fore.

It isn't, therefore, for merely doctrinal reasons that we are
concerned for the spread of democracy nor merely because a
democracy is the only scheme of organization yet wrought out that
keeps the door of opportunity open and invites all men to their
fullest development. But we are interested in it because under no
other system can the world be made an even reasonably safe place to
live in. For only autocracies wage aggressive wars. Aggressive
autocracies, especially military autocracies, must be softened down
by peace (and they have never been so softened) or destroyed by
war. The All-Highest doctrine of Germany to-day is the same as the
Taxation-without-Representation of George III--only more virulent,
stronger, and farther-reaching. Only by its end can the German
people recover and build up their character and take the permanent
place in the world that they--thus changed--will be entitled to.
They will either reduce Europe to the vassalage of a military
autocracy, which may then overrun the whole world or drench it in
blood, or they must through stages of Liberalism work their way
toward some approach to a democracy; and there is no doubt which
event is impending. The Liberal idea will win this struggle, and
Europe will be out of danger of a general assault on free
institutions till some other autocracy which has a military caste
try the same Napoleonic game. The defeat of Germany, therefore,
will make for the spread of the doctrine of our Fathers and our
doctrine yet.

An interesting book might be made of concrete evidences of the
natural antipathy that the present German autocracy has for
successful democracy and hence for us. A new instance has just come
to me. My son, Arthur, who succeeded to most of my activities at
home, has been over here for a month and he has just come from a
visit to France. In Paris he had a long conversation with Delcasse,
who told him that the Kaiser himself once made a proposal to him to
join in producing "the complete isolation" of the United States.
What the Kaiser meant was that if the great Powers of Europe would
hold off, he would put the Monroe Doctrine to the test and smash
it.

The great tide of the world will, by reason of the war, now flow
toward democracy--at present, alas! a tide of