The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1919-03-19
NORMAL AUDITORIUM
FORMER SWEDISH ARMY OFF,
GER SPEAKS FOR THE
LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Monday evening in connection with
the lyceum course Lieut.. Percy Rich
ards, formerly OF the Royal Swedish
Sth infantry, spoke at the Normal ~
ditorium in favor of the League OF
Nations as e en through European
eyeglasses. Mr.. Richards is a born
Englishman, but a citizen of Sweden,
and came TO America during the war
for he is married to an American
lady from New England. The con-
tents of his address, which won
hearty applause, were as follows:
| am not as yet a citizen Of this
great nation and feel. therefore, all
the more honored to have opportu-
nifty TO speak to you
What | long to express is only a
humble, but sincere echo of the senti-
ments of untold multitudes, who have
not been so graciously protected as
you. from the corroding poison of i'll
will and destruction.
You can feel convinced-and the
conviction will elevate your mind
that the whole civilization looks this
day to the United States, not only as
the material, but pre-eminently as
the spiritual redeeming force of the
world, and would. as a nan from
the other side. urge you fully and Sc
riously to realize your stupendous
mission and stand firmly behind your
remarkable president and his noble
purposes, which are destined TO be-
come the spirit of a renewed world.
America, whenever facing a PROPOSE
ton of unusual magnitude and wide
range. never did fail, and the sub
lime idea of a protective league OF
nations, conceived in America as an
unmistakable prophecy of the times,
Is too sacred, urgent and universal TO
be allowed to degenerate into the
temporary issue of local party inter
ests. for 1t has presented itself spon-
taneously as an inevitable necessity
to all mankind, and is, so far, the
fairest flower of moral achievement,
now budding on the silent graves of a
million valiant men. Be, therefore,
still true and big Americans. in other
words be the hope of humanity, the
salt of the earth, true to your spot.
less traditions, which always have
placed you In the vanguard of liber-
ating and more and more comprehen-
sive enterprises History, with con.
fidence, points at you now as the
coming leaders of a new world C.
no longer as an isolated, though ad.
mirable body of freeborn pioneers.
Your augmented power and start
ling accomplishments have greatly
Increased your responsibility among
the nations and your opportunity Of
service to progress. The times oil
Washington and Monroe were times
of moral self-defense and emancipa.
ton; the time of Lincoln those o.
moral growth and self-assertion, blu
the days of Roosevelt and Wilson
have become days of moral dictatioI
to the world. So during the course
of centuries do intrinsic values grow
into predominance, and reality Otter
eclipses the most cherished utopia
forcing u thoughts and actions into
different and unexpected directions
No constitution, however magnificenI
its structure, can continually measur,
us to the onward rush of events, anC
beyond the heights Of human wisdom
and foresight of a bygone time ex,
tends, unsurpassed, the principle Of
reciprocal service, the field of activ
ity OF which is evermore widening
In its larger aspects evolution oper,
ates Independently of constitution:
and inevitably outgrows them in The
fullness OF time, and their validity j:
obvious only in SO far as they ade
quately serve a purpose. NOTHING
can defect, its majestic course. Evo
luton cannot be fashioned so as Il
fit in with pre-existing constitutions
but constitutions must serve the de
mands Of evolution. In an ASCENDING
scale all these American statesmen
have been servants of the self-sam,
cause OF liberty, but at liberty a
each epoch pregnant with greater ant
unforeseen obligations. For libert,
without obligations speaks retrogres
sion. Their paramount motive; tn,
will to live and let live in happy con
sonance with the dictates OF con
science t~ranscends, unifies, and sane
titles them all Historical epochs ant
their judges are changing. and theil
scope temporary. Divine Purpos,
alone remains fixed, and only as her
aids of democracy could thus the in
flrences, Of these ruling minds har
moniously fit together and surviv,
the ages. For democracy, as we al
know, is not a national item alone
but the transforming ideal, which
will finally weld all nations togethe,
as q homogeneous unit. and to Amer
lea 1t was given to offer the most per
feet pattern. The sons and daugh
tiers Of America have now legitimate
~ assumed this inherited rulership
q rulership. which officially make
you your brothers keeper. for believ'
me. principles will stand where sin
lister calculation and CONJECTURE
crumble.
May your inner eyes open up to tn,
immensely of the issue at hand ant
the intensity of its pressure on you
hearts. and may the wisdom of
higher guidance prevent you from