And State Papers 607 



in their own eager hearts. Such a nation, so placed, 

 will surely wrest success from fortune. 



As a people we have played a large part in the 

 world, and we are bent upon making our future 

 even larger than the past. In particular, the events 

 of the last four years have definitely decided that, 

 for woe or for weal, eur place must be great among 

 the nations. We may either fail greatly or succeed 

 greatly; but we can not avoid the endeavor from 

 wh>ch either great failure or great success must 

 come. Even if we would, we can not play a small 

 part. If we should try, all that would follow would 

 be that we should play a large part ignobly and 

 shamefully. 



But our people, the sons of the men of the Civil 

 War, the sons of the men who had iron in their 

 blood, rejoice in the present and face the future 

 high of heart and resolute of will. Ours is not the 

 creed of the weakling and the coward; ours is the 

 gospel of hope and of triumphant endeavor. We 

 do not shrink from the struggle before us. There 

 are many problems for us to face at the outset of 

 the twentieth century grave problems abroad and 

 still graver at home; but we know that we can solve 

 them and solve them well, provided only that we 

 bring to the solution the qualities of head and heart 

 which were shown by the men who, in the days 

 of Washington, founded this government, and, in 

 the days of Lincoln, preserved it. 



No country has ever occupied a higher plane of 

 material well-being than ours at the present mo- 



