The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 3

THE COURIER-JOURNAL, LOUISVILLE, TUESDAY MORNING, JUNE 4, 1918. -I-M-H-K-W-H-M-I- TnTi.T.iT. T. Prize "nrrHEN the United States entered the War for Democracy, Mr. Watterson naturally turned to the event as the basis for a leading editorial.

It was all in the day's work, and he did it. Every other editor in the nation based a leading editorial on the same topic certainly none of them thought of a Pulitzer Prize in facing their task to stir the nation to its necessary reactions. Editors of every age and capability, of every turn of literary style, of every degree of experience, published war editorials on April 7. But the Courier-Journal editorial "Vae Victis" stood so high above the rest that the judges for the Pulitzer Prize have announced that this article, and its companion piece, "War Has Its Compensations," which was published April 10, have gained the palm for the year 1917. Thus the dean of American journalism, dealing with the greatest theme that his lifetime has presented to him, excelled all others, and he did it without the slightest consciousness; he wrote what was in his mind and heart, nor thought of other editors or prizes.

The notice of the award comes to him, hard upon his removal to his home from the hospital" where, for seven weeks, he hovered under the lintel of the House of Death, turned back at length by fate and surgical efficiency to continue to play his part upon the resounding stage of to-day. He is in his seventy-ninth year, and his winning of the prize reminds me of a little rebuke that Longfellow administered to the kids at Bowdoin College in his poem on the fiftieth reunion of the Class of 1825: "Cato learned Greek at eighty; Sophocles Wrote his grand Oedipus, and Simonides Bore off the prize of verse from his compeers When each had numbered more than fourscore years. "And Theophrastus, at fourscore and ten, Had but begun his 'Characters of Chaucer, at Woodstock, with the nightingales, At sixty wrote the Canterbury Tales; Goethe, at Weimar, toiling to the last, Completed Faust when eighty years were past. "And as the evening twilight fades away The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day." (A. B.

Vae Victis" dishonors the genius of Womanhood and removes herself from tha company and category of the heroic mothers of the world. War, horrible as' war is "Hell," as a great warrior said it was is not without -its compensations. No man has more than one time to die. In bringing the realization of death nearer to us war throws a new light upon life. The soldier is a picked man.

Whether he be a soldier In arms, or a soldier of the cross, his courage, his loyalty, his love and faith challenge the confidence of men and the adoration of women. If he falls he has paid his mortal debt with honor. If he survives, though crippled, he is not disabled. His crutch tells Its own story and carries its mute appeal, and there is an eloquence, though silent, resistless, in tho empty sleeve. Christendom stands face to face with the dispersion of soma of its cherished ideals.

There is much in its Bible that must needs be retranslated and readjusted. Although this' will arouse tha theologians, they will have to meet It. Where this present cataclysm will leave us no man can fqre-sea Our world is. and will still -remain, a world of sin, disease and death. This no man can deny.

Science Is minimizing disease. Death being certain, can creeds or statutes extirpate sin? Can they change the nature of man? Before all else they must chasten it For two thousand years theologic controversy has not only kept the world at war, but has driven Its inhabitants further apart It may be that this world war has como to cleanse the earth and to bring all tribes and races to a. better understanding of what Christendom is, since there is no reason to doubt that the essential principles of Christianity will continue to dominate tho universe. 'Tis a long way, we are told, to the Tipperary of Hlbernla, but yet a longer to the Millennial Tipperary of Scriptural mythology. The Christ-child must be born again In tho heart of man.

At this moment it is not the star of Bethlehem that shines. It is the luminary of the war god. The drums beat as for the men of old. "To your tents, Israel," comes the word out of the deeps of the far away, and from highway and byway, as if in answer, the refrain, "Tramp, tramp, tramp, the boys are marching." Tet the Associated Press dispatches carry the following: Washington, April 7. Continuation of the pacifist fight on President Wilson's war programme was forecast to-day when the fifty Representatives who voted against the war resolution received the following identic telegram from Leila Fay Secor, secretary of the Emergency Peace Federation: "On behalf of the Emergency Peace Federation I thank you for your patriotic stand in opposition to war.

May I request that you communicate at once with Representative KItchin, to whom I have written a letter suggesting co-operation between ourselves and ihs pacifists in congress." Mr. Kitchln is at his home in North Carolina and derails of the scheme outlined in the letter to him could not be learned. He announced before leaving Washington that his opposition to the War programme would end with his vote against the resolution. "Scissors!" shrieks Leila Fay. "Scissors!" cries good Mrs.

