Evening star., 1946-09-24
A Dreum at the Moment

LiAC CFCl 81 HldIly OtIfcI liulVlu-
uals and groups favoring a world
| federation, the international Com
mittee for the Study of European
| problems can argue effectively
against the deficiencies of the
United Nations and build a persua-
sive case on the thesis that unless
there is surrender of national SOW
ereignties the different powers will
drift again into an all-engulfing war.
But though the ideal of a single
government for mankind thus can
be made to seem not only attractive
but necessary as well, its advocates
are never quite able to show how it
can be attained at a time when
agreement and collaboration are tre-
mendously difficult to achieve even
within the relatively modest frame
work of the U. N.
To be sure, the International Com
mlttee-made up of distinguished
citizens of Britain, Belgium, France,
Denmark, Norway and the Neither
landS-trieS to demonstrate that a
world government might be built in
a piecemeal fashion, beginning with
the formation of a United States
of Europe. But this suggestion
strongly implying that the effort
to establish the United Nations is
largely waste of time-is altogether
vague as to ways and means of over
coming the ancient and deep jeal-
ouSieS, antagoniSmS, cultural habits.
and racial, religious, political and
economic distinctions that have kept
the human race divided into a great
number of rival peoples thinking
different thoughts. speaking differ
ent languages and pursuing differ
ent ways of life ever since history
began to be written.
In view of this enormous and obvi-
Gus mountain range of differences
that must be Surmounted if man
kind is ever to establish truly CO.
operative international society, 1t is
not easy to understand why the ad-
vocates of single world government
are militantly impa tient about the
Step-by-Step effort of the United Ma
tions or how they are able to con-
vince themselves that more good
could be accomplished if that effort
were dropped now in favor of the
Infinitely more difficult effort to
effectuate their ideal How can they
expect to do better, or even as we'll,
with their program when they know
how hard it is even to get the U. N.
established? How can they look for
ward to an early mass surrender of
national Sovereignties when they see
what a task it is to bring about the
relatively mild surrender called for
by such problems as the control of
atomic energy? Possibly they have
arguments to prove the soundness
of their views, but If so they have
failed to date to present those argu-
mentS-arguments that would have
w SliOW Willy VIC COulQ pidCc
hope in their maximum goal than in
the lesser goal of the U. N, despite
the fact that peoples and govern
ments alike apparently are as pas
sion ridden as ever and as jealous of
each other and as covetous as ever.
In The Perennial Philosophy"
Aldous Huxley quotes Ansari of
Herat as saying Can you walk on
the water? So can straw. Can
you fly in the air? So can blue
bottle. Conquer your heart and
then you will be somebody" One
can have the most splendid plans
and the bravest hopes, but until men
and nations conquer what is in their
hearts, the world government ideal
will remain little more than the
over -wishful dream of good people
expecting too much too soon. Given
present realities, there seems no
better way to travel toward global
unity than step by step, patiently,