Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1914-12-09

0AAGS ~ ID WHY OCNuuS0 i walt " GU"
cidate my argument. l want to make
it clear how small are men and days
and how great is man in comparison"
So it was King Egbert talked at Bris-
sage after they had proclaimed the uni.
ty Of the world. Every evening after
that the assembly dined together and
talked at their ease and grew accus-
toned to each other and sharpened
each others ideas. and every day they
worked together and really for time
believed that they were inventing
new government for the world. They
discussed constitution But there
were matters needing attention too
urgently to wait for any constitution
They attended to these incidentally
The constitution it was that waited
1t was presently found convenient to
keep the constitution waiting indefinite
ly. as King Egbert had foreseen. and
meanwhile with an increasing self con
fidence that council went on governing.
On this first evening of all the c6un-
ellis gatherings. after King Egbert had
talked for long time and drunken
and praised very abundantly the sim
pie red wine of the country that Le-
blanc had procured for them, be gath
cred about him a group Of congenial
spirits and fell into a discourse upon
simplicity, praising it above all things
and declaring that the ultimate aim Of
art, religion, philosophy and science
alike was to simplify. He instanced
himself as devOtee to simplicity. And
Leblanc he instanced as a browning in.
stance Of the splendor of this quality.
Upon that they were all agreed.
When at last the company about the
tables broke up the king found himself
Drumming over with a peculiar affec-
ton and admiration for Leblanc. He
made his way to him and drew him
aside and preached what he declared
was a small matter. There was. he
said, certain order in his gift that,
unlike all other orders and decorations
in the world. had never been corrupt
ed. 1t was reserved only for elderly
men of supreme distinction. the acute
ness of whose gifts was already touch
ed to mellowness. and it had included
the greatest names Of every age so far
as the advisers Of his family had been
able to ascertain them. At present.
the king admitted. these matters of
stars and badges were rather obscured
by more urgent affairs; for his own
part he had never set any value upon
them at all, but time might come
when they would be at least interest
ing, and, in short, be wished to con-
fer the Order Of Merit upon Leblanc.
His sole motive in doing so. he added,
was his strong desire to signalize his
personal esteem. He laid his hand
upon the Frenchman's shoulder as he
said these things with an almost broth
erly affection. Leblanc received this
proposal with modest confusion that
greatly enhanced the kings opinion of
bis admirable simplicity. He pointed
out that, eager as he was to snatch at
the prOfered distinction, It might at
the present stage appear invidious, and
he therefore suggested that the con-
ferring of it should be l"'Stroned until
1t could be made the crown and con-
clusion Of his services The king was
unable to shake this resolution and the
two men parted with expressions Of
mutual esteem.
The king then summoned Firmin in
order to make short note Of num-
Der of things that he had said during
the day. But after about twenty min
utes' work the sweet sleepiness of the
mountain air overcame him. and he
dismissed Firmin and went to bed and
fell asleep at once, and slept with ex-
treme satisfaction. He had had an &C.
tive, agreeable day.
The establishment of the new order
that was thus SO humanity begun was,
II one measures it by the standard Of
any preceding age. rapid process.
The fighting spirit of the world was ex-
hausted. Only here or there did fierce
ness linger. Fer long decades the COM
bative side In human affairs had been
monstrOusly exaggerated by the acct
dents Of political separation. This now
became luminously plain. An enor-
nous proportion of the force that sus-
tanned ornaments had been nothing
more aggressive than the fear of war
and warlike neighbors. 1t is Doubt
full IT any large section of the men &C..
tually enlisted for fighting ever at any
time really hungered and thirsted for
bloodshed and danger. That kind Of
appetite was probably never very
strong In the species after the savage
stage was past. The army was pro-
fession. in which killing had become a
d1sagreeable possibility rather than an
eventful certainty. If one reads the
old newspapers and periodicals Of that
time. which did so much to keep mill
tarism alive. one finds very little about
glory and adventure and a constant
harping on the disagreeableness of in
vaslon and subjugation. In one word,
m1litarism was funk. The beligerent
resolution of the armed Europe of the
twentieth century was the resolution
OF fiercely frightened sheep to plunge.
And now that it's weapons were ex-
ploding in its hands Europe was only
too eager to drop them and abandon
this fancied refuge of violence.
For time the whole world had been
shocked into frankness; nearly all the
clever people who had hitherto sus-
tanned the ancient belligerent separa-
lions had now been brought to realize
the need for simplicity OF attitude and
openness of mind, and In this atmos-
phere of moral renascence there was
little attempt to get negotiable ad-
Vantages out OF resistance to the new