Garrison Villard. And away off yonder from the limb of a tree the Dickey Bird, Impersonated by Claude KItchin. responds, "Not on your life, ladies!" The following letter from Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia was received by Mr. Watterson several days ago: PRESIDENT'S room May 191S Honorable Henry Watterson 00 The Courier-Journal Louisville, Kentucky My dear Colone Watterson: By the terms of the will of the late Joseph Pulitzer, provision was mads for the award each year by the Trustees of Columbia University, of a prize of $500 "for the best editorial artiole written during the year, the test of excellence being clearness of style, moral purpose, sound reasoning and power to influence public opinion in the right dlreotion.0 The jury of seleotion consists of the members of the teaching staff of the Sohool of Journalism, headed by Dr.

Talcott Williams, Direotor of the Sohool. At a meeting of the Advisory Board of the Sohool of Journalism, held yesterday, this Jury reported -and the AdvieoTy Board unanimously ponf irmed their recommendation that this prize for the year 1917 should be oonferred upon the Louisville Courier-Journal, for the editorial entitled "Vae. published April 7, 1917, and the editorial "War Has its Compensation" published April 10, I917. Although this award will not become effective, and will not be publioly announced until after action by the Trustees of Columbia University at their meeting be held June 3rd, I oannot forbear to send you this confidential word, and to add to it an expression of my congratulation and sincere appreciation. I am always.

"Rally round tho floe, boys" Uncle Sajn's Battle sonjf: "Sound the bold anthem! TVar dogs are howlng; Proud bird of LJoorty screams through the air!" (Tho Hunters of Kentucky. It with solemnity, and a touch of sadness, that we write the familiar words of the old retrain beneath the invocation to the starry banner, the breezy call of hero-breeding bombast quite Bone out of them; the glad shout of battle; the clarion note of defiance; because to us, not as to Nick of the Woods, and his homely co-mates of the forest, the rather as to the men of '61, comes this present calli to arms. We may feel with the woman's heart of Rankin, of Montana, yet repudiate with manly disdain the sentimental scruples of Kitchln, of North Carolina. There are times when feeling most be sent to the rear; when duty must toe the line; when the aversion brave men have for fighting must yield to the adjuration, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" That time is now upon us. Unless Patrick Henry was wrong unless Washington and the men of the Revolution were wrong, that tlms is upon us.

It is a lie to pretend that tho world is better than it was; that men are truer, wiser; that war is escapable; that peace may be had for the planning and the asking. The situation which without any act of ours rises before us is as exigent as that which rose before the. Colonists in America when a mad English King, claiming to rule without accountability, asserted the right divine of Kings and sent an army to enforce It. A mad German Emperor, claiming partnership with God, again elevates the standard of right divine and bids the world to worship, or die. From the beginning the issue was not less ours than of the countries first engaged.

Each may have had ends of Its own to serve. Nor were these ends precisely alike. At least France to whom we owe all that we have of sovereignty and freedom and Belgium, the little David of Nations fought to resist Invasion; wanton, cruel invasion; to avert slavery, savage, pitiless slavery. Tet, whatever the animating purpose whatever the selfish interests of England and Russia and Italy the Kaiser scheme of world conquest justified it. In us it sanctifies it.

Why should any American split hairs over the European rights and wrongs involved when he sees before him grim and ghastly the mailed figure of Absolutism with hand uplifted to strike Columbia where these three years she has stood pleading for Justice, peace and mercy? God of the free heart's hope and home forbid! Each of these three years the German Kaiser was making war upon us. He was making war secretly, through his emissaries in destruction of our industries, secretly through his diplomats plotting not merely foreign but civil war against us, and, as we now know, seeking to foment servile and racial insurrection; then openly upon the high seas levying murder upon our people and visiting all our rights and claims with scorn and Insult with scorn and insult unspeakable at this moment pretending to flout us with ignominy and contempt. Where would the honest passlvlst draw the line? Surely the time has arrived many of us think it was long since overdue for calling the braves to the colors. Nations must e'en take stock on occasion and manhood come to a showdown. It is but a truism to say so.

