The Elbert County tribune., 1919-02-28
OF being regarded a. the friend of

OCCupy a
piece OF territory where It is thought
nobody else will be welcome. they ask
for American soldiers. And where
other soldiers y ouid be looked upon
with suspicion aod perhaps met with
resistance. the American soldiers are
welcomed with acclaim
Il rave had SO many grounds for
pride ON the other side of the water
that i am very thankful that they
are not grounds for personal pride but
for national pride. II they were
grounds for personal pride I'D be the
most stuclSup man in the world. And
u has been an infinite pleasure to me
to see those gallant soldiers OF ours
Of whom the constitution OF the United
states made me the proud commander.
IT.. y on may be proud OF the Twenty
Twenty-sixth division daughter and
applause). and see what they did un-
der my directien, And everybody
praises the American soldier with the
feeling that in praising him he is sub
tracing from the credit of no one else.
4 have been searching for the fun
damentai fact that converted Europe
to believe in us. Before this war Eu-
rope did not believe in us as she does
throughout the first three years OF the
war She seems really to have be-
lieved that we. were holding off be-
cause we thought we could make more
by staying out than by going in. And
all OF sudden. in short eighteen
months. the whole verdict is reversed.
rhere can be but one explanation for
1t. They saw what we did-that with
out making single claim we put all
our men and all our means at the dis
posal of those who were fighting for
their homes, in the first instance but
Tor cause the cause of human rights
and justice. and that we went in not
to support their national claims but to
support the great cause which they
held in common.
And when they saw that America
not only held ideals. but acted ideals
they were converted to America and
became firm partisans OF those ideals.
anf ~ = H..
was in Paris. Some gentlemen from
one of the Greek universities who had
come TO see me. and IN whose pres
ence. or rather in the presence OF
whose traditions of learning / felt
very young indeed. And 1 told them
that ] had had one Of the delightful
revengcs that sometimes come TO a
man; All my life ! have heard men
speak with a sort of condescension of
idealists and particularly OF those sep
arate. incloistered persons whom they
chose To term academic, who were in
the habit Of uttering ideals in the free
atmosphere when they clash with no.
And / have said have this sweet
revenge. Speaking with perfect frank
l have uttered as the objects OF this
great war. ideals and nothing but
ideals. and the war has been won by
that Inspiration. Men were fighting
with tense muscle and lowered head.
until they came to realize those things
feeling they were fighting for their
y.
these accounts of what II was all about
reached them from America they INT
ed their heads. they raised their eyes
to heaven; then they saw men in
khaki coming across the sea in the
spirit OF crusaders and they found that
those were strange men. reckless OF
they seemed to see something that
made danger worth while. Men have
testified to me in Europe that men
could only call religious fervor. They
were not like any OF the other soldiers
They had vision, they had dream.
and they were fighting in the dream
and fighting in the dream they turned
the whole tide OF battle and II never
came back
And now do you realize this couri-
donce we have established throughout
the world Imposes n burden upon us?
II you choose to call II burden IT
is one of those burdens which any ma
tion ought to be proud to carry Any
man who resiEts the present tides that
run In the world will find himself
thrown upon a shore so high and bar
rem that II will seem as II he had been
separated from his human Kind for
ever.
81 invite him to test the sentiments
OF the nation. We set this nation up
to make men free and we did not con-
iine our conception and purpose to
Now" said the President. this con-
ference we have established calls for
of hope. The Europe OF the third year
of the war was sinking to "A stubborn
desperation. They thought the end OF
the war would eventually be resump-
tion of the old order. They never
dreamed 1t would be a Europe OF set
Now all the peoples of Europe are
buoyed up in the hope that all the ma
tions OF the world shall unite their
moral and physical forces that right
shall prevail. If America should fail
the world Of its hope. the nations will
be set up as hostile camps again. and
go home with their heads upon their
breasts because they Will have failed
We would leave on the peace table
nothing but a modern scrap of paper"
Men, he declared. who would have
America fail the world in its hopes saw
only beyond the nearest horizon.
They do not know the sentiment of
America" he said.
Speaking Of hopes of the people of
Europe for a lasting peace which he
said were pinned To the United States
as the friend OF mankind" the Pres
ident said he had no more doubt OF
the verdict of America In this matter
than ! have Of the doubt OF the blood
that is In me-"
The nations OF the world have set
their heads now to do great thing
of their purpose" he said
II do not speak OF the governments.
but OF the peoples who will see that II
tnelr present governments do not do
their will some others will. And the
secret Is out and the present govern
mont knows It,
Il have come back for an attempt to
transact business for little while in
America. but ! say in all soberness
thoughts. Probing deep in my heart
ana tryinE to see the things that are
right rather than the things that are
America.
II lind that in loving America have
93ined the majority OF my fellow men
throughout the world"