Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-05-29

RUT a night Is struggle Tot
- no mere moral advantage
but for victory. and, it may be.
for life itself.
Starting impromptu between
strangers over an issue Of man
nerS at the bar of a conflict Of
opinion, il is guarded by no
guarantees Of proper behavior
on either side, and he who.
through chivalry, disarms him
self of certain weapons assumes
handicap which may be re-
iccted by the other
How is one man TO know that
if he should be knocked down
the other viii not stamp on his
countenance or jump up and
down with emphasis on his alb
domen?
And if he feels that. in the
words of our anthem, his cause
it Is just. why should he restrict
his action 10 a code prescribed
for an utterly different sort OF
situation?
Is he not wiser TO conk the
other quickly with seidel. bottle
or gobboon-to end the matter
quickly and VIGOROUSLY?
4 NIMALS are primitive fight
"A ers and. when fighting 10
live or 10 love. fight about. As
the British say, and 10 conquer
by any use Of the weapons ma
ture gave them.
We have endowed the rattle
snake with a sporting character,
because he gives warning ere he
strikes. but there, again. we are
romancing al the expense Of our
intelligence. for we know that
he rattleS his buttons only be-
cause he is alarmed, alert and
trembling
In war we, more than any
other people. except the British,
from whom we derive our code.
are likely 10 assume that the
enemy will not do this or that
in certain situations. because
such conduct would be unchival-
rous. and TO feel unhappy when
he does just that
But we are still thinking In
terms of sport, and the reason
is, / suppose, that for a long
time sport has been one of our
main interests.
We were shocked that the
Germans should turn the smil-
ing face OF friendship on the
Norwegians. Dutch and Belgians
and suddenly. without declaring
war, blast 10 ruin cities in which
they had been more or less
truStfully received as guests.
We were disturbed, too, by
the contrast between the size
and the arms of these flyweights
and that Of the Nazi giant, but
if we study the lesson coldly II
should teach us that the NaZi
is an enemy from whom II is
best always to expect the worst
and. If possible. 10 beat him 10
it and. if necessary, 10 out
frightful him.
TIIE Nazis now have a great
l. advantage over the British
in the matter of hostages. and
they are very quick TO threaten
reprisals at the rate of 10 TO !
for executions or other ILL
treatment of their people by the
enemy.
But in the event of this nation
going TO war against Adolf Hit
Ter there would be better
balance, and the only question
would be one of our willingness
TO employ Hitler's own method
on Hitler's own people who
could be rounded up here.
In that situation the Ameri-
cans. no doubt. would hesitate
TO proceed against Germans in
/. the United States in a manner
like to that of the Nazis in Po-
land, for example. and Prague.
where high school students were
executed for demonstrating"
against the invader.
But after a few factory ex-
plosions and train wrecks in
volving American soldiers.
= American Sportsmanship might
yield 10 practical considerations.
for pressure on his Germans
here, applied in Hitler's own
blunt WAY. surely would tend IN