Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1918-06-01
DR.. JAMES ON OUR coUNTRY's
ACHIEVEMENTS.

DR.. Edmund J. James, the able and
popular president of the University
of Illinois, delivered great address
at the recent general conyocation on
What the United States Has
Achieved in War Activities and
Moral Leadership"
We regret that we have not the
space to publish the address in full.
DR.. James said, in part:
With the close of the American
Civil War, the Declaration of indie.
pendence began to have a new mean.
ing for us, although it is far from
being realized fully yet.
This war and our relation to II
will put a new and larger meaning
into this great Declaration Of which
every American should be proud and
termined to help realize to the fullest
possible extent. We shall come Ia
understand more fully than we do
now that the rights to life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness are not
mere negative rights but positive
rights, calling not merely for inaction,
but for positive policies on the part
of society that they may be fully
realized. Thus the time shall be hast
ened when no man who is able and
willing 10 labor shall suffer for lack
OF work; when 10 every one willing
10 do his share the means for living
a decent human life shall be secured !;
when economic and industrial liberty
shall be recognized as essential ele-
ments in that civil liberty chiefly con.
templated in the Declaration.
Toward all this a decisive and
early victory over Germany and her
allies will be greatly conducive.
We ask you all TO enlist in this
war and for the duration OF this war
in the trenches, in the factories, in
the shipyards, on land and on the
sea, In your own homes-whereyeI
you are and whatever else you may
be doihg-all the time helping to ere
ate that atmosphere which will in
sure success.
have been asked to say one word
and my time limits do not permit
more, about what our country has
already accomplished during this
first year OF the war toward the win
ming of IL.
First OF all wish to say in a yer,
positive way that think ouI
achievements in this direction hav,
been truly remarkable and are full!
comparable with the best done by
other nations working under any
thing like similar conditions, and
think our government deserves tn,
respect and confidence OF the Ameri
can people.
OF course we have made mistake
many OF them, and shall Goubtles
make many more-costly, bitter mis-
takes, ewing partly TO that cockines
which is so characteristic of all u
Americans; partly owing TO on
Ignorance partly 10 our inefiicienc,
in making war TO which this genera
ton Is practically strange, for on
Spanish war was not a war at all
partly 10 our love OF individuality
which makes cooperation difficult
partly 10 our ingrained Partially 70
competition instead OF combination
etc.
In spite Of all this we have adopte,
a system for recruiting our armie
far superior 70 anything We eve
had before. II has been inauguratet
without difficulty and with little trou
bic, and with the full consent a
we'll as the enthusiastic support 0
the American people. It is the mos
democratic plan We have ever EN-
ployed and, with a few changes viii
rank with the best schemes eyel
adopted for this purpose, viz, re
cruitlng the armies of a free stat'
and providing for their maintenance
in man power and equipment.
We have called a large number 0
men 10 the standards and are train
ing them for the various branche
Of military and naval service under
on the whole, very satisfactory con
ditions, though there have been som,
egregious mistakes, calculated t