Fifty years the country has enjoyed surpassing prosperity. This has overcommercfalized the character and habits of the people. Twenty-five years the gospel of passivism, with "business is business" for its text, has not only been preached indiscriminately oracularly without let or hindrance, but has been richly financed and potentially organized. It has establised a party. It has made a cult, Justifying itself in a fad it has called Humanity in.

many ways a most spurious humanity and has set this above and against patriotic inclination and duty. Like a bolt out of the blue flashed the war signal from the very heart of Europe. Across the Atlantic its reverberations rolled to find us divided, neutral and unprepared. For fifteen years a body of German reservists" disguised as citizens have been marching and counter-marching. grew at length bold enough to rally to the support of a pan-German Bcheme of conquest and a pro-German propaganda of "kultur," basing its effrontery in the German-American vote, which began its agitation by threatening us with civil war if we dared to go to war with Germany.

There followed the assassin sea monsters and the airship campaign of murder. All the while we looked on with either simpering idiocy, or dazed apathy. Serbia? It was no affair of ours. Belgium? Why should we worry? Foodstuffs soaring war stuffs roaring everybody making money the mercenary, the poor of heart, the mean of spirit, the bleak and barren of soul, could still plead the Hypocrisy of Uplift and chortle: "I did not raise my boy to be a soldier." Even the "Lusltania" did not awaken us to a sense of danger and arouse us from the stupefaction of ignorant and ignoble self-complacency. First of all on bended knee we should pray God to forgive us.

Then erect as men, Christian men, soldierly men, to the flag and the fray wherever they lead us over the ocean through France to Flanders across the Low Countries to Koln, Bonn and Koblens tumbling the fortress of Ehrenbreitstein into the Rhine as we pass and damming the mouth of the Mozelle with the debris of the ruin we make of It then on, on to Berlin, tho Black Horse Cavalry sweeping the Wilhelmstrasse like lava down the mountain side, the Junker and the saber rattler flying before us, the tuns being "Dixie" and "Yankee Doodle," the cry being, "Hail the French Republic Hall the Republic of Russia welcome the Commonwealth of the A'aterland no peace with the Kaiser no parley with Autocracy, Absolutism and the divine right of icings to Hell with the Hapsburs and the Hohenzollern!" Associated Press Account of Pulitzer Prize Awards 4. 1 I 4- I i i 1 I i-i i i i I 4- Faithfully yours, hi New York, June 3. Award of the Pulitzer prizes and traveling scholarships to be given at commencement was announced to-day by the trustees of Columbia University. The awards were based upon the reports of Juries cpmr posed of prominent men. The prizes were established by the late Joseph Pulitzer, proprietor of the New York World, in addition to his endowment of the School of Journalism at Columbia.

Prizes In Journalism, amounting to $3,000, were awarded as follows: To The Courier-Journal, Louisville, "for the best editorial article written during the year; the tesX of excellence being clearness of style, moral purpose, Found reasoning, and power to influence public opinion in the right direction." This prize was awarded for the editorial article, "Vae Victis," published April 7, and the editorial "War Has Its Compensations," published April 10. To New York Times $500 gold medal "for the most disinterested and meritorious public service rendered by any American newspaper during the year, in having published In full so many official reports, documents and speeches by European statesmen relating to the progress and conduct of the war." To Miss Minna Lewinson, of New York, and Henry Beetle Hough, of New Bedford, $1,000, won Jointly "for the best history of the services rendered by the American press during the preceding year." To Harold A. Littledale, of the New York Evening Post $1,000 "for the best example of a reporter's work during the year, the test being strict accuracy, terseness, the accomplishment of some public good, commanding public attention and respect." This award was for a series of articles, "exposing abuses in and leading to reforms of the New Jersey State prison." Prizes in Letters, to the amount of $5,000, were awarded as follows: Ernest Poole, author of "His Family." $1,000 "for the American novel published during the year which shall best present the wholesome atmosphere of American life and the highest standard of American manners and manhood." Jesse Lynch Williams, author of "Why Marry?" $1,000, "for the original American play, performed in New York during the year, which shall best represent the educational value and power of the stage in raising the standard of good morals, good taste and good manners." James Ford Rhodes, author of "A History of the Civil War, 18G1-1865." $2,000. "for the best book of the year upon the history of the United States William Cabell Bruce, author of "Benjamin Franklin, Self-Revealed." $1,000, "for the best biography teaching patriotic and unselfish services to the people, Illustrated by an eminent example." Four traveling scholarships had been offered, but only two awards were made, as follows: Samuel Gardner, deemed "tho nion talented and deserving" student of music in America. Dushan Rusitch, deemed "the most promising and deserving art student in America" by the National Academy of Design.

not have shown itself so strong if it had not been definitely organized, nor definitely organized if it had not been sufficiently financed. The Hague Arbitration movement, backed in this country by the Carnegie Foundation actually started by the dethroned Czar of Russia proposed a benefaction to humankind which few if any were disposed to question. It built itself upon a generally accepted truth. The gospel of "peace on earth, good-will to men," was preached as never before. Professional warriors arrayed themselves in its behalf.

