COLONEL ROOSEVELT IN GERMANY. 611 



Speech and following his remarks concerning military virtue, the 

 former President said : 



" I saw some of your German troops march before the Com- 

 mander-in-Chief yesterday. I cannot understand how any German 

 could look upon those soldiers without a feeling of pride at the 

 physical and intellectual character of those soldiers from the farm 

 and shop, serving their time and then returning to their other work 

 to be replaced by other and younger men. I can see only hope for 

 the future with such men." The audience vigorously applauded 

 Colonel Roosevelt's remarks concerning mothers and housewives. 



PRINCIPAL THEMES OF THE COLONEL'S ADDRESS. 



The Colonel in his address presented the following thoughts: 



" Personally, I do not believe that our civilization will fall. I 

 think that, on the whole, we have growai better and not worse." 



" I think that, on the whole, the future holds more for us than 

 ever the great past has held." 



*' Assuredly the dreams of golden glory in the future will not 

 come true unless, high of heart and strong of hand, by our own 

 mighty deeds we make them come true." 



" We cannot afford to develop any one set of qualities, any one 

 set of activities at the cost of seeing others, equally necessary 

 atrophied." 



" We, the men of to-day and of the future, need many qualities 

 if we are to do our work well." 



" One of the prime dangers of civilization has always been its 

 tendency to cause the loss of the virile fighting virtues, of the fight- 

 ing edge." 



" When men get too comfortable and lead too luxurious lives 

 there is always danger lest the softness eat like an acid into our 

 manliness of fibre." 



"If the average man will not w^ork, if he has not in him the 

 will and the power to be a good husband and father; if the average 

 woman is not a good housewife, a good mother, dien the State will 

 topple, will go down." 



