New-York tribune., 1918-01-01
Retrospect and Prospect

memorable wear With the April decision,
which brought us into the World War. we
crossed that frontier which tradition and
policy had erected between the United
States and the rest of the world. In the
cause Of human liberty, in the service of
those ideals and in the defence of those
principles which were the foundation of
our own national existence we enlisted in
the World War.
Even now there are hours when, looking
backward, one must shudder at the posi-
blities that existed only year ago. Then
it was apparent that this country of ours,
with all its century-long protestations of
LOYALTY to democratic ideals and humani-
tartan principles, might prove the single
free nation to refuse the call of duty
and concentrate it's mighty energies upon
drawing profit from the agony of those
nations which were giving their blood and
their treasure to defeat the foulest bar
barism mankind has had to fight.
America, which had been a word OF
meaning for the whole world, for US, who
we're it's children, for Europe, which had
looked beyond the passion and the sorrow
of Old World jealousies and rlvalries to
the fabulous New World across the seas,
where opportunity was equal for all men
and liberty assured beyond challenge,
seemed to US sunk to the level of German
materialsm, seemed betrayed to the pur-
suit of transient wealth at the sacrifice of
permanent principle.
y In 1917 we escaped from that night
mare. Late, but not too late, we recog-
nized our duty and took our place IN the
battle-line of civilization. Tardily, but
not toe tardily, we began to send our sons
I to that line of trenches which holds back
the food of German barbarism, threaten
ing all that makes for sweetness and light,
liberty and humanity in the present world.
We. who had Lexington and Concord IN
our history, realized that to deny the call
of duty longer was to confess national
dishonor, to prove faithess to the older
! ideal of America, which had served as the
Enspiration of those other generations who
,ad made their sacrifices and performed
keir duty.
(Ienceforth the United States is mem
of that League of Nations called into
being by the German assault upon civil
form as the permanent protection of man
kind against the German peril, against the
doctrine Of force and the method of mur
der which, from Louvain and the Lusi
| tania to the last murder-the murder o
an American sentinel who had surren
dered-has marked German advance.
In 1917 we recognized the fact that no
to fight for the protection of civilization
against Germanism was to deserve tn
contempt of the whole world, to betra
our past and surrender our future. W
realized that neither for ourselves nor TO
our sons, not tor the present ana not 10
the future would life be safe, tolerable
worth while if the German could prov
hy force of arms that his doctrines wer
correct and that might was the sole facto
in life, that the strong man had in hi
strength the warrant to murder the veal
dishonor the woman, slaughter the chile
We recognized that there was no sue
thing as neutrality in a world in whic
Germany was in arms, since such neutra
ity could mean nothing but contemporar
shame and future ruin.
And so, with all its disappointment
with all it's failures, with all its veal
nesses, 1917 remains and will remain
great year in American history. In it W
enlisted in the cause which was alway
our cause, in it we made the decision whic
was essential to our honor and to ou
safety, in it we took our stand with tn
other civilized nations in the defence O
common humanity against a nation TO
whom neither law nor covenant nor hi
manity had any restraining influence
When all else is forgotten, this will be re