The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-12-08
HARDING DECLARES
ARMAMENT FARLEY
WILL Be A SUCCESS.
Tells Red Cross Workers They
May Never Be Called
Upon Again to Enter
War
BY Associated Press

Washington, December 7.-Presi-
dent Harding, converting the annual
meeting of the American Red Cross
today, told its members chat they
might never be called upon again for
work" to relieve war suffering on a
scale comparable to that of recent
years, because 1--WE are going to sue
coed beyond our fondest hopes" in
the armament conference
The President spoke as follows;
II don't know of any relationship
which comes with the presidency of
the republic which touches the heart
and appeals to the inner man SO in
| timately as association with the
American Red Cross
II wish 1 could speak a little more
intimately. l am just as proud of
| what the American Red Cross does
| as though l were an intimate and
active participant in all its programs.
1t is one of the finest manifestations
of the better side Of America that
has ever been shown to ourselves or
to the world. / hope with all my
heart that much of the big work
which has been yours in the past
will never be asked of you again 1t
will be a wonderful thing for you
and for me to have lived in a period
when we have brought the con-
science of mankind into an under
standing where we shall have done
something tangible TO prevent call
ing upon you again for war service.
Going to Succeed.
And 1 like to say it to you, be-
cause 1 know whereof l speak. We
are going to succeed beyond our
fondest hopes; it is getting to be
pleasing to be able to say that things
never done before we can do now.
There isn't anything impossible when
the conscience of present-day civili-
zation is fixed on that accomplish
ment.
And quite apart from our con-
tribution to this new consciousness
in the world, quite apart from the
immediate benefits and satisfactions
which come to us, what a wonderful
thing it is to have lived and thought
and acted in such a way as to bring
the deliberate intelligent public opin-
ion of the world to this conclusion.
1 am so proud of America. l don't
mean in the sense we have heretofore
sted-becomingly-I don't mean in
any materialistic way, or in that
magic accomplishment which is justly
the pride of Americans. but l am
proud of America because l have
| been the witness to the radiation of
1 American conscience and American
public sentiment to the furthermost
! parts of the world.
You haven't any idea the influ-
| ence which the state Of mind of this
republic has had on the other ma
tons Of the world in this very cru
cial and important time, and it is so
fine to know that the rest of man
! kind accepts the attitude of this
great, powerful nation, much ADLER
to go in a competition for armament,
much stronger to assert its demands
through physical might than anybody
else in the world today and yet, not
withdrawing that more fortunate po-
sition of physical might and finan-
cfal strength here Is our republic
| asking nothing of anybody else in
the world except to join us in the
complshment of a thing which God
would wish and for which humanity
must rejoice
while | have found many a sat
| isfaction in the knowledge of the
tender things and sympathetic things
and helpful things and Christ-llke
! things which you have done, III is
( pleasure to say that / hope your
sympathfes and your humanities and
| your gentler and sympathetic minis
| trations and your generosity from
! this time on shall more largely be
applied to those inevitable misfor-
tunes and those unacceptable suffer
ings which come to peoples now ana
/ then in the peaceful course of hu-
man affairs. There Will never be
time when there is not work to 10,
but how much more comforting 1t -
going to be to have the conscious
ness that you are contributing to the
alienation of these unacceptable SUI
| ferlngs of peace rather than to be
called upon in the greater way as an
agency to relieve the sufferings de-
| liberately caused by war. II there Is
aught that l can do in my titular
connection with the order, l want the
vice presidents and the chairman OF
the committee to call on me, when
ever l. am needed, because 1t will be
a pleasure and comfort and compen-
| sation to serve with you on every
possible occasion"