estroyed. War on the part of Germany in the invaded
territories of the allies had degenerated into brigandage.

The task before the allied statesmen was to frame conditions of peace
that would make it impossible for Germany to devote her energies to
preparations for another war of conquest. That in itself was a most
difficult thing to arrange. In addition, among the allied nations were
many cross currents of national interests that had to be taken into
consideration and compromises effected. Probably no gathering of
statesmen ever had more momentous questions to consider. The allied
nations sent their premiers and most influential statesmen to the
congress in Paris. The president of the United States broke the customs
that had prevailed from the time of Washington to the present and was
one of the delegates from this country to the most important peace
council that the world had ever seen.

THE PEACE CONGRESS

The peace congress began its formal sessions January 12, 1919. Mr.
Clemenceau, premier of France, was elected chairman. The difficulties in
the way of an agreement among themselves as to the terms to be imposed
on Germany were so great that it was almost exactly four months before
the terms of peace were laid before the delegates from Germany. A
singular coincidence is to be noticed. It was almost four years to a day
from the sinking of the Lusitania. That act of piracy was one of the
acts that roused America and led to our intervention. The sinking of the
ship was made the occasion for a school holiday in Germany. The fourth
anniversary of the sinking was a day of gloom and despair for the
fallen nation. That country stood arraigned before the highest tribunal
in the world as the aggressor in the mightiest war of history and read
the stern decrees of the allies that stripped her of lands and powers.
History knows of no more startling changes in wealth and power than that
experienced by Germany as a result of the worlds war.

The treaty is the most voluminous one ever drawn. It contains about
90,000 words, or sufficient to make a volume half as large as this one.
That gives us an idea of the immense number of points that had to be
considered. For our purpose it is only necessary to present an analysis
of its principal provisions. No one except delegates of the nations
expressly concerned care for the entire text, but all desire a general
understanding of what the treaty sets forth. It re-draws the map of
Cen