The Pittsburgh Press (August 9, 1941)
PLANNING FOR PEACE
By Mrs. Walter Ferguson
At the moment, women appear tragically impotent. We put on a swell act but deep in our hearts we know we’ve failed at a great cause in which we sincerely believed – the cause of peace. Our hopes look dead. A dream is broken, and one of the saddest sights these eyes have ever witnessed was the quick change from peace to war psychology made by many feminine leaders.
Yet I know I speak truth when I say that the average American woman, no matter how belligerent her actions, still holds fast to her dream. Her courage will never fail whatever comes. She will never let her country down, but she knows she bungled a job – the job of keeping war from these shores.
So we watch her now rearranging her patterns of life, re adjusting herself to a strange spiritual environment, reshaping her personal plans. But if you believe that her faith rests in war, you are fooled.
Instead she regards the present emergency as she would regard an attack of termites on her house; it must be dealt with, so she can speedily begin to build a future house which will be impregnable to termites.
When, some days ago, Sumner Welles made public the government’s concern with shaping a future peace, millions of Americans were heartened. In the midst of enforced military activity, it is encouraging to know that all over the Earth, in every country, there exist small groups of people who are scheming and working to further international goodwill. One hears about them rarely; but in spite of appearances men and women are not completely crazy. Those who can still think, are thinking about the future.
It is folly to say we must not plan for peace while we are at war. The foolhardy folk are those who believe they can build a democratic state with armaments, or that good is to be achieved through evil means.
Dictators, generals, diplomats and politicians understand that when the people finally become weary of war – war ceases. It is not enough for us to be prepared for war; we must also be prepared for peace, which takes intelligence of a higher order.