The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-03-17


will see that each succeeding century OF
time brought man forward to an improve
ment over the state of those who pre-
ceded him.
There was a time, for instance, when
only few men could read or write. There
were no books, no ink or pens, no mails,
telegraphs or any means of intercourse |
between far separated friends other than |
There was no soap, no artificial |
teeth, no fires to cook with.
The poor man of today has comforts
and luxuries at his hand that King James
did not dream Of The l2-year-old daugh-
ter of an American laborer has a better
education than the princesses Of the
realm could ever hope to have in olden
times, or even in times that are far from
olden.
More than all this, it is necessary to
go only comparatively short distance
back into the past TO find time when
the common man was a slave and worse
he did not dare say so. lie was kicked
around like hound dog and had to
bear it without showing his teeth
In those times the common woman was
a drudge and all women were chattels.
They bore their young in travail and sor-
row without sympathy or the help Of
skilled knowledge to tighten their bur
dens
If, therefore, the world did not perish
of pessimism then, is there the slightest
reason for it to do so now?
And it did not perish then. Instead,
| it struggled always upward toward the
light There was always the voice of
some great admiral to shout the deathless
command: "Sail on
The one thing above all others on which
| the attention of the world is focused at
this hour is the international peace con-
| ference in France. The pessimists have
| seized upon it with avidity. There win
| be no league of nations, the pessimists
say And there will not be an end to
wars.
| But, let us tell these hopeless souls, who
take morbid happiness in hopelessness,
that there will be league of nations
and there viii be an end to wars. We be
lieve that both these blessings will CONS
out of the peace conference now sitting
But, if not, then they ara bound to come
anyway. The seed has been planted and
will grow. The idea is born and there
| is no power less than God that can xii
/ it.
But, the pessimists point to the fact
that there was league of nations in th'
past and what did it amount to? Thu
Holy Alliance is buried long since will
10000 yesterdays.
Yes, but that was a different time W,
have sailed on since then. Only the king
knew that there was a Holy Alliance. Blu
the whole world knows the present propo
sltion for league OF nations.
Things are being said in France toda
at the assemblase of the statesmen Their,
that are being said to the peoples of tn
world. And the peoples of the worl,
are listening to what is being said The,
are listening and they are thinking
1t is being said, over there. that
league of nations is necessary to preserv
the worlds peace, now and forever. /
IS being said that it is the peoples of tn
world and not the statesmen VI the king
that shall rule in the future. And it
eng said that the time has passed TO
greed and wrong and slaughter to plung
the world into disaster and chaos
| When there were no printing presse:
when only few men could read or write
when there were no telegraphs, books o
1t Burligton Wednesday on a charge c
newspapers, the peoples OF the worl
were not told what statesmen and king
| proposed to do or not to do.
We have sailed on past all that nov
As sure as God lives, there is a time a
hand when the sword maker and til
gun maker will find their occupation
gone There is a time at hand when til
strong nations of the earth must leagu
themselves together in and for righteous
ness. They must do so or perish, an
i they viii not perish because selfpreservi
ton is now, as it has always been. II
first law of nature.
Put your ear on the ground and lister
The voices of the admirals say sail on.
"
It is fortunate for the human race til;
the great majority that composed it
every age looked forward and not bacl
ward 1t is more than fortunate that il
| impulse has always been to sail on l
matter how thiek the weather or no
trackless the waters.
Let us approach this idea Of wor
at peace with lively sentiments of faitl
No matter how violently the world h;
been upset, no matter how badly it Ii
been broken. and no matter how dai
the hour appears nov, let us rcmemb
that those who went before us saw bIac
er days even than these have been, al
always they sailed on.
Hope stands smiling on the mounta
tops, and in the valleys memory" sa
the poet 1t is as true today as it il
- ii,
God for faith.
Indeed, ii one viii but calmly view Il
situation as il is lie win rejoice excee
ngly in his heart He viii see that /
wild unrest that is abroad is certain
subside, and that the troubled waite
viii soon be al rest again.
First an end must be put TO wars. TIL
hese other problems will be reached