The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-17
WILSON DESCRIBES HIS
TRIALS IN RECENT CRISIS
Continued from Ttrst Page.

xl\xHAO NV
Continued from Ttrst Page.
IL TO play the part which she most covets
II Is necessary that she should act moro
ar less from the point of view OF the
rest Of the world.
IF j cannot retain my moral infu-
ences over n man except by occasionally
Knocking him down. If that Is the only
basis upon which he will respect me.
then for the sake of his soul ] have got
occasionally 10 knock him down.
you know how we have read in
isn't IT IN Ralph Corners stories OF
Western life in Canada?-that all his
sky pilots are ready for n fracas at
u time and how the ultimate saliva
ton NJ the souls Of their parishioners
depends on their using their fists occa-
sipnally.
For No SpRring Of the Rod.
III a man will not listen to you quietly
In a seat. sit on his neck and make him
listen Just a. I have always maintained,
particularly In view Of certain expert
cnces OF mine. that the shortest road to
a boys moral sense Is through his
cuticle. There is a direct and, II I may
be permitted the pun. Fundamental ron
ncction between the surface OF his skin
and his moral consciousness. You arrest
his attention first In that way and then
gct the moral lesson conveyed to him IN
mtldor ways that. II he were grown III,
would he the only ways YOU would use.
$50 | say that I have been aware
that. IN order to do the very thing that
We are proudest Of the ability To do.
there might come a time when we would
have TO do II In a way that We would
prefer not 60 do II and the great burden
on my spirits. gentlemen. has been that
II has been M to me to choos when
that time came.
Can you imagine a thing more cal.
culated TO keen "A nan awake at nights
than that Because. Just because. I did
not feel that 7 was the whole thing and
was aware that my duty was n duty OF
Interpretation, how could I be sure nat
] had the right elements OF information
by which to interpret truly?
What w are now talking about II
largely spiritual. You say. An the pco-
pie GU my way think SO and So Now
I know perfectly well that you have not
talked with all tho people out your way.
] find that out again. and again. And
so you are taken by surprise.
Not q Mud Header.
The pcople Of the United states
are not asking anybply's leave 20 do
their own thinking M are not asking
anybody TO tip them off what they
ought to think. They are thinking for
themselves, every man for himself. and
you 10 not know, and the worst OF II
Is, since the responsibility is mine, 7
do not know, what they are thinking
about.
~ have the mos. imperfect means Of
finding out, and vet 7 have got to act
HG N know That To- fha l,.lA. -
II. and ] tell you. gentlemen. 1t is "A
pretty serious burden. particularly II you
look upon the office rs 7 do-that I am
not put here to do what I please.
EFF ] were. II would have been very
much more Interesting than II has been.
! am put here to interpret. to register.
to suggest. and. more than tina and
much greater than that. 10 be suggested
&c.
Now that is whore the experience
that ] forecast has differed from tho ex-
p%erience that I have had. In domestic
matters 7 think 7 can. in most cases.
thought 81 America IL going hut In for
eiSn afairS the chicf element Is where
action is going 81 in other quarters OF
the world and not where thought il 60
ing in the United States.
Therefore I have several times taken
the liberty Of urging upon YOU ventls-
mel not yourselves to know more than
the state Department knows abo,i, for
eiGn affairs. Some Of YOU have shown
1t singular range Of omnisciercc and Ger.
tain things have been reported AZ ur-
IN administrative circles which
! never heard OF until ! read the news
DrciaiOns Not Ills Own,
Il am constantly taken by surprise in
~ ci"d - decisions which are said to be
Fly W and this gives me al uncom-
PORTABLE" feeling that some providence is
p work with which | have had no cu,n-
nIuni"iti"n at all. Now tina is pretty
dangerous, gentlemen, because 1t hap
pens that remarks start fres.
"Therc Is finder lying everywhere. not
only on the other side Of the water hu,
this side Of the water, and a man
that spreads sparks may be responsible
for something a great deal worse than
burning a town on the Mexican border.
Thoughts may he bandits. Thoughts
Ice raiders. Thoughts may be- in
vaders. Thoughts may be diSturbers of
International peace, and when you re-
fleet upon the importance Of this country
keeping out of m" present war YOU will
know what tremendous elements We are
with.
wv. are all IN the same boat. ~
somebody does not keep the processes
Of peace going, II somebody does not
keep their passions disengaged, by what
impartial Judgment and suggestion
is the world to he aided to a soIu-
tion when the whole thing is over
II YOU are in a conference In which
you know somebody liz disint,restcd
how are YOU going TO make "A plan" !
toll you, gentlemen. the only thing hat
saves the world Is the little handful OF
disinterested men that are in II.
Now, I have found a lew disinterestsd
men. wish I had found more. 7 can
two or three men with whom 7
conferred again and again and
again and have never caught them by
inadvorten"c thinking about them
for their own interests, and | tie
to those men as you Would tie to an
Patriotic Advisers.
IT tie to them az you would tie TO
the voices OF conscience II you could be
sure that you always heard them. Men
who have no axes to grind mon who
Almorica so that they would give
their lives for 1t and never care whether
anybody heard that they had given their
lives for It; willing to die in obscurity
II only they might serve,
"Thoso are the men and nations like
those men are the nations that are going
To serve the world and save II. There
never was IA time in the history of the
world when character. just sheer char
all 10y itself. told more than 1t
does now.