If the war stops before Germany sees that those policies cannot prevail
in twentieth-century Europe, the horrible wrongs and evils which we are
now witnessing will recur; and all the nations will have to continue the
destructive process of competitive armaments. If peace should be made
now, before the Allies have arrived at attacking Germany on her own
soil, there would result only a truce of moderate length, and then a
renewal of the present horrors.
I cannot but think that Europe now has a chance to make a choice between
the German ideal of the State and the Anglo-American ideal. These two
ideals are very different; and the present conflict shows that they
cannot coexist longer in modern Europe.
In regard to the suggestion which your correspondent made to you that a
conference of private persons should now be called in the hope of
arriving at an agreed-upon appeal to the combatants to desist from
fighting and consider terms of settlement, I cannot but feel (1) that
such a conference would have no assured status; (2) that the combatants
would not listen; and (3) that the effort would, therefore, be untimely
now, though perhaps useful later.
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