of two little nations. The world owes much to little
nations--and to little men! [Laughter and applause.] This theory of
bigness, this theory that you must have a big empire, and a big nation,
and a big man--well, long legs have their advantage in a retreat.
[Laughter and applause.] The Kaiser's ancestor chose his warriors for
their height, and that tradition has become a policy in Germany. Germany
applies that ideal to nations, and will only allow six-foot-two nations
to stand in the ranks. [Laughter.] But ah! the world owes much to the
little five-foot-five nations. The greatest art in the world was the
work of little nations; the most enduring literature of the world came
from little nations; the greatest literature of England came when she
was a nation of the size of Belgium fighting a great empire. The heroic
deeds that thrill humanity through generations were the deeds of little
nations fighting for their freedom. Yes, and the salvation of mankind
came through a little nation. God has chosen little nations as the
vessels by which He carries His choicest wines to the lips of humanity,
to rejoice their hearts, to exalt their vision, to stimulate and
strengthen their faith; and if we had stood by when two little nations
were being crushed and broken by the brutal hands of barbarism, our
shame would have rung down the everlasting ages. [Loud applause.]

"The Test of Our Faith."

But Germany insists that this is an attack by a lower civilization upon
a higher one. [Derisive cries.] As a matter of fact, the attack was
begun by the civilization which calls itself the higher one. I am no
apologist for Russia; she has perpetrated deeds of which I have no doubt
her best sons are ashamed. What empire has not? But Germany is the last
empire to point the finger of reproach at Russia. ["Hear, hear!"] Russia
has made sacrifices for freedom--great sacrifices. Do you remember the
cry of Bulgaria when she was torn by the most insensate tyranny that
Europe has ever seen? Who listened to that cry? The only answer of the
higher civilization was that the liberty of the Bulgarian peasants was
not worth the life of a single Pomeranian grenadier. But the "rude
barbarians of the North" sent their sons by the thousand to die for
Bulgarian freedom. What about England? Go to Greece, the Netherlands,
Italy, Germany, France--in all those lands I could point out places
where the sons of Britain have died for the freedom of those peoples.
[Loud