The Coolidge examiner., 1941-11-28


tell you which way they would act
If God guided them. His ways are
not our ways and His thoughts are
not our thoughts. But certain 1t
is that the results would be far
different from what some of them
are just now.
What He would have congress
do about neutrality or about the
labor strike might surprise all of
us.
But one thing l am sure of-and
that is this: before we get thru
what we are at present into we are
going to be more willing than ever
to seek a little guidance from the
Lord And l hope that when we
seek it the good Lord will help us
for We will need all the help we
can get.
JAPANS NoMURA
Doubtless before this gets into
print the u. S.-Japan issue will
have been settled one way or the
other. I'm just a little afraid that
1t will be the other way. We used
to speak of swapping our noses off
to spite our faces and Japan will
likely do that. She has gone too
far in brags and dares to back out
and save her face and pride com
pels one to do strange and crazy
things to save that old face. II
most of us would take a good look
In the mirror before we started a
lot of things we would know that
the old face tfor looks) isn't worth
taking such great risks.
Admiral Nomuru was sent over
here to talk with the President
and Mr.. Hull in the hope that the
jam Japan has gotten into might
be thinned out a bit Just as he
arrives and starts his conferences
with us the Japanese war lords
begin shouting at home about what
Japan expects to do and get-all
OF which is bad policy for the mo-
ment. 1t certainly does not help
Nomura in his position.
We have come to believe in the
Japanese government just about
the same as we believe in the
Berlin government-whic means
that we don't believe in it at all.
Trust and faith are things that
will go long way-until they are
abused or betrayed. After that
one must accept every utterance
and act with crossed fingers.
Just now, earnest as Nomura
may be, we cannot help but look
upon any agreement with Japan as
being sincere only as long as it
serves to favor Japan in seeking
advantage. Japan has acted like
spoiled and selfish child for
years and has gotten away with it.
Not because we were afraid to
stop her. but because we have been
most tolerant. But sometimes pa
tience runs it's course. The best
cure for spoiled child is a
sound spanking at the psychologi-
cal moment. Most folk are of the
opinion that psychological moment
has arrived. While there is no
clamor for war with Japan, and no
desire for it, / believe the Ameri-
can people feel that for the good
OF all concerned, we could go into
a war in the Pacific and do the
world in general much good.
WAR NOT OUR BUSINESS
War is not our idea of business.
Neither is 1T our idea of national
occupation. We have other and
better ideas about what nations
should be doing. But since war
seems to be in the systems of a
lot of national groups, and they
seem unable to understand that
that is not the way toward the
proper solution of problems, the
best way to clear the system is to
deliver an overdose of the sort of
thing they insist on playing with.
\ 1t reminds me of some of the
army practices of the first world
war. Every once in a while a SOL
dier would take the idea of play
Ing sick-and the play" was al
ways Immediately detected by the
doctors. The cure, and always a
sure one, was to make them sick
in reality. An extra heavy dose Of
castor oil always did the trick.
And it decided for many another
fellow a determination to stay in
good health.
War is not the business of ma
tions. There are other ways Of
getting along There are better
and cheaper ways of settling |
But since some insist that |
war is the way the only cure is to
deliver a heavy-over-dose of the |
commodity so the cure may be-
come permanent. 1t is going to
cost in money and lives but it
seems now to be the only way to
clear the blood streams of the
poison that has taken possession
Of the thinking of lot OF people.