Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-05
WILSON'S SEND OFF GREAT
Salutations at His Departure Uni
vcrsal, Genuine, Hearty and Tn
mistakable. New York Times.

If Mr. Wilson were not well grounded
in the philosophy Of life, especially ot
public life, he might have felt rs be de-
parted yesterday that the American
people are capriciously mutablc in their
moods Only few days ago they were
protesting against his decision To go
to Paris, they scoldcd him for wanting
to go Mt all Yet as he sailed down the
bay yesterday morning, he was salnted
by n more varied and tumuituot1s cx-
preston of good wishes than ever before
fell upon the cars OF n departing traveller.
II was universal, genuine, hearty, un-
mistakable.
II means first of all that the people
admire Mr.. Wilson very much. They
delight on all occasions To pay him the
tribute his great achievements Of lead
crship have deserved, they want To
show their appreciation OF the distin-
gulshed service he has rendered TO the
country and to civilization during four
trying years They admire his courage,
too, and his resolution, even though
his purposes sometimes run contrary
to their wish. BY going abroad he DIS
regards an unbroken tradition, and
though we give enthusiastic welcome
to new things, we are great respecters
of old custom Yet firrnness ls so manly
a trait that there must be mutltudes
who will entertain n secret admiration
for Mr.. Wilson's courage, after he had
on due lelberation made up his mind
to go to Paris. in carrying out that de-
sign even against the popular wish.
But above all the emotions which in
spired the people of the country to bud
their President godspeed rs be went away
is the wish that he may accomplish two
A. i.nWr h. nj
heart One is that he may exert upon the
conference sn influence in the unselflsh
spirit of the ideals he has so often de-
clarcd, ideals growing out of his earnest
hope that the peace to be attained will be
enduring because based upon justice and
righteousness The other Is that, by his
personal presence and communion with
the representative men Of the nations
that have fought with us for the triumph
of right over wrong. he may promote
good understanding. firm and lasting
friendship. Dur people are profoundly
and sincerely dcsirous Of a close and
friendly union with the peoples OF Great
Britain, France and Italy IN all good
work for the worlds welfare. For the
people Of those nation they have n feeling
If the firmeet friendship, they want TO
be on the best OF terms with them To the
end that differences and msundcrstand-
Ings may be avoIded, or. # they should
arise that they may be promptly re-
moved by measures Of candnr and con-
citation The country's good wishes go
with the President because 1t feels that
he is its ambassador going beyond the
seas not only 10 conclude peace, but
to establish relations of amity that viii
endure through All the coming years
Today's New York Times
On the George Washington rs it
moved down the harbor, President
Wilson bore with him the goodwill
and confidence Of the American people
The mission on which lac hns gone to
Europe makes hlm the spokesman Of
the western democracy and the cham
pion Of the ideals for which this country
has striven on the battlefield No chief
magistrate Of this nation ever before
went on SO great an GRAND or faced