gif ‘4 ; e 
ADDRESSES 35 
into believing that it could raise armies over night and that it 
need only blow the tocsin and its sons would spring forth fully 
armed and in battle array. A nation that loved peace and 
thought that it would be left alone forever to pursue its solitary 
way. A nation also that has had no conception of the price 
men must pay for a worthy peace or an honorable “place in the 
sun.” A happy-go-lucky nation that has been too busy picking 
golden apples to care much for the slow, painstaking methods 
of science. When the whole story of the war is written, we may 
see that the fatal error of German strategy (an error based 
upon its own narrow view of things) was the failure to launch 
its first attack, not on little Belgium, but on the impotent 
United States. No alliance would have compelled any European 
power to raise a hand to help us. With that score settled, the 
starvation of England would have been easy. If we have 
another war, Germany will not make this mistake again. 
Even now, before the American army has been made fully 
ready, certain interests are talking of a quick return to the 
easy, irresponsible days before the war. Loud-mouthed 
patriots are already crying that they want to eat, buy, and sell 
what they want, when they want it, in whatever quantity they 
want it, without regard to the future of democracy in America 
or anywhere else. Even those of us who are more far-sighted 
are not yet through with the delusion that everlasting peace can 
be had for asking. Even while we are talking of such a peace, 
the German is talking of the next war. There is no hope of 
permanent peace for this country until we have developed an 
effective, unified, organized Kultur for ourselves. As a nation 
having a body of ideals, habits, achievements that can be 
respected we shall make ourselves powerful for peace. We can 
then accomplish something for world democracy. As a nation 
unorganized and uncontrolled, we cannot possibly save our- 
selves, to say nothing of making a real contribution to the peace 
of the world. As there is a Kultur formed to destroy national- 
ities, so there must be a Kultur dedicated to saving them; as 
there is a Kultur planned to sow discord, so there must be one 
just as efficient and far more powerful, planned deliberately 
to promote peace and understanding. As the one is bound to 
make itself feared, the other must make itself respected and 
