Evening star., 1942-05-24
The Kine-QuuIity

optimism is that it is apt to be
followed by the deepest pessimism.
In his press conference talk on Fri
day the President was wisely philo-
sophical in warning the people
against these extremes of emotional
reaction to the war news. For we
are in for a long war, and the public
must learn to distinguish between
the incidents of war and the war as
a whole.
Another President was disturbed
by the ups and downs of public sem
timent toward war Carl Sandburg.
in "The War Years." recalls the visit
of Senator Orville Hickman Brown
ing Of Illinois to the White House one
evening in the dark winter of 49, He
found President Lincoln reading a
pamphlet by Charles Janeway Stille
on How a Free People Conduct a
Long War;" in which the author drew
parallels between American reaction
to the Civil War and British senti-
ment in number of wars. The
President found the philosophy of
this study so close to his own that
he sat with Senator Browning for
more than an hour, reading aloud
from the pamphlet.
War is always entered upon
amidst vast deal of popular enthu-
siasm which is utterly unreasoning.
It Is the universal voice of history
that such enthusiasm is wholly un-
reliable in supporting the prolonged
and manifold burdens inseparable
from every war waged on an extern
sive scale. The popular idea of
war is speedy and decisive victory
and an immediate occupation of the
enemy's capital, followed by treaty
of peace. Nothing is revealed to the
excited passions of the multitude but
the dazzling visions of national glory,
purchased by small privations, and
the early and complete subjugation
of their enemies. At first re-
verses they yield to depression, blame
the government and the armies; the
unreasoning abuse then matches the
original enthusiasm.
Experience has taught the British
people that the progress of a war
never fulfills the popular expecta-
tions - during the continuance
of a long war, there can be no we'll
founded hope of uniform and
constant series of brilliant triumphs
in the field, illustrating the profound
wisdom of the policy of the cabinet.
that, on the contrary, all war, even
that which is most successful in the
end, consists rather in checkered
fortunes, of alterations of victory
and disaster - blunders so glaring
in the policy adopted by the govern
ment or in the strategy Of its gen.
erals, that the wonder is success was
achieved at ALL
The British had been taught that
mot hopefulness or impatience of
immediate results" but, rather "a
stern endurance-that king quality
of heroic constancy, which, rooted
deep in a profound conviction of the
cause, supports lofty public spirit
equally we'll in the midst of tempo
rary disaster and in the hour Of
assured triumph" Mr.. Sandburg
recalls the Duke of Wellington at
Waterloo: Hard pounding, this,
gentlemen, but We'll see who can
pound the longest"
BY deploring overconfident opti-
mism, the President does not ask that
the people go about with long faces
and mournful sighs. And there has
been a succession of cheerful news
lately, making for optimism rather
than depression. What we must have
was what Lincoln so greatly desired
from his troubled people-"A stern
endurance-that king-quality of he
roic constancy" deeply rooted In
profound conviction of the cause.
That is the spirit Of a people who
work for and who deserve ultimate
victory.