ress it. That
was my reason for asking to speak to ex-Harvard men. I did it because I
knew I should have men who thought as I did--men who looked on things in
the same way as myself. I knew you would be patient with me, and I was
certain you would give an answer to the question which I bring from
France.'

He paused momentarily, and shifted his position, but his face had gained
in determination. A few of his listeners encouraged him audibly, but the
remainder waited to see what lay behind the intensity of his manner.

'I don't want pity for my wound,' he resumed. 'The soldier who comes out
of this war with only the loss of an arm is lucky. Put that aside. I
want you to listen to me as an American who loves his country just as you
do, and who once was proud to be an American.'

He raised his head defiantly, and when he spoke again, the indecision and
the faltering had vanished.

'Gentlemen, the question I bring is from France to America. It is more
than a question; it is a challenge. It is not sent from one Government
to another Government, but from the heart of France to the conscience of
America. They don't understand. Month after month the women there are
seeing their sons and husbands killed, their homes destroyed, and no end
in sight. And every day they are asking, "Will America never come?" My
God! I've seen that question on a thousand faces of women who have lost
everything but their hope in this country. I used to tell them to
wait--it would come. I said it had to come. When the Hun sank the
_Lusitania_ I was glad, for at last, I told them, America would act. Do
you know what the British Tommies were saying about you as we took our
turn in the line and read in the papers how Wilson was _conversing_ with
Germany about that outrage? I could have killed some of them for what
they said, for I was still proud of my nationality; but time went on and
the French people asked "When?" and the British Tommy laughed.

'If I'm hurting any of you chaps, think of what I felt. One night behind
the lines a soldiers' concert-party gave a show. Two of the comedians
were gagging, and one asked the other if he knew what the French flag
stood for, and he said, "Yes--liberty." His companion then asked him if
he knew what the British flag stood for, and he replied, "Yes--freedom."
"Then," said the first comedian, "what does the American flag stand for?"
"I can't just say," said the other one, "but I know that i