Evening star., 1949-04-01

cation audience that only the
e United States had stopped the
Europe and bombing London.
ght. The meeting was held in
-AP Wirephoto.
proportions while he remained about
the same size. BY comparison there
fore he actually became much
smaller We no longer had great
men directing manageable affairs
The need was to discipline an array
of gigantic and turbulent facts. To
this task we have certainly so far
proved unequal. Science bestowed
immense new powers on man and at
the same time created conditions
which were largely beyond his COM
prehension and still more beyond
his control. While he nursed the
illusion of growing mastery and
exulted in his new trappings, he
became the sport and presently the
victim of tides and currents. OF
whirlpools and tornadoes amid
which he was far more helpless
than he had been for long time.
Hopeful developments In many
directions were proceeding In 1914
on both sides of the Atlantic and
seemed to point to an age of peace
and plenty when suddenly violent
events broke in upon them. For
more than 40 years there had been
mo major war in Europe. Indeed
since the Civil War In the United
States there had been no great
struggle IN the West. A spirit OF
adventure stirred the minds of men
and was by no means allayed by
the general advance of prosperity
and science. On the contrary pros
perity meant power, and science Of
fered weapons. We read in the
Bible "Jeshurun waxed fat and
kicked" For several generations
Britannia had ruled the waves-for
long periods at less cost annually
than that of single modern battle
ship.
History will say that this great
trust was not abused. American
testimony about the early period OF
the Monroe Doctrine Is upon record
There was the suppression of the
slave trade. During our prolonged
period of naval supremacy un-
deferred by the rise of foreign tariffs
we opened Our ports freely to the
commerce of the world. Our Co.
lonial and Oriental empire, even our
coastal trade, was free to the ship
ping Of all the nations on equal
terms. We in no way sought to OBJ
struct the rise of other states OF
navies. For nearly the whole OF the
10th century the monopoly OF sea
power in British hands was trust
discharged faithfully In the genera
interest. But now In the first decade
of the goth century with new pat
terms of warships. naval rivalries be-
came acute and fierce. Civilized
governments began to think ir
dreadnaughts. 1t would In such q
setting have been very difncult tt
prevent the First World War.
Trial Of Strength
Impulses Stronger.
There was of course one way
me wav then as now-the creation
of an international instrument
strong enough to adjust the disputes
of nations and enforce its decisions
against an aggressor. Much wisdom
eloouence and earnest effort was de-
voted to this theme in which the
United States took the lead. but We
only got as far as the World Court
at The Hague and Improvements II
the Geneva convention. The Inn
n,llses towards a trial of strength ir
Europe were the stronger. Germany
demanding her place in the sun;
was faced by resolute France WIZ
her military honor to regain. Eng
land. in accordance with her foreign
policy of 300 years. sustained the
weaker side. France found an ally
in the Russia of the Cars and Ger
many in the crumbling empire o.
the Hapsburgs. The United states
for reasons which were natural anc
traditional, but no longer so Vahe
as in the past. stood aloof and ex'
uected to be able to watch as
snectator, the thrilling, fearfu
drama unfold from across what wa
then called THE Broad Atlantic
These expectations were not oorn'
out by what happened.
High hopes and spacious -oppor'
t,,nities awaited the victorious
Allies when they assembled at yer
sailles after four and mai
wears of hideous mechanical slaugh'
ter. Illuminated by infinite sacrl1ce
hut not remarkable, relieved ol
| strategy or generalship. war
| stripped of every pretentlon O
glanor or romance, had peer
brought home to the masses o
the peoples in forms never oeior.
exnerienced except by the defeated
To stop another war was the SUI
preme object and duty OF the
statesmen who met as FRIENDS anf
allies around the peace table. The.
made great errors. The ooctrin'
of self determination was not tn'
remedy for Europe. which needed
about all things. unity and largel
groupings. The idea that the van
uuished could pay the expenses o.
the victors was destructive ant
crazy delusion. The failure u
strangle Bolshevism at its birth ane
to bring Russia, then prostrate. BY
one means or another, into the gen
eral democratic system lies heav!
upon us today. Nevertheless, TIT
statesmen at Versailles. largely a