The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-12-30

hts time. That he IL . man Of ge0soo
Is made clear b. the searching light
Of his intellect BY his almost uncanny
power Of penetrating hidden meanings
and unmasking unsupported motives.
But with all his culture. his genius
II in the best sense the genius OF the
common man.
That he has great spiritual passion
il no less obvious in the HAofaic fer.
vor and exaltation Of his messages and
notes. but II IL . spiritual passion which
lies deep under its love OF material
success In the Puritan foundation OF
the American character. That he has
never failing humor We may readily
believe, though we have not yet been
permitted to enjoy It, for that man
would be . dolesome soul indeed who
could Be born In America. or yet
breathe for long the hsartsoms air OF
that bracipg continent without catching
the infection Of it, Joyous spirit
That he has . deep well-srring o.
humanity which blesds at sight Of In
Justice Ia n certain ~ that h " bred
Of people who beneath . 9fees Sndtf-
ference to little ills ara 1t Cocs the
most sensitive and sentimental nations
on the earth There seams 70 b some
thing in the very soil Of America which
on it, whatever his descent without
conforming to somA OF the American
gross indifference ana It, chArsEterts.
tics and President Wilson'S character
has conformed to the best Of them all
Pre-en1nenfIv Anes1uaa.
Therefore, he 10 pre-e0hsntfy Amer.
lean. mot lowlAnd Scotch ~ Irish o. yee
Cumbrian. although 70 Tie CumOsTlsad
dalesmAn Of the typs u Weeaswerth.
he has. I confidently ~. uext closest
affinity. And II the allied nations OF
Europe are now receiving him Win
loud acclAmatfons, II 10 not only 0y
reason OF their gratitude tor what he
has done for them In the war talthough
that does not fAil) or yst out Of the
of his private character and integrity
Of his public policy. but Also. and above
all, as tribute to the great people ~
represents. whose highest ideals h. par"
sonifies, whose Hottest aspirations he
fulflls and whose soul he hAs fntsr~
preted to tho worId-4hs mighty Amer
lean people who entered into the wa
at its darkest hour with no lower aim
than that Of helping to right wrongs
and to establish justice and freedom on
earth and to put An end to var and
makers Of war and the blood-suckin9
leeches that live on war and who now
have sent across the ocean las IN their
right their greatest son and greatest
servants to make suFe that tho ends
they are to be covered By the covenant
Of peace that voiceiess millions are no
longer to be mere shAfds In the hands
of military masters. that war ~ IN
agent In human progress to TO cease,
that the future safety Of the verid u
to be made secure against the reign Of
brute force and. therefore. that their
dead have not died In vain.
That is think the unspoken senti-
ments which beyond all national inter-
est, lies behind this Tar greater wei
come. which our people with ono con-
sent, from king TO humblest commonef.
are now giving to . plain cttisen who
is the hrst executive Of the American
republic, than they have ever given to
any OF the bedeeked and oa3swelsA
monarcha who have como to than In
the pride and paaopay OF military ctr
cumstAnce.
And hero It IL impossible - think
of the joyous scenes In the streets Of
London this ChriStnAs week without
thinking also Of the unnroWned male
factor who was chief among the mAlign
war.
TIE Ca.ss q Il All
Alone he sits today. or almost alone,
In a house In Holland . world outoAst
and q world criminal guarded from
pursuing assassfAs b. two or three sol.
diers ut . gaia suffering physicA
agonies from tho fresh outbreak Of .
u,ented half hte Aaya. nervous. fretfui
and depressed. cax on from his people
among whom he played for thirty Year,
the double part Of divinity and tyrant.
buried In the deep disho0oe Of solitude
that 10 only penetrated ~ piercing
cries for his punishmAnt tremblng
for hts own miserable ltfo AFTER driv-
- ~ - S~ss q
on foreign battlefield, writing with fe.
verish hand the fraAtie story OF his
defense. falling to his kAeea In Alter
nate outbursts Of prayer and sxpestu-
iation and on to his face In the con-
yulsions OF elliptic ats.
Hardly has history another picture
so pitiful and mean. for compared with
this downfall. Napoleon had . gloomy
grandeur ~ Of . demon actor Who QUIT.
ted the worlds stage With his forshead
bloody and unbovsd" aud the thun-
derclouds he had brevsd about him
And IL the contracted speotAcles OF
President Wilson's claiborne welcome
and the kAissrs AFFECT state have any
message for the world In this high
hour. it IL surely this. that when war
is waged for It's own sake or for the
81 ke Of it's power and glory II degradss
man to tho condition and often dooms
him to the fate Of the brute. while the
only eolemnixing and sAnctifyfnE ct
fects Of war are seen In those who have
waged war to destroy var and the only
virtue in being strong - to Be able
10 defend the weak.
And 10 not that the essence OF the
world vision Of a league Of nations
which above All else perhape has
brought America. In the person OF Its
president across the sea-
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