Norwich bulletin., 1915-04-21

what are the best ways to do them. We must put our money, our energy, our enthuSiasm,- our sympathy into these things: and we must have our Judgments prepared and our spirits chastened against the coming of that day. So that l am not speaking in a selfish spirit when I say that our whole duty for the present at any rate, Is summed up in this motto, America first
 Let us think of America before we think of Europe. in order that Amer lea may be fit to be Europe's friend when the day of tested friendship comes. The test of friendship is not now sympathy with the one side or the other, but getting ready to help both sides when the struggle is over
 The basis of neutrality. gentlemen, IS not indifference: it is not self f-in- terest.
 Basis of Neutrality.
 ''The basis of neutrality is sympathy for mankind. It is fairness: it is good will at bottom: it is impartial- 1ty of spirit and of judgment I wish | that all of our fellow citizens could realize that. There is in some quar- ters disposition to create dfstemper in this body polite. Men are even uttering islanders against the United States as if to excite her. Men arc saying that if we should go to war | upon either side there will be a di- vlded America-an abominable libel of ignorance; America is not all of it | vocal just now. It is vocal in spots But l. for one. have a complete and l abiding faith in that great silent body | Of Americans who are not standing l1D | and shouting and expressing Opinions Just now, but are waiting to find out and support the duties of America. I | am just as sure of their solidity and of their loyalty and of their unani-s l m1ty, 1T We act justly, as I am that | the history of this country has aE | every crisis and turning point ilius- l trated this great lesson.
 Mediatins Nation of the World.
 we are the mediating nation Of ] the world do not mean thatw url- l dertal<e not to. mind our own business | and to mediate where other people are quarrelling. I mean the word in a | broader sense. We are compounded of the nations of the world. We mediate | their blood; we mediate their trat5i. ] ttons, we mediate their sentinerits | their tastes, their. passions; we are | ourselves compounded of those, things. | We are, therefore, able to. understand all nations: we are able to understand | them in the compound, not separately. as partisans.- but -unitedly, as knowing and experiencing and embodyine them all. It is in that sense that [ mean that America is a mediating na- t!on- The opinion of America. the ac- tlon of America, is ready to turn and free to turn in any direction.
 We Are Trustees,
 | Did you ever reflect upon how ai- most all other nations, almost every other nation, has through long centri- rfes been headed in one directionr That is not true of the United States,
 The United States has no racial mo- mentum It has no history back of 1t
 which makese it run all it's energies and all its ambitions in one particular direction; and America is particular ly free in this-that she has no ham, perlng ambitions as world power If We have been obliged by circumstanced or have considered ourselves to be obliged by circumstances, in the past. to take territory which we otherwise would not have thought of taking, [ believe 1 am right in saying that we have considered 1t our duty to admin-s 1ster that territory, not for ourselvess but for the people living in it and to put this burden upon our consciences, not to think that this thing is ours for
 our use. but to regard ourselves as trustees ready to hand over the cos mique trust at any time. when the business seems to make that possible and feasible. That Is what mean =by l saying we have no hampering ambi@ tions. We do not want anything thae does not belong to us. Isn't natio4
 in that position free to serve othe9 nations and isn't a nation like that ready to form some part. of the as- sess1ng opinion of the world? s
 Not Looking for Fight, but Determined
 My interest in the neutrality of
 the United States is not the petty de- sire to keep out of trouble I havG- never looked for it, but have always found it. I do not want to walk
 around trouble. If any man wants a
 scrap that is an interesting scrap and
 worth while. am his man. I warn
 him that he is not going to draw me
 into the scrap for his advertisement: but if he Is looking for trouble that
 is the trouble of men in general and
 can help a little. why then. I am
 in for it. But I am interested in neu-- traiity because there is something soz much greater to do than to fight. be- cause there is something, there is a
 distinction waiting for this nation that. no nation has ever yet got That is
 and self mastery. Whom do you ad-- mire most among your friends? The irritable man? The man out of whom
 you can get a rise without trying z
 The man who will fight at the droq
 of the hat. whether he knows what the hat is dropped for. or not?
 Fear Self Mastered Man.
 Don't you admire and don't you
 fear, if you have to contest with him
 the self mastered man who watched you with calm eye and comes in only.
 far that you must be disposed of? That is the man you respect. That is the
 man who you know has at bottom
 a much more fundamental and ter } rible courage than the irritable, hght-' ing man. fs.sss s8t President Wilson in closing spoke of the false news sent from Turtle bay , land of unfounded despatches sent ovez: the wires by irresponsible parties.