Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-09
A MAMMOTH UNDERTAKING

IL pedCe treaty IL C1A d IL AOH6eSL SSeA
written, and the statement of the number Of people who
something of the labor that has been necessary in franz
ing it. 1t is said that at, Paris there have been engaged
in this. work for the past three and a half months more
than a thousand persons, most Of them experts in some
particular department of affairs with which the treaty
had to deal. And this little army of people have been
engaged largely in the work of putting into shape the
results of the labors of a much greater number, extend
ing over a far greater period.
Even while the war was at its hottest, it was known
that peace must come. Those responsible for the conduct
of public affairs in each nation have been fully aware of
this fact, and the authorities of each nation have natur-
ally sought to equip themselves with such information
as would enable them to present their case in the most
effective manner when the time came for the actual dis
cussion Of peace conditions. Hence each nation has had
at work it's own corps of authorities and specialists in
various lines. The boundaries of a nation are estab-
lished with reference to the geographical contour, the
racial afinities of the people affected. their historical
background, and their commercial and Industrial sur
roundings. Hence there had to be brought to bear on
the shaping Of the treaty the knowledge of experts in
geography and history, in commerce and industry, in
ethnology and in military science, and in almost every
department of human knowledge. 1t required knowledge
of art and Of religion to determine that the Germans
should restore certain paintings wrongfully taken by
them, and should return a copy Of the Koran distracted
from one place and the skull of a caliph stolen from
another. To the non-artistic a picture more or less
means little, and We Of the western world may think
lightly OF a copy Of the Koran or a caliph's skull. But
all these things have their meaning and their importance.
In the oneNcase the artistic sentiments, and in the others
the religious feeling of multitudes of people have been
violated, and these things are as important in their own
way as are square miles of land and cargoes of goods. 1t
required men conversant with the value Of these things
to determine their disposition.
Great as is the number of people who have con-
tributed to the shaping Of the treaty, and vast as are
the labors which they have performed. they have not
been too many. nor their labors too great. The peace
congresss has been charged with the greatest. work ever
perfornaed at one time by human beings acting in COM
cert. Centuries hence the war of ~1s14-1s1s viii stand
forth - 6Ee Of the epochal events OF history. And the
work of the peace conference by which IT was brought
- = close wiilsbe held A. the elimination of that war,
sadaAs aabssinnins Of q Dew err IN history Old nations
hays bessns shattered to pieces, and new ones have been
creltsANSsi in place Of them. New boundaries have been
outlfnsdl. And, most important Of ali. new standards
shsss bsehseftabliahed and nev, ideals have. for the first
I'm zen siysn formal recognition by the combined ma
tioas NJ ~ serths
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