Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1942-12-18
An Editorial

the people of this community must realize
failure to grasp the full import Of situation full
of i1portances if not danger to US, meaning
which should have struck home to long this.
The United States of America is at sO0r with
a dangerous, inoplac0bLe, irresponsible, bastard
ny foe. A Ueritable mailman uVh0 kuoIUs nothing
Of mercy nor Of Justice. With him. might makes
right, and there IS other iauU governing inter
national warfare. Women, children, the sick,
the aged and infirn1-aU are made use of to add
terror to the clash Of arms LUen foe meets foe IN
battle array.
From Japan, too, there comes a race, 1Utich
presents strange double characteristics; a race
1Ohose accomplishments haze indicated uOOnder-
full capacity IN the establishment and conduct of
government. A comparatively neLU nation, they
haze taken their stand along side of the Great
POwerS of the 1UorLd; they are an ingenious peo-
pie, quick to adopt IDEAS and make them
rebound TO national greatness.
Yet, beside all this, there are millions of
them gUho appear to hhaUe dragged along ciU-
Iiized routes in Uery unwilling uUay; preferring
to cling to old teachings; liking rather the pa
ternal ideas of citizenship; canonizing their an
cesfors; Surrendering their bodies and souls in
Ia fanaticaL way to the service of their beloved
Emperor, esteeraing it a privilege to die in his
behalf, and looking forOard to life of supreme
bliss in another tOorld, reuUard they evidently
craze they rush headl0ng in a Sacrificidl tUay,
into the guns of a superior foe.
These them the Germans and the JapS are
challenging Americans on land, sea- under the
sea, and in the air. Our enemies, Nth their
dramatically opposed ideas of government, are
seeking to overthrow the democracieS of the
lUorLd. The Germans point to centuries of
strife IN the effort to brand the nations With the
mark of serOility to a superior race "Deutche
uber allies" IS their cry, and their oft used
depression, "Me und Gott', places their rank
Just a step ahead of Divinity. They haze made
"a study of arms since CharLen1edgne, and might
uUeU haze they dominated a large section of the
knouUn uUorId They put their trust in the sLDOrd,
and only on martial deeds to make them masters.
The Japs, also, are alike in1bued lOith the
spirit of lUorld dominion; but theirs IS less ma
teriaL impulse. They believe IN their divine orr
gin. They are, in their opinion, because of that
origin entitled to supremacy, and their archives,
if throtOn open to the lOOrLd uOOuld likely reveal
that such has been their LIES aim for age upon
age. No sacrifice is too great, and in the oUar at
present engaging the lUOrLd, it does seem that,
before the NipponeSe are conquered, 1T IUU be
necessary to kill and kill, until their man pouUer
Is in1potent to strike back Their retUard uUiU be
enhanced thereby, uuhen their spirits arrive to
hold converse once again lUith those lDho haze
gone before.
These, then, the t1Oo peoples knocking
at our DOORS But it Is hard for many of us to
accept the possibility of danger to us IN these
lOar's alarms. The South Pacific; the great con-
tinent of Africa; the wild steppes of Russia all
seem too remote to be taken seriously. In this
part of the land, sUho liUe and n1oUe and haze
our being here, hesitate to examine maps
uUI1ich mark line of coast, easily reached by the
modern methods of warfare. We close our ears
TO all assertions that 1UouLd imply LiUe IN a
danger zone We seem to feel that our advisers
seek personal publicity rather than safety to all.
We seem disposed TO ridicuLe all preparations
and schemes of national defense, and sink back
apparently into a Lethargic, maybe obstinate,
conatose pose, giving rise TO the opinion that COe