The Glenwood post., 1920-11-06
u v Y. Ts ,Fs sss Ii. .i s '|'.1'
Current Events For the Children
and Growu-ups. Too

/
Uncle Ted was at work banking up
the foundations of the house for the
winter when Ruth and Jack interrupt
ed him, the latter asking: "Unele
Ted, what does Mr.. Harding mean
when he says our foreign service is
our first line of defense. I didn It
know we had foreign army"
Gle didn't refer to foreign army,
jack" said Uncle Ted, leaning on
his rake. "With the exception of q
few thousand soldiers being kept in
Germany by Mr.. Wilson we have NO
foreign army, and we don't expect
to have one if we can keep out Of the
Wilson world club. What Mr.. Hard
ing meant was the members Of our
diplomatic corps, men sent abroad to
represent our country in its relations
with foreign powers. If you will run
and get your Biographies and let me
finish this job 1 will give you little
talk on the foreign service" Ten
minutes later the three students Of
politics were seated in the parlor and
Uncle Ted, clearing his throat, began:
Centuries ago it was the practice
of kings to send their personal repre-
sentatives to other kings to talk about
alliances, agreements on the treatment
of citizens of the one country while
visiting the other, and trade relations
which might strengthen the friend
ships and prosper the subjects Of their
countries. AT first these representa-
tives were just royal messengers, but
later their duties became more perma-
nent. A man who was good bargain
er, or who had great success at par
ticular court, was retained there in
definitely. In those days, as he rep
resented his kings person, he could 90
in and see the king of the country to
which he was sent at any time.
"In the course of time a division
took place in the character of these
representatives, those who spoke for
their kings in matters political being
known as ambassadors, ENJOYS, etc.
These officials had much to do with
the development of the international
laws of today. Those whose duties
| were chiefly concerned with CONNER
cial matters were known as consuls.
Probably the consul is much the older
of the two, for We find men perform
ing consular duties as far back as 900
years before Christ, sent out by the
little Greek Island of Rhodes which
you see northeast of Crete in the Ae-
gean Sea. Those officers performed
bases of the sea law of today. From
great service in helping to develop
the Rhodian Laws, one of the chief
the 18th to the 18th Centuries there
grew up number f city states. In
Italy you will see Venice, Genoa, Pisa,
Verona, and many others, which organ
lied themselves for mutual defense, Of
tense, and commercial strength, into
the Lambard League. Along the Bal
tic sea were Hamburg, Danzig, and so
other cities, which organized the Han
seattle League; on the Rhine were
Mainz, Cologne, Strasburg, and 60
others which became the League of the
Rhine. The Lombard League was
mainly POLITICAL the other two chief
~ commercial; and there were other
leagues in various parts of Europe.
Ihese leagues maintained diplomatic
and commercial representatives in
many parts of the then known world,
who kept them informed of what was
going on. 1t was one of the chief
duties of both classes of officials To
keep well informed on political mat.
ters Frequently, because of their
knowledge and the confidence reposed
in them, they were able to bring about
understandings which prevented war,
or, failing in that, they were able to
warn their chiefs to get ready foe
"9upie ana prevent them from being
taken by surprise. They were a very
valuable asset to the people they rep
resented for they were the listening
posts in political and commercial mat
tiers. fe1
"There grew out of these relation
ships very sly and crafty system of
international dealing known ms 'di-
plomacy' which induced great
French philosopher, voltaire, to say
that Language was meant to conceal
our thoughts But diplomats fire.
quently performed such good service
in preventing fights that 1t could truly
be said, Peace hath her victories no
less renowned than war; Now, when
America became . nation, We sent out