The daily monitor leader., 1945-12-31

MORE PLATITUDEs THAN PREDICTIONS
l, Tradition insists that newspapers print yeorend
reviews and editorials, and time was when the pre-
! rorino Of such pieces was on enjoyable duty. The
v.or's best stories were assembled weighed and
~.eded out. Then the writer made his selection with
comment which. he hoped, lent some new sienfi-
conce to the happenings in one arbitrary division
OF time.
This wear. however, the task has peculiar diff
3leulv. Anyone attempting an appraisal OF A. D.
lo45 nrobobv has spent most Of his time. we did.
II trno to sidestep pottudes and avoid the obvious
But it was no use. 1t was clear thot everyone re-
oIxed we had Just posed through one Of the most
sventfuI years in history Everybody could name the
historic landmarks. Everybody could and, if not
beaten to it, did soy that the dawn OF l94o finds
NE world standing on the threshold of the atomic
ooe."
So II seemed there was nothing new to soy about
ne45. Wlhot about the New Year, then? We might
have souoht to Join the intrepid little band Of jour-
noIists and deep thinkers who annually go out on q
limb with predictions Of what the next II months
will BRING. But we kept thinking how uninpressive
their bottno overoees always look at the end Of the
ueoson.
! Perhops then it would be sofer to let the curb
itons chronicIers Of current history make their own
ouesses on what the futre holds in store. Why not
peek out that Man in the Street who is always being
Interviewed anyway. and put him to work once more?
random sompno Of opinion confirmed the
suspicion that the peace Of l945 had left the Man
n the Street with pessinistc hangover. We we're
assured that government control is running business,
t,ot bio business is Leading down the road to an
other depression thot labor is driving toword in
fiction and. unless quickly eurbed. will take over
Everything and socioIie Tor comnunze) the country.
We were told thot our government is too imper-
lostic. too Realistically generous too weak in for
oon policy too onxous to assume international re-
sponsibty. Most often we we're assured that noto-
Ing n,ottered much onywoy becouse war was in
evitobls and the world was going to be blown oport
by atomic bombs.
The only encouraging aspect Of all this wos thot
HE nsorer one gets to the head Of government the
less pessinism one finds President Truman and Sec
setoy Byrnes (whom ws didn't interview seem a lot
less despirited than the Man in the Street. Maybe
they're kidding themselves or U.s. but at leost they
DO seem trfIe cheerful
Since our most fotefuI decisions will be made by
Mr. Truman and Mr.. Byrnes. Mr. Attlee and Mr.
6svin. Mr. Stoln and Mr.. MoIotov, plus a handful
OF others ony~oy. however much we toIk about de-
mocroey. there may be some hope to be gained from
their eheerfuIness. There may even be some cheer
70 b gained from the gloomy but realistic attitude
Of the Man in the Street,
1hot otttude seems to soy I'VE don't think
you've performed any miracles gentlemen. in bring
Ing order out Of postwar chaos. We don't expect
n,ony miracles from you in l946. We can fight and
win wars for you. but we're excluded from your Sc
eret diplomocy. II you do good job. expect more
silent surprise than wild oppouse All the sone gen.
tlsmen. we know you have hard job. Try. and try
hard to do it WE'LL Well do all we can to help. and
we'll proy for you-ond for ourselves.
CHILLING ZERO