The daily morning oasis., 1920-09-25
"THE HERITAGE OF THE AGES''

Some years ago, before outbreak of the great
world war there was published pamphlet which dis
cussed the question whether the United State owed
any duty to the world, which discussed the subject
from standpoint that was both original and novel
brochure opened with the remark: "that as the mat
ter is OF world Importance it would be we'll to tly
first for definite item of what the situation of the
United States is both physically and morally in the
world, and it would first be right to take stock of
what possessions are in proportion to the whole
worlds assets"
Proceeding from that postulate the pamphlet
went on to demonstrate that in he hard facts of
OF Physical Geography the territory of the United
States, taken square mile by qpuare mile is for it's
size the most valuable piece of real estate held by any
Of the peoples of the world
Then the argument proceeded to examine what
the proportionate product bears Of this people and
this territory to other parts of the world and it ap-
pears that the United States, holding about one
sixteenth Of the earth of the EARTH contributed about
one-eighth of the foreign commerce of the world
while Germany with one-fofteenth part Of the sur
face contributed to the world commerce oneseventh
so that for the general purposes Of mankind Ger
many snp1liod l. per cent. more than the United
States, While holding only 60 per cent less of the
territory
This data "a, gathered frc mthe United States
statistical abstract published in 1914 and of course
are above 1pe+ fnent and have no leaning in favor
as yet done anything to establish moral foundation
to Justify their ne appropriated to themselves
the hest piece of X al estate that is to be found any,
where in the world, ~ quite possible that there
cortain sub - rs ser Sc that there was
semet' ing owing by them to Other peolos in the
world that lead tire American reone into the world
war through which they made their short but trium-
plant proyrr~c.
1t that were GO it would but emphasize debt
that may be found to accrue from many sources. We
haze been le'i Ell TO our adanvced position in the
world from ccnUrrent quarters. Thus while the
natural wealth of territory counts for much and
puts in the ,is' of the favored heir of large
estate, who ordinarily feels under an obligation to
help along MS less fortunate relatives our portion of
the earth would have een less rapidly improved and
less sklfully mananed had we not also received from
abroad the irtits Ct q stored-up mentality that had
been Gnwnowrg]y working for our benefit ages be-
fore the Western Continent had been discovered
was there not some great poet who sang of the
greatness of those Who the "Heirs Of tho Ages?"
an of the re 5, orsi;ites that nuno upon those who
carried the t:.l;nr Of such great inheritance?
Assuredly thu greatest inheritance that any peo-
pie could cive Upon this planet is the long spiritual
development Il at is the growth of English history
with its fire distinction of the varying functions of
the Safeguarding State We have therein a concep-
ton of human dignity that is directly the opposite
OF HIT idea of russian o7eror1ship, which has led
Germany INTO such disastrous humiliation. All this
educational al,it has rome to the American people
from sources { :,id Of their own territory 1t is
something For vi ch We are indebted to the outside
world 1%g
BE it remembered that when we divided up the
British heritage It was not the lame the halt and the
blind that gfated to the Western Atlantic Those
men who f. uwed the Pilgrim Fathers, as Hendrick
Hudson, CT William Penn, or Lord baltimore, or
General Os1ethOrpC were not chosen from the timid