Daily Kennebec journal., 1919-06-27

A PAPER Tor People w
FRENCH PRESIDENT |
GIVES Dinner TO PRES.
WILSON AND j. 5. DELEGATES
Paris, June &.-(Associated Press).-I
President Poinncare tonight gave . din.
ner to President Wilson and all the
dslsgatss to the peace conference. Mrs.
Wilson accompanied the President.
Responding to an address by NJ. Poin-
care. President Wilson said in part:
Il thank you most sincerely for the
words that you have uttered. cannot
pretend sir, that the prospect Of going
home Is not very delightful to me. but
can say with the greatest sincerity
that the prospect Of leaving France is
very painful to me.
II feel that my stay here. sir, has
enlightened both my heart and my
mind. It has enabled me personally to
see the evidence Of the suffering and
the sacrifices Of France. 1t has enabled
me to come into personal touch with
the leaders Of the French people and
through the medium Of intercourse With
them to understand better. I hope. than
I understood before, the motives. the
ambitions and the principles which act.
uAte this great nation. Il has. Tiers.
fore, been to me . lesson in the roots
Of friendship in those things which
make the intercourse Of nations profit
able ana serviceable for all the rest II
mankind.
Sometimes the work Of the confer.
ence has seemed to go very slowly in
deed. Sometimes it has seemed as II
there were unnecessary obstacles to
agreement. but as the weeks have
heightened I have seemed to see the
prof!t that came out Of that. Quick
conclusions would not have produced
that intimate knowledge Of each others
mind which think has come out Of
those dali conferences. We have been
constantly In the presence Of each 9th.
er's minds and motives and characters
ana the comradeships which are intelli.
gent not only. but to breed q much more
intimate sympathy - comprehension-
than could otherwise be created.
These six months have been ak
months which have woven new hbrss
OF connection between the hearts Of our
people.
'Jfisndshie 10 . vsry sesd thing. IN.
simsey 10 . very salightsning thiag.
But friendship may end with sentiment.
A new thing that has happened 10 that
~ have Translated cur common prtn.
e!e!es ana our common purposes into
. common plan. when W part va ass
not going to part with . finished work.
but With . work one portion Of which
u finished and the other portion Of
which IL only begun.
I'VE have finished the formulation of
peace. but We have begun a plan Of CO.
operation which I believe broaden and
strengthen as the years 90 by So that
this grip Of the hand that we have
taken now will need to be relaxed We
have been and shall continue to be COM
rades- We shall continue to be CO.
workers in tasks which. because they
are common. will weave out Of our SEN
t'ments common conception of duty
and common conception OF the rights
OF men Of every race and Of every
cline. If it be true that that has been
accomplished. it Is very great thing.
AS I go away from these scenes I
think I shall realize that have been
present at one OF the most vital things
that has happened In the history of ma
tions. Nations have formed contracts
with each other before. but they never
have formed partnerships. They have
associated themselves temporarily. but
they have never before associated them.
selves permanentlc.
The wrong that was done in the
waging Of this uar was a great WRONG.
but it wakened the world to great
moral necessity Of seeing that it was
necessary that men should band them
selves together in order that such
wrong should be perretrated again.
Merely to beat nation that was
wrong once is not enough. There
must follow the warning to all other
nations that would do like things that
they in turn will be vanauished and
shamed if they attempt a dishonor-
able purpose.
You can see then, sir. with what
IeellnSs those of us who must now
All illtIc WNllc turn away from
France. shall leave your shores; and
though the ocean is broad it will
seem very narrow in the future. It
will be easier to understand each
other than it ever was before and
with the confident intercourse of CO.
operation the understanding will be
strengthened into action and action
will itself educate alike our purposes
and our thoughts.
so, sir. in saying goodbye to
France, I'm only saying a sort of
physical goodbye: not a spiritual
goodbye. l shall retain in my heart
always the warmest feelings which
the generous treatment of this great
people has generated IN my heart.
and l wish in my turn, sir, to pro-
pose, as you have proposed, the safe
ty and prosperity Of France. the
closer and closer communion of free
peoples. And the strengthening Of
every influence which instructs the
mind and purpose of humanity"