Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1917-05-11
A Wonderful Man.

son. If which is but
another name for Christian broth
erhood-makes a long forward
stride in humanity out of this
world crisis, more than to any
one individual in the world cred
1t should fall to Woodrow Wilson.
lie has risen to big opportunity
IN a big way. He has'used his
ten talents with splendid stew
%ardship. A year ago, two years
ago, three years ago when the
war cloud descended upon the
world, President Wilson seemed
to be the one impossible man
for a war administration in the
country. His talent for phrases:
his lnconclusive patience, his be-
lief in vague spiritual forces, as
opposed to concrete physicaIfacts;
his disposition to settle things
with rhetoric all these things
seemed to make him the school
master at the tournament, gro
tesque, half pathetic, and weary
ing to a degree. SO Americas
hard-headed believers in action,
and action, and always still more
action in crises, chafed and fumed
under the Wilson leadership. 1t
seemed tragically inadequate,
madly quixotic.
But the passing years have
brought events to a place Wnere
that leadership seems to be the
exact kind Of leadership needed.
For under the President leader
ship the whole world is rallyine
to the democratic idea. This
does not mean the mmediat,
coming of the mellenium. 1t does
not mean that the world is sud
denly to be made over. 1t does
not mean that self-interest is to
be banished from affairs, inter.
national and personal, But il
does mean that, because of Pres
ident Wilson's last great note to
Germany, marking is consider
ing seriously whether or not
there is a God in IsreaI. whether
or not things spiritual have not a
vital actual place in human af-
fairs, whether Or not justice is to
be neglected and God to be
Knocked in this earth. The words
of President Wilson have done
for democracy, for the spirit of
justice in the world, more than
tons of ammunition and acres of
fighting men.
And because of the power of
those words in the world beyond
our borders, the Presidents
leadership here has beenstrength-
ened, The strength Of that lead
erShip is seen in the passage of
the army bill through Congress
with almost unanimous vote.
Here was a new thing. Here
was a proposition unpopular and
probably ''un-American," as we
read our traditions a year ago.
Here was a plan to change the re-
lation of every able-bodied man
in America to his government; to
sink the Individual into the social
unit. The plan to conScript men
turns a sharp but necessary cor.
ner in our American progress.
No other leader now living could
have put it through the American
Congress, so quickly, so quietly,
so little battered by politics, as
President Wilson has put it
through Congress- since Congress
convened.
He is indeed a wonderful man.
His talents are not strongly
marked. He is a man of small
enthusiasts, and of no personal
following. He has not a charm
ing or lovable personality to draw
men to him and to hol | men in
his service with hoops of steel.
Yet he has by force of sheer in
tellect drawn America about him
in the leadership of a world COM
bat for democracy, as no other
American leader hasdrawn Amer
lea about him for years. This
is the schoolmaster's day. From
him the world is learning some
documentary principles of demo-