Salt Lake Telegram | 1944-11-11 | Page 4 | Reminding Us of Past Mistakes

Reminding Us of Past Mistakes JT F SEEMS a little out of keeping to celebrate the armistice which ended the last war while we are right in the midst of another war which is in so many ways a continuance of the conflict which officially came to an end Nov 11 1918 We Ve are celebrating a victory which actually turned out to tobe tobe tobe be a rather hollow one It didn't save the world for democracy It didn't assure peace It didn't solve anything All unknowingly in our celebrations of Armistice da day since 1918 we have been celebrating just that that that-an an armistice rather than a victory or a peace For that's all the world had in the period of 20 odd 20 odd years ears from 1918 to 1939 an 1939 an armistice which steadily through the years weakened until the same old struggle broke out anew Celebrating Armistice day as a day of victory and peace is Incorrect and it is meaningless But it is still worth celebrating for the sake of calling attention to our misconceptions and our failings last time We Ve thought then that all we had to do was win a military victory and then come home We Ve thought we could wash our hands of the mud and blood of war and at the same time wash off any concern with or responsibility for the thc rest of the worlds world's welfare and peace We thought we could go goback goback goback back to minding our own business and living our own lives and let the rest of the world go hang Didn't we think that But how wrong we were What dupes we were were were-to to concern concern concern con con- cern ourselves with world affairs only when the they were in such turmoil that only at heavy cost in blood and money could we straighten things out and then have to go back again in less than a quarter of a century and do the same job over over at far heavier cost We Ve made a mistake last time We Ye all know that And we must all remember that as we think back to the false peace we celebrated so joyously 26 years ago This time it must not be bea a false peace This time we must not wash our hands of any concern for the worlds world's welfare and peace This time we must keep the faith with those who have died and been maimed in two wars to win win not not just a hollow military victory victory but but to win wina a real peace