The Washington herald., 1918-07-05

GenIlemeu OF Ine diplomatic
Corps and Ny Fellow Citizens:
I am happy to draw apart with
you to this quiet place>of old coun-
sci In order to speak a little of the
meaning Of this day Of our ma
TONS independence. The place
seems very still and remote. 1t Is
as serene and untouched by the
hurry Of the world as 1t was In
those great days Of long ago when
Gen Washington was here and
held leisurely conference with the
men who were to be associated
with him in the creation of a ma
ton. From these gentle slopes
they looked out upon the world
and saw 1t whole, saw It with the
light of the future upon 1t, saw 1t
with modern eyes that turned
away from Q past which men of
liberated spirits could no longer
endure. IL Ii for that reason thar
we can not feel. even here. in the
Immediate presence of this sacred
tomb. that this Is q place OF death.
1t was a place Of achievement. A
great promise that was meant for
all mankind was here given plan
and reality. The associations by
which we are here surrounded are
the insipiriting associations OF that
noble death which Is only a glcri-
Gus consummation. From this
green hillside we also ought to be
able to see with compretending
eyes the world that lies about Us
and should conceive anew the pur-
poses that must set men frea.
For All Mankind
Il L. signihcant-signih Of
their own character and purpose
and of the influence they were
letting afoot-that Washington
and his associates, like the bar
ons at Runnymede, spoke and
acted, not for . class, but for q
people. II haa been left for NJ
e to see to II that Il shall be un-
derstood and acted on, not for q
single people only, but for all
mankind.
They were thinking, not Of
themselves and of material in
terests which centered in the
little groups Of landholders and
merchants and men of affairs
with whom they were ac-
customed to act in Virginia and
the colonies to the north and
south of her. but of a people which
wished to be done with classes
and special interests and the au-
thority of men whom they had
not themselves chosen to rule
over them. They entertained
no private purpose. desired no
peculiar privilege. They were
consciously planning that men
Of every class should be free
and America a place to which
men out of every nation might
resort who wished to share with
them the rights and privileges
of free men. And we take our
cue from them. do We not? We
intend what they intended. We
here In America believe our par
ticipation in this present war to
be only the fruitage Of what they
planted. Our case differs from
theirs only in this. that 1t Is our
inestimable privilege to concert
with men out of every nation
what shall make not only the
liberties of America secure, but
the liberties of every other peo-
pie as well. We are happy in the
thought that we are permitted
to do what they would have
done had they been in our place.
Must Now BE Settled.
There must now be settled once
for all what was settled for
America I'm the great age upon
whose inspiration we draw today.
This is surely fitting place from
which calmly TO look out upon
our task. that we may fortify our
spirits for its accomplishment.
And this is the appropriate place
from which to avow, alike to the
friends who look on and to the
friends with whom we have the
happiness to be associated in
action. the faith and purpose
with which we act.
This. then, Is our conception
Of the great struggle in which
we are engaged. The plot is
written plain upon every scene
and every act Of the supreme
tragedy.
On the one hand stand the peo-
pies OF the world-not only the
people actually engaged, but
many others also who suffer
under mastery, but cannot act;
peoples of many races and I'm
every part of the world, the peo-
pie OF stricken Russia stfn,
among the rest. though they are
for the moment unorganized and
helpless.
Opposed to them, master of
many armies, stand an isolated,