Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-12-26
BEHIND
The NEWS
By Paul
MalIon
WASHINGTON, Dec. 25-The

WASHINGTON, Dec. 25-The
W truth behind the peace
news this Christmas Day is
that this nation is in the hands
of events.
We are not being led by
theories, by internationslists. by
isolationists OF any school of
thought. We are being led by
happenings.
What we will do is what we
must do, not what we want 10
do, or what any particular
group would choose to do.
Up to now. statesmen, politi-
cos and commentators have
SHE'D away from the open
recognition of this inevitable
conclusion of the war. For war
propaganda purposes that were
absolutely necessary at the
time, for temporary political
purposes and others, we have
pretended this was not so.
Among ourselves, there has
been bitter hatred from one or
gained class saying this is
the only way TO make the
world secure" and refutatlon
from another.
The word anti" is used be-
fore Russian, Britain, China,
America, Communist. Fascist
TO bespeak bitterness of one
group against another. There
are literally dozens of organi-
cations throughout the country
advocating exclusive methods,
throwing epithets about.
The time for the self-decep-
ton they represent is rapidly
passing. When We Day comes,
the trend toward sounder dis
cussion will nave fast.
Great forces of action are
supplanting the forces of propa-
ganda Britain under at
tack in Greece Russia
gaining her ground in Poland
Russia withdrawing from
world air agreement -. Rus
STA letting the disagreement of
Dumbarton Oaks continue in
definitely The one world
theory so popular last year.
gone and forgotten Spheres
of influence Supplanting the
original American doctrine of
freedom of peoples there
are limits to what we can do.
WHAT we do not seem TO
w realize even yet is that
we are involved in a world
revolution as we'll as world
war. Conflicting political cur
world at cross purposes.
The same elements which
burst forth in Greece are
present in every nation, and
they will not be over when the
war is over. Revolutions may
run on indefinitely.
Our obligation clearly is to
defend and perpetuate our
Christian ideals. We will have
difficulty, but TO be dismayed
is to surrender. To be alert
and undeceived is to be well
armed in the kind of game we
are coming into.
There are people who say
: there is something incongruous
about a Christmas Day in war
time. They cannot reconcile
the spirit of Christmas with the
presence of world conflict.
Many suspect there is some-
thing false in this Christian
theory and that war proves ii.
They do not understand.
Christmas means the mass of
Christ. The word mass prob
ably originates in the Latin
word "missa," meaning to send
forth. In the varying ways of
its many sects. all Christianity
today sends forth the spirit of
Christ.
True, this is not a spirit of
belligerency. 1t is the spiritual
symbol of the basic theory of
Christ, of peace, kindness, toler.
ance, understanding - the reli-
gious spirit of giving. But it has
the same non-religious sense in
the child-like spirit of Santa
Claus, the free giver, which so
many non-Christians admire and
accept.
TT is true that holly berry may
Il be redder in wartime and the
tinsel on the tree stained with
invisible tears, but the inspira-
tional substance of Christmas is
the same-the substance of sac
rifice, idealism, sound generosity
of the spirit. the wise and pur-
poseful understanding of a
knowing God.
The great poet Joyce Kilmer
knew it well. From France, in
khaki of the last World War, he,
a soldier at the fighting front,
getting ready to die a hero's
death a few months later, wrote
the following final verse OF his