The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-03-05

human spirit. the spirit of goodness
and truth in the world, is still only an
infant crying in the night, and that
the struggle with darkness is as yet
mostly an unequal struggle
Paris proved this terrible truth
once more. 1t was not Wilson who
rallied there, but humanity itself. 1t
was not the statesmen that failed, so
much as the spirit Of the peoples be-
hind them. The hope, the aspiration
FOR new world order of peace and
light and justice-hoWeVer deeply
and universally felt--was still only
Feeble and ineffective in compariSon
with the dominant national passions
which found their expression in the
peace treaty. Even if Wilson had
been one of the great demi-gods of
the human race, he could not have
saved the peace. Knowing the peace
conference as | knew it from within.
teel convinced in my own mind that
not the greatest man born of woman
in the history of the race would have
saved that situation. The great hope
was not the heralding of the coming
dawn, as the peoples thought, but
only dim intimation of some far off
event towards which we shall vet
have to make many long weary
march. Sincerely as we believed in
the moral ideals for which we had
fought, the temptation at Paris of a
large booty to be divided proved too
great. And in the end not only the
leaders but the peoples preferred a
bit of booty here, strategic frontier
oil Enl1
addition to their population or their
resourcesIto all the faint allure
ments Of the ideal. As | said at the
time, the real peace was still to come
and it could only come from a new
spirit in the peoples themselves.
What was really saved at Paris
was the child-the covenant of the
League of Nations. The political
realistS who had their eye on the loot
were rep3red~-however reluctantly
to throw that innocent little sop to
| President Wilson and his fellow ideal
lists. After all, there was not much
harm in 1t, it threatened no present
national interest, and it gave great
pleasure to q number of good unprac-
teal people in most countries Above
all, President Wilson had to be con-
cl!iated, and this was the last and the
greatest of the fourteen points on
which he had set his heart and by
which he was determined to stand or
fail. And so he got his way But it
is fact that only a man Of his great
power and influence and dogged de-
termination could have carried the
covenant through that peace confer
encc. Others had seen with him the
great vision, others had perhaps Civ
en- more thought to the elaboration at
fhe great plan. But his Was the pow
er and the will that carried il
through. The covenant is Wilson 5
souvenir to the future of the world.
No one Will ever deny him that hon
or.
The honor is very great. indeed, for
the covenant is one of the great ere
laliVc documents of human history.
The peace treaty Will fade into Nor
ciful oblivion, and its provisions will
be gradually obliteratcd by the great
human tides sweeping over the world.
I'ut the covenant will stand as sure
las rate. FortN-tWo nations gathered
round II ut TN" HiSi meeting OF lhe
'lca@uc at Geneva. And The day is
not far off when all the free peoples
Of the world viii gather round il. 1t
must succeed. because there is no
other way for the future of CiviliZa
lion. 1t does not realize tn" great
/ hopes born Of the war, but ii pro-
Nid,s the only method ana mstru-
.n.rut hy which i'm the coarse of time
those hopes can be realized. Speak
ing as one who has some right to
speak on the fundamental concop-
tions, objects, and methods of the
covenant, / Iccl sure that most Of