Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-08-23
kN|GHTED MANXMAN SINGS
PRAISES OF AMERICA
Hall Caine Declares United States
Entered War to Resist Crimes
OF German Nation.
is TRUE TO HER PRINCIPLES
boundaries OF Human Heart Arc
Wider Than Widest Empire.
Wrong Done to Least Of Nations
Is Wrong Done to All.
BY SIR HALL CAME,
X. II. Il.

Sevenscore years ago the American
people brought forth on their great
continent nation consecrated to
liberty and dedicated to the principle
that all men were created equal. Then
they had many enemies and only one
friend. Now they have man! friends
and only one enemy. Then they were
a little handful among the peoples
OF the earth.-~ Now they are u hundred
millions, and their mighty country is
the half-brother of the world. And
to-day their kindred. as represented by
the sovereigns and statesmen. the SOL
diers and sailors. the speakers and
teachers and writer's OF many lands.
are stretching hands to them from
| across the sea.
Why are they doing SO? Because
| the principle on which the America n
nation was founded has been found to
| be true and has prevailed; because the
nation so founded has passed through
times Of fierce testing and has endured: :
first her time OF separation from the
! mother land from which she sprang,
| when ties had to be broken which
might never be renewed. Then her
time OF civil war with Its million or
| dead tall her own dead). when friend
was against friend. brother against
brother. and father against son. And
now her time Of tragic choice between
peaceful security on her own con-
tinent and the perilous call Of justice
and humanity on ours.
AMERICA HAD NO ILLUSIONS
ABOUT THE GREAT CONFLICT
| America came into the war two years
after 1t had begun. The frs, intoxi-
cation of the war fever had not touched
| her. The delirious exaltation of the
early days had left her cold. She had
watched the struggle In the Old World
and seen the bitter fruits Of It, She
| knew how the nations of Europe had
suffered. and how the iron had entered
/ into our souls. She had no Illusion
about the bloody business upon which
! she was embarking. no mistaken esti-
mate OF the price she would have to
pay. And yet she came in, calmly, de-
! !iberately, without qualm or fear.
! Why did she come in? She had no
old score to settle; no bad peace to
readjNst; no territorial or economic
advantage TO gain. Autocracies may go
to war for a little earth. but democ-
racies have only the lives, the honor
and the welfare of their subjects to
| fight for, and American subjects on
their far-off shores were secure But
liberty had been violated; civilization
had been outraged: the right had been
wronged: the weak had been oppressed;
the helpless had been injured, and be-
ioi S lne IRON arm Oh q neTclleSS tyranny
Justice and mercy and charity and
humanity were being wiped out OF the
world. II America was to be true to
the principle to which she had conse-
Grated her state. she had to resist these
crimes. Not to resist them was to be-
come accessory before the fact of them.
Therefore. America had to tight. or
the spirit on which she had founded
her own nation had to die
Only for little while did she hesI
tate about her duty to step beyond the
limits or her own continent. Tho moral
law knows nothing about frontiers.
The boundaries of the human heart are
wider than the widest empire At the
foot of Calvary there is only one coun-
try. The cause OF liberty. of justice
and OF mercy is the cause OF humanity.
wrong done to the least Of the ma
lions Is wrong done TO all So
America would not shrink in the face
OF her right and her duty.
"A friend loveth at all times. and
brother Ia born for adversely" On the
common ground OF adversit. America
Is now standing by the side OF all that
Is highest and best among the free ma
tons OF Europe. In that fact, and its
sequel lies the supreme spiritual COM
pensation OF this awful war. Again
and again In the agony OF our sorrow
and loss. and the deep unfathomable
mystery OF it. we have cried out of
our bruised and wounded hearts. What
Is God doing in this world of His chill
dren!' But now we see. In His In
scrutaoie way FIe Is healing all the
old wounds OF the nations; He Is draw
ing together the races Of men who
have been too long asunder; out of the
storm Of battle He is bringing forth
great brotherhood OF His scattered peo-
pies such as the world has never seen
before.
THE friends thou hast and their
adoption tried. grapple them TO thy
soul with hooks OF STEEL" Just as war
Notwithstanding all its brutalities. is
creating new comradeship among the
men who are fighting at the front. so
that, coming OUT of every class and
condition. all distinctions have dlsap-
pearea with the civilian clothes they
nave taken off and the soldiers uni.
form they have put on, and nothing ra-
mains TO the well-to-do man and tba
workman. the highly born and tho
io"iy born. the educated and the hit
crate, perhaps the ex-conyict and the
ex-clergyman, except the brotherhood
In which they daily face sudden and
uhlimey death standing shoulder to
shoulder In the same trenches, sleep-
ing SIDE by side In the same dugouts.
ana thus sharing together the biggest
Things they can do and give, their duty
and their lives. even so the organized
parbarity we call war Is binding to-
gether the civilized nations into a
great ne" spiritual fellowship.
THE friendships that are born In
misfortune last longer than those that
are born in happiness" Let us prav
that the fellowship Of the free peoples
which the war has brought to pass may
not end until 1t has laid the founda-
tons OF lasting peace. With no
lower hope than that could we keep
our souls alive in tho midst of all this
suffering. II we had to believe that
what we ourselves are going through
wolld m he