Show A WORLD CONFUSED i JT IT ALMOST seems this winter as if the fates fate had malignantly contrived a peculiarly vexing and difficult series of problems for the statesmen of the world world and and through them for all the rest of us To complicate the infinite difficulties axis axis- lnig out of the world business depression there is the weary tangle of ot reparations and war debts demanding settlement Then to make that more intricate comes the Sino Japanese imbroglio with all of ot its fateful possibilities Now to cap the climax we have the Geneva Geneva Geneva Ge Ge- neva disarmament conference All of these problems are related Tackle one and and- the others must be considered Settie Settle Settle Set Set- tle tie one and you have committed yourself on the others Try to ignore one and the others promptly become more difficult At the present moment it is the relationship relationship relation relation- ship between the disarmament conference and the trouble in the Orient that is most striking Probably it is safe to say that there never was a time when as many people really renny wanted want want- ed to see armaments reduced as at present In some quarters this desire is something like a crusading fervor The ordinary people of the world do not want any more war and they are not enamored of the prospect of spending hundreds of millions of dollars at a time when many must go hungry to support armies and fleets What are we to do What are arc our statesmen statesmen statesmen states states- men going to be able to do Shall we blunder along trusting in Providence and keeping our powder dry until the force brings us to the edge of catastrophe Shall we surrender surrender surrender der to the rising tide of isolationist sentiment and try to go our own way regardless of what our neighbors do Or shall we risk everything everything everything every every- thing on one last great effort at international understanding and cooperation |