The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-20


 helpful, constructive forces of society, and you cannot do that unless you un- derstand society.
 | You cannot understand society un- less you understand the component parts, so that after all the formula, Get together lies at the base of 1t I all, and the first step is for the ele- | ments of society to understand one an- | other.
 A Hint to Gentlemen Amuck. But that is not all that is neces- sary. The next thing is that the ele- ments of society should understand their common relationship to the so- ciety of which they constitute a part. When I see some gentlemen run ming amuck I am perfectly aware that they do not see that they are destroy l ing the delicate fibre of the very thing upon which their business depends namely, the social structure itself l and that by running recklessly against the interests of other people they are really checking the enterprise which they think they are promoting. i "If you are wrong you will get 1t knocked out of you, and if you are right you will help knock it out Of other people.
 What difference does it make that you think thing as Republican if it is wrong? What difference does it make if you think thing as Dem ocrat if it is not tEue? Your being a Republican or Denfoerat does not make it true, and what difference does 9 party make or a party's interest make as compared with the interests of the nation Itself?
 Now it occurred to me that you would permit me to suggest what the particular function of women is in this new age. Men have tried their hand at it and, in the opinion of a great many of you, have made a mess of it, and it must be obvious, if what I have already said is true, that the functions that have to be determined bv those who lead opinion have taken on an entirely new character.
 Power of Sympathy.
 "The whole spirit of the law has
 been to give leave to the strong, to give opportunity to those who could dominate, but it seems to me that the function of society now has another element in it, and I believe that it is the element which women are going to supply. It is the element of me- diation, of comprehending and draw ing the elements together. It is the power of sympathy, as contrasted with the power of contests.
 Life is bitter only when it is lone ly. Life is bitter only when there
 does not seem to be any force fight ing with you except the pitiful little force that is within yourself, and if 4 ,H society, the great sympathetic, irresis- tfble masses of women are going to play a most distinguished and leading part. And it will be so much more interesting than contest It is much more interesting to help a man than to hit him.
 "I take leave to say that some of the difficulties of our foreign rela- tionships in the last two years have been due to the fact that it was not comprehepsible to some foreign statesmen, that the United States was really disinterested.
 They had never heard of such thing. And in proportion as the United States demonstrates to the world that it's influence in the family of nations is disinterested. it will have that part of power which does not come from arms, hut comes from the great invisible powers which we'll up in the human heart.
 When the nations of the world come to love America they will obey and follow America.
 Slowly we are setting the stage; slowly we are marshalling the forces; slowly we are growing togethe CT. len in some happy day America will see clearly, as she saw at first, that vision "c justice and freedom and righteous ness which gave her birth and dis tlnction at the first"
 The Presidents first engagement in Chicago was to attend a luncheon at the Press Club, where 400 editors and reporters gave him a most cordial greeting. AM of the foreign lan- guage newspapers of the state except those printed in the German tongue were represented
 Speaking of the progressive spirit he said:
 No matter how we are going to vote on Nov. 2. we ought to make up our minds to this one fact, that what we call progressive action. not only in America, but in the world, has come to stay. If you want to get your neck broken try. to stop it.
 'The word that we want to dwell upon in our thoughts is the word Tight Contribute light to this thing, put light upon it. Whenever it is de- serving of criticism. criticise it, not in order to stop it, but in order to bet ter it.
 That is the object of the Tariff Commission that has been created, to throw light upon what everybody has been confident he knew all about, and very few people have known anything about at all. My interest in promoting the Tariff Commiss;~, was that I wanted to find a body of men who would look at thisl thing without car-. Ing which way the facts cut. want to find men who will make a scientific inquiry as to the facts. and make an absolutely fearless and frank report and then let us go on those facts and not on our preposessions That is the object of the Federal Trade Commis- sion too"
 or the seven men whom he selected the other day to be associated with the National Council of Defense. the President said: They are the nerves h-- which the government is to reach the professions and industries which they represent, and learn how inc duty of supplying the government in case Of necessity can be best distrib- uted among them so as to bring all resources to the assistance of the na- tion"