--America cried out that she alone of all
the nations would stand aloof. Let history gloss it over as it will,
we held back the hand of succour that Europe craved for.

'From the land of scented mists came the Japanese; from Greece, that
once was first in all the arts; from South America and the countries of
Europe, men gathered to the League of Nations, hoping, groping for the
light--_and we were not there_.

'As I write to you, my son, the League is an impotent, powerless thing,
at which the men who know only nationality and not humanity sneer and
make jest. The body is there--America alone could be the heart.

'Bloodless, helpless, it is in semblance a living thing, but all men
know it has no life, and already the diplomats who have no other way
are using it as a shield for their methods that cannot bear the light.

'My son, in the hush and loneliness of night, ponder over these words.
Because of those things, avoidable and unavoidable, that kept us
silent; because so many of us were false to the trusteeship that fell
on our generation; because we had not learned that America was greater
than Americans, but tried to imprison the spirit of the Republic within
the little confines of our souls--because of these things thousands of
men were foully done to death. How many Miltons, how many Lincolns,
were crucified in that army of the young?

'_We must repay_. Our destiny is clear, and no people can thwart its
destiny without the gravest danger. Our duty is to restore. Whatever
our resources, in things material or of the spirit, this generation and
yours and the generation to follow must give unsparingly. Our minds
and hearts must turn to Europe, for only in service to mankind can
America fulfil that for which she was created.

'Across the seas lies England. She has done much that is unworthy of
her in the past; she has much to teach and much to learn; but within
the heart of Old England there is majestic grandeur and great
mercifulness, and with that heart ours must beat in unison. The solemn
splendour of Britain's sacrifice must never be forgotten.

'Believe in life, my son. Believe in men. Take on my charge and fight
the flames of Ignorance, not as I did, but with the power of Reason and
of Right. The universal mind is still alive. Trust in it as Wagner
when he wrote his music, as Shelley when he sang of beauty, as
Washington when he founded this great Republic. Men speak through
their nationalities