-prosper-
Gus middle stratum of society alto
gether. The very wealthy will sur
vive in q shorn and diminished
state"
"A sort of collectivisation," too, is
being imposed very rapidly upon
the world" by war and war prepara-
tions, the noted Englishman went
on,
Every one is being enrolled, or
dered about, put under control
so1newhere-even if it is only in an
evacuation or concentration camp
Would Form = Utopia.
All he proposed to do, he said,
was to direct this collective effort
toward q different, more construc-
tive end: Anew world order freed
Of national barriers and based on
frank abolition of profit-seeking. "
Government In this new order would
be by proportional representation.
Armament of all kinds would be
illegal. Every person would be
guaranteed decent shelter, food,
clothing, employment and an op-
portunity to better himself by the
only standard the community would
respect-service to society.
He emphasized that the teach
ings of Karl Marx would have no
place in this scheme of things. He
rejected as "a dream" the Com
munist ideal Of dictatorship of
the proletariat."
Anticipating critics who will class
this vision of new civilization with
some of his earlier books Of popular
fantasy prophecy, Mr.. Wells noted:
Il have set down nothing that Is
not strictly reasonable and prac-
ticable."
He Adds . Warning.
But, he warned, 1t can be brought
to pass only if, at the end Of this
war, the peoples Of the world refuse
to permit peace conditions to be
drawn up by small groups of men in
secret conference: If they open their
ears and their minds to "the other
side of the question: If they all in
sist on free press and free speech
and take part in "a great debate" !"
refusing to protect any leader on
the grounds that our country is at
war;
Lastly
THE idea Of again splitting up
Germany into discordant fragments
SO as to postpone her ultimate re-
covery indefinitely is a pseudo-dem-
ocratic slacker's dream. It is dia-
metrically opposed to world recon-
struc.ior. We have need Of the pe-
culiAr qualities Of her people and