Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1915-05-14
Great People And 4 Great
President.

There is one predominating
hought in the American mind /,
oday, and that thought is ex-
pressed in the word, Lusitania. ,
We are all thinking about that
;rowning horror of the war, but
here could be no greater tribute
% the American people than the
sanity and self-control which
they are displaying under ex-
reptionally trying circumstance.
The American press has exhibit,
ed commendable calmness ard
composure; the man on the street
has been as self-restrained S
the President. There has been
no rocking of the boat" no
violent and rab;d utterances from
any responsible source; no at
tempt to excite prejudice or FIRE
the popular heart. The strong
est undercurrent of public feeling /
excited since the war began has !
been set in motion by the Lusi- !
tantania tragedy, but we have
stood firm and refused to be
swept away by it. We have a
right to be proud of this magni-l
ficent manifestation of what the
President calls national moral
force. Europe showed us nine
months ago how difficult it is for
great nations and great rulers to
face calmly emergencies that
appeal to national pride and
passion; we are showing Europe
now how such emergencies
should be met-we are giving
world an object lesson in national
selt-command. We do not know
| whether we should be prouder
of our President or Of our people.
Happy are the people who have
such President at a crisis like
this; happy is the President who
has such people behind him.
At this time above all others
he has need of national sy mpathy
and support. Like Washington
in the Revolutionary epoch, like
Lincoln in the Civil War era. he
bears the weight of an incalcul-
liable responsibility. But their
course was clear compared to his,
which is surrounded by many
elements Of doubt, many COM
Iplex and far-reaching issues. He
lis confronting a new situation,
| he is sailing a clouded and un-
lcharted sea. A mistake at such
Ia juncture would involve conse-
Iquences to this coantry and man
| kind beyond the power of human
calculation. Emperor William
lprobably did not realize his re.
lsponsibility when he said the
words which plunged the world
into war, though he has doubt
less realized it profoundly many
times since; but we have the
satisfaction of knowing at ar
hour like this that we have ar
official at the head of our Govern
lment who will deal with this
Iquestion as one charged by Coo
land man with supreme trust
and who will be true to thai
trust in sight of Heaven and o.
his fellow-men. But what {
national and mora responsibility
rests on him today, and how
careful we should be not to ve2
his soul by vain or foolish coun
sci. The American people car
help him most and best by con.
tlnulng to maintain their admir-.
liable attitude of masterful self.
control. Neither they nor the
president will be actuated by
fear, by selfih considerations, by
lpassion, prejudice, anger or re-
venge. Whatever we do or
whatever we refrain from doing
will be the result of national
censcience and national convic-
ton. We do not believe the
American people and the Ameri-
can system of government ever
stood out more splendidly in the
white light of great crisis than
they do today, mistaken by
passion and unafraid of the
future under the strain Of great
and grievous test. Let us thank
Heaven we have a captain at the
wheel to whom we can trust our
honor and our interests, and let
us wait with quiet confidence
until he gives the word. Bali
more Sun.