WITH MALICE TOWARD NONE

The history of man is pock marked by war. During these periods of human strife much that is valiant and all that is evil in man is flaunted before the public. Reputations rise and fall as the years go on, but they are reputations built upon a blunder or a heroic gesture. An era of peace follows in which the nations analyze themselves, reckoning the wild abandon, of youth or a business depression as the heritage of war. During this era, men as well as nations analyze themselves and their fellows. A host of memories is foisted upon the people. Statesmen, generals, politicians all, in the perspective of the years, gloss their blunders and magnify their names, Reputations are made by the stroke of a pen.

Often in their attempts to exonerate themselves they defame the character of others. A few, not intimately connected with the struggle, merely smash about at random with the pure joy of the iconoclast. Such a man is Prince von Bulow. In his recently published memoirs he violently attacks a man upon no greater provocation than that he told the truth. In the admission of Bethmann Hollweg that the German invasion of Belgium was a "breach of international law" Bulow finds a stunning tactical error. This may be true, but the Prince goes on to say that Bethmann should have had the political foresight to deny categorically the remark after it had been made. This also, from the point of view of the professional diplomat may be true, but to base a defamation of character upon this premise is inexcusable. The harm done Germany is infinitely greater by Bulow's memoirs than by Bethmann's statement. One was the honest admission of an honest man made under the stress of the hysteria of war. The other was a political criticism by a political man issued after bitter deliberation in time of peace.

Such occurrences are common. The widows of Foch and Joffre are now inacrid, verbal combat because their husbands belittled each other in their books. Pershing's recent memoirs make out a very good case for General Pershing at the expense of the French and American War Departments. Petain is one of the few who was fair and unbiased as far as can be told.

War carries with it many sordid trappings, but few more obnoxious than the faulty memories of the participants. They do little to clarify issues or to reach new truth while they do much to becloud facts and to prolong old enmities.