There are three points touching the situation in the Ruhr to-day which occur to the plain man, who is not concerned in national policies but none the less has acquired, in the managing of his own business, some shrewdness and knowledge of human nature—which, after. all does not differ much, in individuals and nations. First, the fact that it is Berlin's own it that industry. has gone to picces in the Ruhr and that the country generally is full of disaffection,. should not deter other nations from coming to the rescue. When a man's house is on fire, even if she is guilty of arson, everybody joins in helping to put it out. For self-interest if for no.other motive. Germany's present condition affects the whole world and may affect it still worse, if not cured. Secondly, the German people as al whole are probably in a condition now when they would respond readily and gratefully to conciliation from without. This, of course, is a question of psychology on which opinions' may differ. But—the power of the war party cannot be anything like what it was immediately after the war. Tire Beers were us intractable a people as could have been found. Yet it is history how they responded to the restoration by Great Britain of self-government. Human nature does note for kindness than kicks. Thirdly, the secret of France's position to-day is that she is afraid of Germany's revenge: She has gone so far that she cannot draw back, until she is sure that there is nothing to fear from a revived Germany as far as human vision' can see. Might this difficulty not be met by an Anglo-American pact to guarantee France against unprovoked aggression by Germany? This was tried after the war but refused by* America. Yet such a scheme commits her no further than she wag committed in the late war. The danger then which Minally induced her to come in was a Prussian domination of the world. If Germany were position to invade France, the same danger would reappear; and Amer' would be confronted with the same call of self-preservation as in 1917, The mere fact of her pledging herself in the manner indicated would be enough to deter Prussian buck cancering.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.