FIGHTING THE INSECTS 



were all brothers there, that we were not English or French or 

 German or Austrian or Russian or Italian, but that we belonged 

 to the World Nation of Entomologists. And yet two years later 

 the very nations I mentioned were in desperate conflict. 



It was long after the close of the war that peaceful interna- 

 tional scientific congresses, attended by delegates from the former 

 batding nations, were resumed. One of the first of these was 

 the international conference of phytopathologists and economic 

 entomologists that was held at Wageningen, Holland, in 1923. 



There were present at this congress delegates from nearly all 

 of the countries that had been at war. We were naturally curious 

 to see whether there would be any stiflness or any change in 

 mutual attitudes as a result of the previous violent national 

 feelings, but everyone seemed determined to ignore the past, 

 and to act as though the events of the period between 1914 and 

 191 8 had never occurred. I think, however, that the eyes of 

 each of us were rather keenly watching for the minutest signs 

 of discomfort on the part of the others. I thought I noticed 

 that the Germans were rather on the defensive at first. I saw 

 signs which indicated that they did not know exactly how 

 they would be received and treated, though they were friendly 

 enough and seemed ready to meet the others in a whole-hearted 

 way. This sensitiveness soon passed away, and most of them 

 assumed their old pre-war-time manner. 



Socially and scientifically, this Wageningen Conference was 

 a great success. The delegates were royally entertained, and 

 taken from one point to another through the wonderful bulb- 

 growing districts of Holland. Many speeches were made by 

 prominent Dutch officials, and, as I have stated before, much 

 indignation and regret was expressed at the action of the 

 United States government. The American delegates were fre- 



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