Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-02-04
iLEADS FOR RESTORATION
OF VITAL COSSEf,TI

10 where he started, to himself again.
PLEADS FOR RESTORATION
OF VITAL CONNECTIONS
ITO my mind. It Is n picture of the
world. II you have lost other interests
and Go not know the relation OF YOUR
own interests to those other interests
Then you do not understand vour own
interests and have lost yours What
you want Is orientation, relationship TO
the points or the. compass, relationship
TO the other people IN the world. VI "a T
connections which have for the Tina
being been severed And SO am par
ucHiafly glad to express my admira-
non for the kind OF organization which
YOU have drawn together. ] have at
tended banquets OF chambers OF com
merce in various parts OF the country.
and have got the impression at each OF
those bapqucts that there was only one
city In tho country. And II has seemed
TO ne that these associations were
meant in order to destroy mems per
spectivc. in order TO destroy his sense
OF relative proportions: worst OF all.
81 I may be permitted TO say so, they
were intended to boost something in
particular. Boosting is very un-
handsome thing. Advancing enter
prise Is Il very handsome thing, but to
vNaggcrate local merit In order to
create disproportion In the general de-
relopment Is not n particularly hand
some thing, or particularly intelli-
gent thing.
THE advantage about q Chamber OF
Commerce of the United States Is that
there is only one way to boost the
United States, and that Is by seeing
to II that the conditions under which
business Is done through the country
are the best possible conditions
CANNOT BOOST UNITED STATES
WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING; 1T
Moreover. the advantage of 1t Is
that you cannot boost the United States
In that way without understanding the
United States. You learn n great deal.
agreed with n colleague of mine In
the Cabinet the other day that we have
never attended In our lives before n
school 10 compare with that we were
now attending for the purpose Of gain
ing a liberal education.
"Of course. I learn n great many
things that are not SO. But the inter
csting thing about 1t Is this: Things
that are not so do not match. If YOU
hear enough OF them you see there Is
no pattern whatever: 1t IS crazy
quilt. Whereas, the truth always
matches. piece for piece. with other
parts of the truth.
NO man can lie consistently. and he
cannot lie about everything if he talks
20 you long. So that I would guar
antce that II enough liars talked to
you. you would get the truth.
81 had somewhat that experience
about Mexico, and that was about the
only way in which 1 learned anything
that was so. for there have been vivid
imaginations and many special inter
csts. which have depleted things as
they wished me to believe them to be.
Nov. seriously, the task of this
body Is to match all the facts OF bust
ness throughout the country. and see
the vast and consistent pattern OF
them. / have asked myself, be-
fore l came here tonight, what rela-
ton you could bear to the government
OF the United States, and what relation
the government could bear to you
There are two aspects and activities
Of the government with which you will
naturally como into most direct con-
tact.
GOVERNMENTS POWER
OF ASSISTANCE
The first is tho governments power
OF inquiry. systematic and disinter-
csted inquiry, and Its power OF scien-
tifc assistance. You get an illustra-
tion Of tn ls1tter, for example, IN the
Department OF Agriculture. Has 1t oc-
Cured to you, wonder. that we are
tust upon the eve of time when our
Department OF Agriculture will BIO of
infinite Importance to the whole world?
There Is a shortage OF food in tho
world now. That shortage will be
more serious fow months from now
than Il is now. It is necessary that