Wisdom from Dr. Benes President Benes has rendered a valuable
public service by his speeches in the Sudetendeutsch region of Czecho- slovakia. Much more important than his wise recognition that the Sudetendeutsch had real grievances was his expression of confidence that the peace of Central Europe; which means the peace of all Europe, could be preserved. The worst enemies of peace are those who speak of war as inevitable. It is in no kind of sense inevitable. It will come, no doubt, if any nation is determined to precipitate it. But no nation goes to war for nothing, and no nation' in Europe has any avowed aims—nor, so far as can be seen, unavowed aims—which it could realise without sacrifices a hundredfold greater than any possible gains. Even the dictators realise that. Czechoslovakia is in some ways in a more perilous position than any other State in Europe ; it is the more satisfactory, therefore, to find Dr. Benes deriding the idea that anyone was proposing to attack his country. The key of the situation as he sees it is in an understanding between France and Germany and when he spoke the increase in the German army had not been announced. But that, if it makes an, agreement the more difficult, makes it much the more necessary.
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