The Sentinel=record., 1919-01-04

never witnessed before in the coun.
 cils of nations
 "lt Is for that reason that if seems
 to me you will forgiye me if i lay
 some of the elements of the new
 situation before you a moment. The
 distinguishing fact of this war is that
 great empires have gone 10 pieces. And tue characteristics of those em. pires are that they held different pao- pies reluctantly together under the
 coercion of force and guidance of in trigue
 The great difficulty among such states as those of the Balkans has been that they were always accessi
 ble to secret influence; and they were always being penetrated by intrigue of some sort or another: that north Of them lay disturbed populations which were held together, not by sym. pathy and friendship. but by tho coercive force of a military power. Now the intrigue is checked and the bands are broken and what we are going 10 provide is a new cement to hold the people together They have not been accustomed to being inde-
 pendent. They must now be indo. pendent
 T am sure that you recognize the principle as I do-that 1t is not our privilege to say what sort of gov ernment they should set mp But we are friends of those people and il is our duty as their friends to see to it that some kind of protection is thrown around them-so something sup piled which will hold them together
 There is only one thing which holds nations together, if ycu exclude force, and that is if vou include friendship and good will The only thin gthat binds men together is friendship, and by the same token the only thing that binds nations together is friendship Therefore our task at Paris Is to organize the friendship of the world-to see to it that all the moral forces that make for right and justice and liberty are united and are given vital organization to which the peoples of the world will readily and
 ladly respond
 The only use of an obstacle is to be overcome. All that an obstacle does With brave men is not to fright en them but to challenge them. So hat it ought to be our pride 10 over come everything that stands in the l way.
 We know that there cannot be an other balance of power. That has been tried and found wanting, for the pest Of all reasons that it does not stay balanced inside itself, and a weight which does not hold together cannot constitute make.weight in the affairs of men. Therefore taere must be something substituted for the balance of power and l am hoping tc find everywhere in the air of these great nations the conception that the thing m tt be a thoroughly united
 eague Of nations.
 What men once considered theo
 etical and idealistic turns out to be practical and necessary. We stand at
 the opening of q new age in which a
 1ew statesmanship will, l am conii- dent, lift mankind to new levels of endeayor and achievement
 During his speech the president constantly was interrupted by cut- bursts of aplauso and when he end ed he was accorded an ovation which lasted until he passed through thecMt of the building.
 Outside the throngs in the street took up the demonstration wNich continued until the doors of the Quir- inal closed behind MT. Wilson.
 The weather was warmer and more balmy today than the presidential party had experienced in France and England, and there was a feeling oI relief on the party
 The president met with the first continued sunshine since reaching Europe and he remarked today that the weather reminded him of that at home.
 During the day King Victor En- manuel presented General Diaz to President Wilson who compliment the Italian commander n-chief on tho magnificent achievement. The pres ident expressed regret that he would be unable to visit the Italian battle front owing 10 lack of time and the necessity of returning to Paris as soon as possible for tke work of the peace conference.
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