New Iberia enterprise and independent observer., 1915-05-15
"HUMANITY FIRST" POLICY
0F PRESIDENT WILSON In
THE PRESENT CRISIS.
Ne is Given Ovation by $1,000
who Heard Him Speak at Phil
adelphia-This Country Gre
ated to Unite Mankind.
ADDRESSES ADOPTED SONS
OF AMERICA.

night the first intimation of wha
course the United States govern
ment will pursue in the situation
resulting from the loss of NOR,
than a hundred American live.
on the British Inter Lusitania.
He spoke by implication but hi.
hearers interpreted his remarks
as meaning that while the United
States would remain at peace, il
would seek to convince Germany
of the injustice to mankind of the
tragedy Of last Friday.
"America,' said the president
"must have the consciousness
that on all sides it touches el
bows and touches hearts with all
nations Of mankind. The ex.
ample Of America, must be a spe.
cial example and must be an ex-
ample, not merely of peace, be,
cause it will not fight, but be-
cause pease is healing and ele-
waiting influence Of the world and
strife is not.
No Need to Fight
To Convince.
"There is such a thing as man
being too proud to fight. There
is such a thing as being so right
that it does not need to convince
others by force that it is right. -
These remarks precipitated a
tumult Of applause and patriotic
enthusiasm attended by waving
of thousands Of small American
flags. The president made no di-
rect reference to the Lusitania
tragedy but the audience did not
hesitate to read the application
of his statement.
The sentiment expressed in the
presidents speech was epitom-
lied later by one of his closest
advisers as humanity first. >"
While it had not yet been determ-
ined. he said exactly what steps
would be taken bv the United
States in the present crisis. the
idea uppermost in the president s
mind was to show that whatever
course is adopted-no matter how
vigorous-it will have as its OBJ
jective the good of humanity.
introduced by Mayor Blanken-
burg, who spoke in distinctly
German accent. welcome and an
appeal for single allegiance to
the United States the president
carried forward the idea of the
welding Of foreign blood to make
up America, by pointing out the
true goal of right American citi-
zenship to be a loyalty, not to the
country of ones birth, but to the
Ian of ones adoption.
Love Country of Adoption.
While you bring" he said,
all countries with you, you come
with purpose Of leaving all 9TH
er countries behind you-bring-
ing what is best of their spirit,
but not looking over your shoul-
der or seeking to perpetuate what
you leave in them. | would not
certainly be one who would sug-
gest that man cease to love tire
place Of his origin. 1t is one !.
thing to love the place Of your
birth and another thing to dedi-
cate yourself to the place where
yJe 60: You can be a.
if you think yourself
in groups. America does not con-
slst Of groups. A man who con-
siders himself as belonging to a
national group and not America
Is not yet an American.
My advice to you is to think
irst, not only Of America, but to
.hink first Of humanity, and you
10 not love humanity if you seek
% divide humanity into jealous
amps.
The president was constantly
Interrupted by spontaneous out
'ursts of applause. He spoke
learly and So quiet was his audi
nee Of $4,000 that he could be
card distinctly in all parts of the
,reat hall. Some Of the passa ges
n which the crowd applauded
most Loudly were these:
America Created
% Unite Mankind.
Il am sorry for the man who
eeks to make personal capital
ut Of the passions of his fellow
ian. He has lost the ton.h :nc
ieal of America. for America
as created to unite mank.ri by
ne passions that lift AMI mite
70 not by the MISSIONS that SEP.