Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-05-13
L. S. MOI n Dollar Chaser,
President wilson Declares
In French Academy Speech
Declares He Has Tried to
Disengage Am erican
Thought From Teachings
of the German Universities

PARIS, May 12-President Wilson,
in his address Saturday to the
French Academy of Moral and Po-
litical Sciences, entered strong dis
claimer of the idea that the Aneri-
can people were largely mater1allsts
or dollar worshipperS.
81 have had in recent months one
very deep sense Of privilege" the
president said. IT have been keenly
aware that there have been times
when the peoples of Europe have
not understood the people Of the
United States. We have been too
often supposed to have been devoted
chiefly, if not entirely, to material
enterprises. We have been supposed,
in the common phrase, to worship
the almighty dollar.
I'VE have accumulated wealth, sir,
we have devoted ourselves to mate
rial enterprises with extraordinary
success. but there has underlain all
that all the time. a common sense
of humanity and common sympathy
with the high principles of justice
which has never grown dim in the
field, even of enterprise, and it has
been my very great joy in these re-
cent months to interpret the people
of the United States to the people
of the world
Utters Peoples Thoughts
II have not done more, sir. I have
not uttered in my public capacity my
own private thoughts. l have ut
tered what l have known to be the
thoughts of the great people whom
represent. l have uttered the things
that have been stored up in their
hearts and purpose from the time
OF our birth as a nation
1t was at this point that the presi-
dent made his declaration that the
American people who came into the
world consecrated to liberty, were
ready to cast in their lot in common
with the lot of those whose liberty
Is threatened whenever the cause OF
liberty was seen to be imperillcc.
This is the spirit of the people
OF thu United States" he continued,
and they have been privileged to-
send 10000 men over here to tell
you so. 1t has been the great privt-
Iege not merely to tell you so in
words. but to tell you so in men and
material-the pouring out of their
blood" 80
President Wilson alluded to his
studies in the field Of political sci
made. ito put into the words Of
learning the thought of nation, the
attitude Of people toward public
anairs." He continued:
A great many of my colleagues in
American university life got their
SO many men in civil circles did. in
German universities. have been
obliged at various times to- read a
great deal of bad German. difficulf
German, awkward German, ana i
nave been aware that thee thoug hit
the thought was rooted In a fuYida-i
mental misconception Of the state and
of the political life Of peoples. And
1t has been a portion of my effort To
disengage the thought of American
university teachers from the misguid-
ed instruction which they had receive
ed on this side of the sea. Their
American spirit anticipated most Of
them, as a matter of course, but the
form of the thought sometimes mis-
led them. They speak too often OF
the state as thing which would ig-
more the individual as thing which
was privileged to dominate the for
tune of men by sort of inheritent
and sacred authority.
Can't Accept View
Now as an utter Democrat I have
never been able to accept that view
of the state. Ny view of the state is
that 1t must stop and listen to what
| have to say, no matter how humble
L am, and that each man has the right
to have his voice heard and his coun-
sci needed, in so far as 1t is worthy OF
him.
II have always been among those
who believe that the greatest free
dom of speech was the greatest safe
ty, because if a man is q fool. the
best thing to do is to encourage him
to advertise he fact by speaking. 1t
cannot be so easily discovered if you
allow him to remain silent and look
wise, b tuif you lie him speak, the
secret is out and the world knows
that he is a fool.
$50 it is by the exposure of folly
that it is defeated: not by the Sc
clusion Of folly, and in this free air
Of speech men get into that sort OF
communication with one another
which constitutes the basis Of all
common achievement. France,
through many vicissitudes an d
through many bitter experiences
found the way to this sort of freedom
and now she stands at the front Of
the world as the representative of
cOnetitutiOOa1 1ibertvD