The Benson signal., 1919-04-05

whether they were or not. A good
many more have been blinded, Grip
pied, nervously shocked beyond the
hope of recovery. The number of
women-either wives. sweethearts or
sisters-who had to suffer because of
1t no statistics can give us. Libra
ries, universities-all the accumulation
that comes down from one generation
to another, which spells civilization in
Servia, in Syria, in Armenia, in north
ern France, in Belgium-have gone by
the board; all work of progress. edu-
cation and enlightenment even in the
balance of the world has been halted.
All the peoples Of the world nearly are
to be weighted down for generations
to come by debt until national and i'm.
ternational bankruptcy are threatened.
Some Important Questions.
Is it worth while to prevent the re-
currence of all this? Are we idiotical-
ly to stand aside, hands folded and
heads empty. saying: eve can do
nothing?" Does not the question an
swer itself? Shall little senator, or
petty member Of congress, or little
a little member Of the French legisla-
tive assembly, here and there, speak
ing the language of cynicism, or pes
simism, or hypocrisy, or simply par
tisan hate, prevent it all by saying
that it is "impracticable" or "impOs-
sible" when he has never studied the
question far enough to know whether
it is or it is not impracticable or impOs-
sible? Is there anything impossible to
man, provided he has behind him the
will to freedom and casts out of his
heart the will to power? l think not.
I think moreover that the little soul,
self-centered, environment-encircled,
or party-encOmpassed-which today Is
attempting to weaken the influence OF
the president of the United States
while he is in Europe, trying as best
he can to make out Of this aspiration
"devoutly to be wished" "cOnsumma-
tion," will live to regret his acts and
his utterance, and when his memory
brings up to him few years from now
his present course, he will pray to God
to be delivered from this body Of
DEATH" or what is worse. the memory
Of this body of death. The prophets
and the Seers and the poets OF the
world have not been fools. The So
called practical men, who are fools as
a rule, have only deemed them to be
so, because their own souls were not
broad enough to comprehend.
Tennyson refers to the fact that fre-
quently knowledge comes and wisdom
lingers" knowledge comes to the So
called practical man in his opinion,
and sometimes in reality; wisdom not
only fingers with him, but never comes
at all. 1t is only to seers, (and seers are
merely see-ers with one "e" elid-
ed) and poets and prophets and ideal
lists that wisdom comes. / firmly be-
lieve that wisdom has finally come IN
it's international guise to those OF us
who insist that this treaty Of peace
shall not be confined to questions of
boundaries, indemnitieS, cOmpensat1OnS
and penalties, as important as all these
are and as important as 1t is that they
should be taken care Of; but shall go
further and include, as far as human
wisdom and human ingenuity and hu-
man love can include them, provisions
to keep the peace which we have con-
quered, and to prevent the recurrence
of struggles such as that through
which we have just passed-struggles
not only savage and barbarously In
sane, but, worse yet, scientific. If the
Science of the world, which is
word in it's original meaning signify
ing merely knowledge" is to have as
it's chief aim among men the .destruc-
ton of one another, then indeed 1t
is true that knowledge comes but wis
dom lingers."
Americas Task Not Ended.
There are people who think that
armistice means peace. There are
people who think that peace, no mat
ter how determined, is sufficient. They
are both mistaken. There are three
or four million men in Germany yet
that can be modified in forty-eight
hours-not as we'll armed and munt-
toned as they were, but still danger
Gus. There are anarchistic forces
there and elsewhere threatening the
destruction of the civilization Of the
world. Americas task is not over her
world task still confronts her. Her
national task even is not through with;
money must be given freely, not only
to the world task but TO the national
task. Not only cash but the credit
Of the American people must be ex-
tended; no man who loves the repub-
lie or who loves humanity can regard
his sacrifices at an end now. Even II
we consider nothing but ourselves, our
boys must be brought home, and peace
conditions mHst be reconstructed, and
countless things accompanied by great
expense must be done in order that
we may take up the pillow where we
left it In the furrOw and go on to the
ond of tho fgyrrOvv =" Tyem from the