Civilized nations flocked to the new religion and raised the benign standard. Many treaties embodying its aims were negotiated. One, and ono alone, of the great Powers held' That was Germany. Why, we now see clearly what we then did not see at all. How much, if any, of the Carnegie Foundation money has been applied to the recent agitations against war with Germany, we know not.

The activities of Mr. Bryan and of Dr. Jordan would lead to the conclusion that it has not been idle, or grudging, since neither of them works for nothing. But it is quite certain that it has been cunningly supplemented and enormously increased by money sent from Berlin to maintain a propaganda to divide our people and paralyze our Government. The prosecution of this now becomes treason and the pacifist who adheres to it is a traitor.

The conspirator who, claiming to be a pacifist, engaged in. the nefarious business will be at no loss to save his skin. If he be a German emissary fent over for the purpose he has only to slip away. If he be a Kaiser reservist masquerading as an American citizen he can shift his foot and change his coat. If he be a selfish politician of the Ston-La Follette variety, with an eye on the Hyphenated Vote, he can wink his other eye, hoist the flag and sing "The'Star-Spangled Banner" as lustily as the rest.

Those who are most in danger and only In danger are the honest simpletons who stick to it that war is crime; that we have no case against Germany, but, if we have, that it will keep: who go around mouthing socialistic and lnfldellstic platitudes about a paradisaic dreamland which exists nowhere outside their muddled brains. They cannot see that we have pursued peace to the limit and that peace longer pursued will prove more costly than war. Perverse and egotistical, prompted by the half truths of defective education, uninspired by ideals having any relation to the state'of the country, or the spiritual needs of existence, they will not stop their vain chatter until, obstructing enlistments, or menacing public works, they land in Jail. It is grievous that this should be so. Yet it were not occasion for serious comment except that there is a middle class of nondescripts who are more numerous than an earnest and luminous patriotism would have them; men, who were born without, enthusiasm and have lived to make money; men, with whom "business is business;" men who are indifferent to what happens so it does not happen to them; in short, men who recall the citation from "The Cricket On the Hearth;" put into tho mouth of Caleb Plummer: "There was a Jolly miller and lie lived upon the Dee.

He sang to himself, I care for nobody and nobody cares for me," "a most equivocal Jollity," as Dickens docs not fail to remark. These people have sprung from the over-commercialism of fifty years of a kind of uncanny prosperity. Their example has affected injuriously the nation's reputation and has trenched perilously upon the character and habits of the people. It needs to be checked. They need a lesson.

Nothing short of the dire exigencies which have come upon us would reach a mass so dense and stoic, so paltry and sordid, -so unworthy of the blessings which the heroism of the fathers has secured them. That check and lesson they are about to receive. War is not wholly without its compensations. II. The woman who is for peace at any price whose imagination Is filled with the horror of war who, true to her nature, shrinks-from bloodshed Is not as tho man who skulks from the line and lowers alike the flag of his country and his manhood.

Ah, no! Peace is the glory of woman. Not upon the soul-stirring field of battle the rather in the dread field hospital after the battle are her trophies to be found. Well may she stand out against the strife of nations yet equally with brave men she has her place in the orbit of duty and valor and, when there is no peace, when war has come, the woman who whines "I did not raise my boy to be a soldier" forfeits her right and claim to be considered only a little lower than the angels, JVar Has Its Compensations i. The man who is for peace at any price who will fight on no provocation for no cause is apt to be either what men call "a poor creature," or an impostor set on by ulterior considerations. He may have an unworthy motive, or a selfish interest, or he maybe a victim of the coward's fear of battle, or be obsessed by the doctrinaire's theory of universal brotherhood.

But, craven or crank, or scheming rogue, he dishonors the noble heritage of manhood which, being common to us all, is only prlzsd and extolled in conspicuous cases of sacrifice, or prowess. Pacifism, as it has shown Itself in these times of emergency, has been compounded of each of these ingredients. But it would.