The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-03-05
Woodrow Wilson's Place in History.
(By General the Right Honorable Jan
Christian Smuts, Premier of the
Union Of South AfricaD


Union of South AfricaD
Pretoria, s. A., Jan. s. 1921
1t has been suggested that l should
write a short estimate and appraisal
OF the work of President Wilson on
the termination Of his presidency OF
the United States of America. feel
l. must comply with the suggestion.
| feel I may not remain silent when
there is an opportunity to say a
word of appreciation for the work
Of one with whom | came into close
contact at great period and who
rendered the most signal service to
the great human cause.
There is a great saying of Momm-
sen U believe) in reference to the
close of Hannibals career in failure
and eclipse. "On those whom the gods
love they lavish infinite joys and inf
rite sorrows" 1t has come back to
my mind in reference to the close Of
Wilson'S career. For a few brief mo-
ments he was not only the leader OF
the greatest state in the world; he
was raised to far giddier heights and
became the centre of worlds hopes
And then he fell, misunderstood and
rejected by his own people, and his
great career closes apparently in
signal and tragic defeat. What is the
explanation Of this tremendous trag-
edy, which is not solely American,
which closely concerns the whole
world? OF course, there are purely
Am erican elements in the eXplana-
ton, which | am not competent to
speak on. But besides the American
quarrel with President Wilson there
is something to be said on the great
matters in issue. on these ] may be
permitted to say few words
The position occupied by President
Wilson in the worlds Imagination at
the close of the great war and at the
was terrible in it's greatness. 1t was
terrible position for any mere
man TO occupy. Probably to no hu-
man being in all history did the
| hopes. the prayers, the aspirations Of
30 many millions of his fellows turn
with such poignant intensity as to
him at the close of the war. At a
iimc OF the deepest darkness and de-
$pair. he had raised alOft a light to
which all eyes had turned. He had
spoken divine words Of healing and
consolation to broken humanity.
! His lofty moral idealiSm seemed for
a moment to dominate the brutal
passions which had torn the old
world aSundcr And he was suppos-
! cd to possess the secret which would
rcrake the world on fairer lines. The
! peace which Wilson was bringing to
che world was expected to be God 5
peace. PrussianiSm lay crushed :;
! brute force had failed utterly. The
moral character Of the universe had
been most signally vindicated. There
was universal vague hope Of a
great moral peace, of new world Or
der arising visibly and immediately
on the ruins Of the old. This hope
VAS not mere superficial sentiment.
! 1t was the intense expression at the
end OF the war Of the inner moral
and spiritual force which had upborne
! the peoples during the dark night of
the war and had nervcd them to an
effort almost beyond human strength
Surely, surely, God had been with
them in that long night of agony RI is
was the victory; His should be the
peace. And President Wilson was
looked upon as the man to make this
great peace. He had voiced the great
ideals Of the new order; his great ut
teranCes had become the cOntractual
basis for the armistice and the peace.
The idealism o. Wilson would sure
ly become the reality Of the new Or
der Of things in the peace treaty.
In this atmosphere of extravagant.
almost frenzied expectation he ar
rived at the Paris peace conference
Without hesitation he plunged into
that inferno Of human passions. He
went down into the pit like a second
Heraclcs to bring back the fair Alccs-
tbs OF the worlds desire. There were
six months OF agOniZed waiting, dur
ing which the world situation rapidly
doteriOrGtCd. And then he emerged
with the peace treaty. IT was not a
Wilson peace, and ne made fatal
mistake in somehow giving the i'm
preston that the peace was in accord
with his fourteen points and his Vari-
ouS declarations. Not SO the world
had understood him. This was Il
Punic peace, the same sort OF peace
as the victor had dictated to the van
quished for thousands Of years. 1t
was not Alcestis, it was haggard