The Charlotte News

Friday, November 7, 1941

FIVE EDITORIALS

Johnson argues in his piece against the proposition of Raymond Clapper's column of the previous couple of days, that the aftermath of the war, to prevent future such war, should see implementation of a share-the-commodities policy. Of course, all of that notion would, for a half century, become largely side-tracked for the coming of the nuclear age. After the Cold War, with the start of the Clinton years, the proposition, that is free trade among nations, would begin to be implemented with vigor, albeit with checkered results in terms of the jobs being shipped overseas where lower wages enable a cheaper product. Nevertheless, free trade is better than a world war or even mutually assured destruction from the nuclear arms race. One of these first days, man as a whole will awaken to understand that there are alternatives both to war and starvation. But first, greed must be reeled in, and greed starts at home, much as does charity.

And, as P. R. McCain, carping today about Herbert Hoover, appears on the page, and, by pure happenstance, as fate would have it, appeared on that page we referenced just yesterday from September 17, 1939, we thought we would also show you that whole page as well--now that we have it, as we did not in February, 2002 when posted originally. Mr. McCain got himself a whole box of cigars from the editors for his suggestions.

The Dorothy Thompson piece of that day is quite elucidative of the general scene in Europe at the beginning of the war, as compared to former pre-Kaiser times in which Europe was, she suggests, relatively unified, as personified by Copernicus, a citizen of Europe, not of either Germany or Poland, both of which laying claim to his nativity. Ms. Thompson's take is interesting, even if she neglects the Napoleonic era, and the pre-Napoleonic era of revolution in France, the bloody reign of the de Medici family in Italy, as well as the many internecine upheavals within czarist Russia, indeed, the various royal upheavals in England and Scotland of that age. It was not all quite so unified as her broad brush paints it, but then it was not the stuff of Hitler and Mussolini either. Yet, perhaps the blood strains were there all along in profusion, merely awaiting the mechanization of modern times to enable the barbaric urges to be vented as never before in history, from air, land, and sea, and even from under the sea and over the sea.

Also, you will notice the similarity of the character depicted in Herblock on that day as compared to yesterday's.

Why these intersections of time and place and pretzels? Ah, only the weather and the winter wind, perhaps, know for sure.

"Equestrian Performances with Oranges, Forks, Skipping Rope, Hat, Handkerchief, and a curious Equilibrium with a Hoop and Glass. Wonderful Trampolin Tricks, by Messrs. Smith [etc.]." There's another for your delectation and discernment, to go along with the letter today on the sinking of the Reuben James.

Good morning, good morning-ga.