The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-04-21
THEY LIVE IN FEAB

american Foreign Trade League.)
The people Of Europe have always
lived in the fear Of invasion Even
in France the farmers live in villages,
because they had inherited from their
ancestors the dread Of invaders.
America was the first country IN the
world where the farmer and his fam
ily could live in safety on their own
land. This mental state OF the people
of Europe explains the tremendous
interests which they take in the
League Of Nations.
In the Middle Ages they tried build
ing cities with high stone walls
around them, but the robber kings
destroyed the walls. They have tries
maintaining great standing armies for
national defense, but this policy has
gone bankrupt. Twenty years ago ct
The Hague Convention, they were all
willing to agree on peace and dis
armament except the Kaiser, who OBJ
jected for reasons that are now well
known.
The educated white man wants a
place where he can work in peace,
without the dread that the fruits Of
his labor will be seized by robbers.
The thrifty Dutch built their cities in
salt marshes which invading armies
could not cross and for two cen ,uries
Holland was the commercial and the
financial center Of Europe, until Eng
land became still more prosperous.
Venice, the mistress of the mediter-
ranean for a thousand years. was
built on an island and her cautious
people carried on all their inter.
course with the world on a bridge
which connected them with the main
land. This bridge, the 'Rialto,' be-
came the great market and money ex.
change Of Europe.
Constantinople depended upon her
unusual location and her massive
walls, and stood for thousand years
until the Turks broke down the walls
with the first cannon used in warfare.
Carthage. the greatest city of the
world in its day, was hidden away on
the coast of Africa, on peninsula
that was easily defended. The Greeks
built their cities on islands or on
peninsulas. Tyre was built on an is
land, off coast guarded by high
range of mountains against the
marching hosts of Asia, and her walls
were built of massive stones. Baby
Ion, Ninevah and other great cities
OF antiquity were famous for the walls
that surrounded them to defend them
against the robber nations.
Our industries and our civilization
have come down to us as a heritage
Of the walled cities. Our republican
form Of government grew up In the
cities where men were free from the
fear Of invasion. 1t was slowly
evolved in the history of Tyre, Car
thage, the Greek cities. Venice and
the "free" (walled) cities Of europe.
When the kings of England wanted
more money they found their cities
were too well defended to permit them
to take by force. They had to sum-
mon representatives of these cities in
a parliament and made bargains with
them as a basis Of levying taxes on
the cities. From this condition par.
liamentary government grew up in
England. The English became the
most prosperous people in Europe be-
cause they were the first to establish
a condition of internal peace and they
had no fear of invasion.
Europe sees America as land
where the people have never had 70
build walls around their cities, nor
maintain great armies for defense
against robber invasions. They have
seen US become the most prosperous
nation the world has ever known,
because we can work in peace and
enjoy in peace the fruits of industry
The people of Europe want peace and
security because they want to work
without the fear of invasion or rob
Der wars.