Every twenty-five years, on the average, the American nation has waged
war with an important civilized power. Again, as on previous occasions
we find ourselves involved in a great struggle, on the outcome of
which our existence as an independent nation probably depends, with
practically no preparation having been made in advance to meet the
issue. Not to go further back than 1914, for three years the nation
gamboled on the brink of war, making practically no effort to prepare
for the struggle the imminence of which was apparent to every
reasoning person. As we write these lines the daily paper brings to
our desk a story from the Secretary of War, intended to be thrilling,
of how, after war was declared, an airplane engine was devised for
adoption by our government. America was the original home of the
aeroplane, yet we began the present war as little equipped, to all
practical purposes, to wage it in the air as were our forefathers of
1776.
This is but typical of our situation as a whole. When war was declared
we had ample potential resources in men, material, and initiative, but
we had no army and only an inadequate navy; and while these are being
evolved at a prodigious expenditure of labor and money, the enemy is
kept from our gates by virtue of no foresight of ours, but rather by
the good fortune which has given us powerful allies whose armies and
navies are fighting in our behalf.