The Washington times., 1919-03-05

unoer the neel OF the Austrian, thaI
have long covered before the Ger
man, that have long suffered the in
describable agonies of being gov
erned by the TURK. have called out
10 the world, generation after gen
Grafton, for justice, for Liberation, for
succoT; and no cabinet in the world
has heard them.
Private organizations, plying
hearts, philanthropic men and women
have pouredout their treasure in or
der TO relieve these sufferings; but
no nation has said to the nations re-
sponsible, You must stop: this thing
is intolerable, and we will not per-
init it And the vision has been with
the people.
My friends. ! wish you would re-
fleet upon this proposition. The
vision as to what is necessary for
great reforms has seldom come from
the top in the nations of the world.
1t has come from the need and the
aspiration and the self-assertion of
great bodies of men who meant to
be free. And I can explain some of
the criticisms which have been
leveled against this great enterprise
only by the supposition that the men
who utter the criticisms have never
felt the great pulse of the heart Of
the world.
Comprehensive Ignorance" AmaEeG.
And I am amazed-not alarmed,
but amazed-that there should be in
some quarters such a comprehensive
ignorance Of the state of the world.
These gentlemen do not know what
the mind Of men is just now. Every
body else does. 1 do not know where
they have been closeted; / do not
know by what influences they have
been blinded; but / do know that
they have been separated from the
general currents of the thought of
mankind.
And I want to utter this solemn
warning, not in the way Of a threat:
the forces Of the world do not
threaten, they operate. The great
tides Of the world do not give notice
that they are going to rise and run;
they rise in their majesty and over
whelming might, and those who stand
in the way are overwhelmed. Now
the heart OF the world is awake, and
the heart OF the world must be salts
fed.
DO not let yourselves suppose for
moment that the uneasiness in the
populations of Europe is due en-
tirely to economic causes or economic
motives; something very much deeper
underlies it all than that.
Must URIte for Justice.
They see that their governments
have never been able to defend them
against intrigue or aggression,
and that there is no force Of fore
sight or OF prudence in any modern
CABINET TO stop war. And, therefore.
they say: There must be some funda-
mental cause for this and the funda-
mental cause they are beginning to
perceive to be that nations have stood
stngly or in little Jealous groups
against each other. fostering preju-
dice Increasing the danger of war,
FRther than concerning measures to
prevent If; and that il there is right
IN the world, IL there is justice in the
world, there is no reason why nations
should be divided in the support of
justice.
They are, therefore, saying if you
really believe that there is a right. il
you really believe that wars ought to
be stopped, stop thinking about the
rival interests Of nations, and think
about men and women and children
throughout the world.
Must Not Ignore Mankind.
Nations are not made TO AFFORD
distinction to their rulers by Way
or success in the maneuvers Of poll
tics; nations are meant, II they are
meant for anything, to make the men
and women and children in them Sc
cure and happy and prosperous. and
no nation has the right to set up its
special interests against the interests
ana Dement'S Of mankind, least of all
this great nation which we love.
1T was set up for the beneft of
mankind; ii was set up to illustrate
the highest ideals and to achieve the
highest aspirations of men who want
ed to be free; and the world, the
world Of today. believes that and
counts on US. and would be thrown
back into the bIackness Of despair il
we deserted it,
Feels For Suffering Peoples.
Il have tried once and again, nv
fellow-citizens, to say TO little circles
OF friends or to larger bodies. what
seems to be the real hope Of the peo-
pies Of Europe. and ! tell you frankly
have not been able to do so because
when the thought tries to crowd itself
into speech the profound emotion Of
the thing is too much: speech will
not carry nave IeiL the tragedy OF
the hope Of those suffering peoples.
at is tragedy because IL is a hone
which cannot be realized p its per-
lection, and yet ! have felt besides
ts tragedy. its compUlsion. its COM
oulsion upon every living man to ex-
.rcise every influence that he has TO |
he utmost to see that as little as pos
IibIe OF that hope is disappointed, be |
.ause il men cannot now, after this |
lgOny OF bloody sweat, come 10 their |
and see how to regu- !
ate the affairs Of the world, we will !
ink back into q period of Struggle in 4
which there will be no hope, and I
therefore, no mercy.
No Mercy without Hope.
There can be no mercy where there |
5 no hope. for why should you spare |
mother il you yourself expect to per-
sh? Why should you be pitifuI IL you /
an get no pity? Why should you be |
just If, upon every hand, you are put
Ipon?
There is another thing which ]
hink the critics OF this covenant
lave not observed They not only |
lave not observed the temper Of the
world, but they have not even OBJ
ierVed the temper OF those splendid
boys in khaki that they sent across
he seas. ] have had the proud con
clousness Of the reflected glory Of
nose boys, because the Constitution
made fhafr -, !