Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-01-06

Win tneir appendices. over l,2OV type
written pagcs. some half-million |
words make up the complete and |
only ofYiciAl record OF the Peace Con-
ference; mono OF which has yet been
publiahed.
Second: Tho second category In |
cludes n large number OF reports and |
memoranda made by the members OF
the American Delegation for the Presi- |
dent. also British and French reports
that came into hts hands In the course
OF the discussions. together with many
Of the records and minutes OF tho sub
ridisry commissions. such as tho Su-
preme Economic Council. and the varl-
Gus expert and investigatory commit
toes. These documents contain much
valuable historical material. revealing
the attitude OF tho various nations
represented at Paris At each point In
tho discussions. and the exact opin-
ions OF the delegates and experts.
Wilson Made Marginal Memoranda.
IN this category, also. should place
tho Presidents own Invaluable memo
randa, often on tho margins OF docu-
ments. sometimes upon separate
sheets written upon his typewriter or
In his own stenographic hieroglyphics
which he has. In some cases, inter-
pretet for the writer. Especially val
liable and interesting are the nota-
tons In the Presidents hand showing
the development OF the League OF Ma
tions Covenant and the extraordinary
number OF changes made in certain
Of tho articles. Here also are the
original drafts OF the Covenants made
by the President. Colonel House. Lord
Robcrt Cecil. Baron Phillimore. Gen.
eral SHUTS. NJ. Bourgeois. the italian
and Swiss schemes, and others. All
this material came naturally into the
hands OF Mr. Wilson. There IA no.
whore probably more complete or
explanatory record OF every step In the
development OF the League Covenant
than this.
Third: The third category, in many
ways the most interesting OF any, con-
tains tho varied correspondence, petit
tions, resolutions. letters. which came
personally TO the President FOR help In
a hundrd causes-how the stricken
people OF tho nations turned with hope
and faith TO America. how bitter the
rufrerinG was. and how vital the need.
I found the examination OF this ma
tcrisl a brcathless and exciting ex-
pcricnce. like going through trea-
sure-chest not filled with gold. hut
with the very souls OF mankind. Here.
for example, IN a bulky petition from
$1,000 Juso-Slavs in the Fiume dis
trict beautifully bound In embroider-
cd silk with an eloquent statement OF
how the names had been collected,
partly by girls and women, sometimes
with great risk TO themselves. Here
are pathetic appeals from starving
Armenisns. discontented Persians.
suffering Alhanians, ambitious Ukran-
ians, all eager TO get tho ear and the
friendly help OF America; here are
communications in the strangest
variety and from every sort OF
people; autograph letters from most
Of the heads Of European nations--for
example. one from the King OF Spain.
written in English and enclosing let
ter In German from my cousin.
Charles. the late Emperor of Austria"
here letters from Lloyd George,
memoranda from Clemenceau and
Orlando. appeals from leaders and
puhlicists OF America, Great Britain.
France and other countries. ~sugges-
tons from experts not connected with
the conference. warnings from radical
leaders; an extraordinary exhibit of
the thought OF the world.
President Not In Seclusion.
Those who have a picture of the
President immured in kind of clois-
ter at Paris and cut off from knowl-
edge OF what the world was thinking
about, have OF course, no knowledge of
these sources OF information and ad
vice. II was the commonest ex-
perience. AT Paris, to find eager dele
cations who had come hundreds of
miles, often with difficulty and danger,
trying 70 get to the President to give
him information he already possesse
IL would have been better. upon the
human side. il the President could
have seen face TO face all these people
he did see an extraordinary variety
Of them-for they would have gone
away feeling that they had had a real
part in shaping the fate OF the world;
but this was not only physically i'm
possible. but 1t was not the way the
President worked. His training in all
mis- previous life. 1t should not be for
gotten. hsd been that Of the scholar,
the student. not the politician. accus-
| toned TO getting his information not
from people but out OF books, docu-
ments. letters-the written word. Hav-
| ing thus the essence OF the matter, he
probably underestimate the value OF
these human contacts. And too often
!; was not real information these dele
cations had TO offer. but arguments.
propaganda, irrelevant appeals for
sympathy
Everybody Kept . Diary.
In the preparation. OF this history
the writer has also had the great ad-
vantage OF many converse tons both
at Paris and since with various men,
bers OF the commissions. both Ameri-
can and foreign, and has been able
thus to supplement his own knowledge
OF specific events. He has also had the
good fortune TO see the personal rec
ords made by some OF the men who
were there. l suppose there never was
a conference IN which every human
being present was 20 struck with a
kind OF historic awe. Almost everyone
except the President. kept diary. OF
which the President was undoubtedly
the central objects. the chief interest
Some OF them wrote surrepritiously
some boldly and without shame. Sec
retary Lansing was an indefatigable
diar!st. ! remember seeing him many
times sitting alone in his big empty
office. writing in a small neat book, In
a smah. neat. formal hand. When one
came In TO talk with him. he would
lay down his pen. reach for a pad of