The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-03-05
PRESIDENT TELLS HUGE
NEW YORK AUDIENCE HE
DOESN'T FEAR OUTCOME

this great enterprise only by the sup
position that the men who utter the
criticisms have never felt the great |
pulse of the heart of the world
Heart of the World is Awake.
And / am amazed-not alarmed,
but amazed that there should be in
some quarters such a comprehensive tx
norence of the state of the world These
gentlemen do not know what the mind
of men is as to justice now. Everybody
else does. | do not know where they
have been elcseted; | do not know by
what influences they have been blind
ed; but | do know that they have been
separated from the general currents of
the thoughts of mankind
And / want to utter this solemn
warning, not in the way of threat;
the forces of the world do not threaten.
they operate. The great tides of the
world do not give notice that they are
going TO rise and run; they rise IN their
ma iesty and overwhelming might. and
those who stand in the way are over
whelmed. Now the heartsof the world
is awake, and the heart of the world
must be satisfied
Do not let yourself suppose for a
moment that the uneasiness iii the pop,
ulations of Europe is due entirely to
economic causes or economic motives.
Something very much DEEPER underlies it
all than that.
| "They see that their governments
| have never been able to defend them
| against intrigue or aggression and that
there is no force of foresight or of pru-
dence in any modern cabinet to stop
war. And therefore they say: There
must be some fundamental cause for
| this and the fundamental cause they
are beginning to perceive to lie that
nations have stood singly or in little
jealous groups against each other, fos-
tering prejudice, increasing the danger
of war, rather than concerning measures
1 to prevent it, and that if there is right
in the world, if there is justice in the
| world, there is no reason why nations
should be divided in the support OF
justice.
''They are therefore saying If you
really believe that there is right, if
you really believe that wars ought e
be stopped, stop thinking about the
rival interests of nations and think
about men and women and children
throughout the world.
World Today Counts on Us.
Nations are not made to afford dis
tinction to their rulers by way os sue
cess i'll the maneuvers of politics; ma
tions are meant, if they are meant for
Eanythins, TO make the men and womeI
and children in them secure and happ,
and prosperous, and no nation has thu
right TO set up its special interests
against the interests and benefits o
mankind, least of all this great nation
which VIC love.
1T was set up for the benefit 0.
mankind: it was set up 10 illustrate th'
highest ideals and to achieve the high
est aspirations of men who wanted t,
be free; and the world-the world O.
today-belicves that and counts on rs
and would be thrown back into tn
blackness of despair if we deserted it.
81 have tried once and again, my fel
, low citizens, to say to little circles o
. friends. or to larger bodies. what seem
, to be the real hope Of the peoples o
| Europe, and | tell you frankly | hav
not been able to do 50 because whel
the thought tries TO crowd itself int
speech. the profound emotion of tin
thing is too mneh; speech viii not carry
: have felt the tragedy of the hope o
: those suffering peoples
lit Is tragedy because it is. hop
which cannot be realized in its perfec
ton, and vet | have felt, besides If
; tragedy, its compulsion upon every liz
ing man to exercise every influence tina
Fit has to the utmost 10 see that rs littl
e as possible OF that hope is disappointc
Y because, il men cannot now, after thi
agonv of bloody sweat, come TO thci
self possession and see how to regulat
4 the affairs Of the world, we will sin
{ back into period of struggle in whie
/, there viii be no hope, and therefore n
: mercy.
G There can be no mercy where thcf
is no hope, for why should you spar
:, another if you yourself expect to PEI
: ish Why should Won be pltiful ii yo
can get no pity! Why should YOU b
9 just if, upon every hand you are pa
. uponl
I :. Gentlemen on this side OF the waite
: kwould be very much proiited by gettn
c into communication with other 2entl,
: men on the other side Ct the waite
d We sometimes think, my fellow cit
zcns that the experienced statesmen {
: the European nations are an unusuall
Il hard headed set of men, by which "
: generally mean, although we do ne
p admit, that they are a bit cynical; tha
5 they ray This is q very practic;
IL world, by which you always mean tn;
$ il is not an ideal world; that they 4
not believe that things can be settle
( | upon an ideal basis
It Well, | never came into intimat