Life — January 4, 1917 — page 18: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

JANUARY 4, 1917 ** While there ts Life there's Hope** No VOL. 69 1784 Published by LIFE PUBLISH JOA. Mireuett. Pri 3 COMPANY A. Mutter, Sec’y and Treas. 17 West Thirty-first Street, New York lish Offices, Rolls House, Breams Bldgs., London, E. C. FTER all, our Presi- dent has been lucky. The fate of an in- tervener is to catch it from both sides, whereas Mr. Wilson, up to this time of writing, has only caught it from one side. The Germans and their accomplices are pleased with him. They want the war to stop and seem not to care who knows it. That is the most impressive fact in the situation. The Germans can fight a good while longer—so the mil- itary sharps all tell us, and so it looks —but they don’t want to. They have killed enough folks, invaded enough countries, smashed nations cnough, destroyed and defiled villages, chateaux, libraries and cathedrals enough, and impressed their peculiar racial characteristics sufficiently on all the neighbors, and now, though they have not yet finished any considerable adversary, they don’t mind admitting .that they are tired, not to mention hungry, and would like to quit. They are much obliged to Mr. Wilson for suggesting it is time for all the bel- ligerents to say what they are fighting for, and they are willing, it seems, to disclose the price they would be will- ing to pay, or accept, for peace. But the Allies, if they also are obliged, are all able to conceal their feelings. The British seem to feel in- jured by Mr. Wilson’s action, the French attribute to him the kindest motives but seem not to think he has benefited them. The neutrals, we believe, except the natural small Americans, approve his action. Hol- land and Switzerland in particular have had all the war they want. The Americans incline to divide into two groups, one which thinks that any- thing Mr. Wilson does is right, and the other, that it is wrong. In this case the latter group seems to have gained in size, and the former one to have shrunk. But after all, it may be that the of- fice to which Mr. Wilson has been dedicated by Fate is to be the light- ning-rod of the belligerents. If it is ordained that their fires are to run through him into the earth, that is a destiny that Ajax would have envied him, It om after the Allies have heartily cursed out peace-at-this- time, they will begin to feel better about it, as folks sometimes do after they have thoroughly eased their minds, At any rate, this is Mr. Wilson's individual enterprise. If it adds to his reputation, that will be pleasant; if it hurts his reputation, we can bear it Reputations are no great matter in this world at this time. They sw-tl like bubbles and burst like them. For our part we think rather better of Mr. Wilson for being willing to take chances with his. And there were good reasons why he should make a move. The Belgian deportations afford one reason; the German submarine exploits another. The submarines have been getting out of hand again, What is our govern- ment to do about it? That is a ques- tion that must crowd Mr. Wilson very hard, and make any means that would settle it indirectly look particularly good to him, and well worth trying The situation is not one that leaves him a choice whether to do something or nothing. He has got to do some- thing and the only question is—What? If he can relieve the situation by act- ightning-rod it may save him from very complicated efforts to discharge the duties of international policeman. When Mr. Wilson had to mect a very difficult and came out for the eight-hour day, he was reviled for knuckling down to the Brotherhoods. The Brotherhoods were pleased, but it does not look now as though he had knuckled down so much. Gentlemen, Germans and others, who think now that he has knuckled down to the Germans, may not hold to that view in the long run. First impres- railroad situation sions of Mr. Wilson's expedients do not always hold good. 'HINGS moved extremely fast in the week before Christmas, Lloyd George's Britain-is-not-dead-yet speech was hardly out of the headlines when Mr. Wilson’s Notice came crowding in, and on the heels of that Mr. Lan- ing’s back-and-fill, and the glutting of the Wall Street bears with the ten- der meat of such of the lambs as had managed to escape the effects of the Notice. Certainly the stock-market is a very tender plant. In a time of speculation such as has lately prevailed, a great many of its values are made of dream-stuff that blows away only too easily. It was a compliment to Mr. Wilson that the —war-stocks shrunk so at the news of his Notice, and possibly Mr. Lansing should have felt complimented that “the Street” gave so much weight to his supplemen- tary remarks. But probably he didn’t He had occasion to say next day that he had never speculated in stocks and didn’t know how it was done. Tha is where he is a little short of desir- able knowledge. Every fully grown comichooks.com