Evening star., 1941-11-11
Armistice Duy

Much of the tumultuous Joy of No
vember II, 1918, was prompted by
the sincere belief of millions of peo-
pie that war had ceased forever.
During the whole course of the
struggle with the Central Powers,
the Allies had insisted that they con-
tended for just and equitable
peace. The populations of the enemy
countries had been assured that no
punitive action would be taken
against them, if only they would sur
render. President Woodrow Wilson,
in the Fourteen Points, had sketched
adjustments and compensations
which seemed reasonable and fair
even to the vanquished. His doc
trine became the legal basis for the
treaty signed at Versailles on June
%, 1919
But long before that date there
had arisen IN America as we'll as in
Europe a doubt, skepticism, con-
cerning the policies designed for car
rying the covenant into practical ef-
feet. 1t would be an error to argue
that the dangers Of a Draconian
philosophy were not appreciated by
the participants in the conference at
Paris. They also considered, neceS-
sarily, the perilS implicit in attempt
ing to collect compensation
for all damage done to the civilian
population of the Allies and their
property by the aggression Of Ger
many" Looking back now from the
vantage point of l94l, it is easy to
see the tragic mistakes made tWen-
ty-three years ago. Humanity at
large regretfully has come to under
stand that the word 'armiStice" as
employed with regard to the first
World War meant exactly what the
dictionaries say it means: "A brief
cessation of arms, by convention;
temporary suspension of hostility, by
agreement; truce"
The conflict between the concept
of democratic civilization and a
tOtalitarian system of arbitrary con-
troll continues. In solemn fact, it
was carried on throughout "the
breathing spell" which ended when
Adolf Hitler marched against Poland,
September /, 1889. Observers skilled
in appraisal of prevailing trends be-
gan to warn against resumption of
hOStilitieS on an unprecedented scale
as early as 1925. But the hopes of
the free communities of the earth
persuaded them that the threat was
not serious.
So, too, even at the present mo-
ment there are those who convince
themselves that the few societies
which still are free have little if
anything to fear. The assumption
Of such persons is that the progress
| of tyranny since January, 1888, has
been inconsequential and ephemeral.
1t Is supposed that somewhere and
sometime convenient to all con-
cerned the rising tide of aggression
will stop of its own natural accord.
Yet the evidence to contradict that
notion is available on every hand.
AS Winston Churchill said yesterday,
"the war may soon spread to
the remaining fourth of the globe" !"
To believe otherwise is to be blind
and deaf and insensible to logic.
The impact of cataclysmic events
abroad already has been felt in the
United States, and the end is not in
sight On this latest anniversary of
the close of World War No. it is the
duty of every American to compre-
hend the problem to which, whether
he desires it or not, he is related
the problem of preserving the bene-
fits of mutual freedom and of ex-
tending those benefits to neighbor-
ing peoples near and far so that the
contest which has destroyed the best
energies of the human race for at
least two generations finally may
| stop.