54 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL. 



I ought not to speak of any other things. There is just one thing, 

 however, that I do want to mention. This marks, I think, the end of 

 about a hundred years of proclamation of the rights of men. If I 

 know what has caused the wars and the rumors of wars and the tumults 

 among mankind, I may say they have been caused by that never-ending 

 cry about the rights of men. Now, I am not disposed either to 3deld 

 my own or to ask you to yield yours, but I beg to recall to your mind 

 that there never came to any man a right that there did not also go 

 with it a corresponding duty. And so, I say that I hope this congress 

 will end the hundred years of the everlasting proclamation of the rights 

 of men and will inaugurate upon this Western Continent a hundred 

 years of the duties that men owe to one another in these lands of ours. 



It was a famous German who took a pen of gold and wrote upon the 

 white pages of the book of life a philosophy that had but one inquiry, 

 and that inquiry was a wail and had no answer save the answer of 

 despair. I do not like the philosophy of Nietzsche, but there was one 

 thing which he did say that has appealed to me. He said that men 

 must lead adventurous lives; and I congratulate you distinguished 

 members of this congress upon the fact that you have about begun to 

 lead the really adventurous lives of the world. For no one can con- 

 vince me that it is essentially necessary that men should gird their 

 loins with the sword, start out to kill, and slay, and make desolate in 

 order to be adventurous. I believe that the men who seek the common 

 weal, who seek to lengthen life, to make it far better, far sweeter, and 

 far cleaner than it has been, are leading the really adventurous lives. 



And so, may I, in welcoming you to this Republic of the North, give 

 you not only the mere lip service of a welcome, but give you the heart 

 salutation of a man who hopes that until the Angel of the Apocalypse, 

 standing with one foot on land and one on sea, shall proclaim, "Time 

 was, Time is, but Time shall be no more," there shall be peace, amity, 

 concord, friendship, loyalty, and liberality among the nations of the 

 Western World. 



In introducing the honorable Secretary of State, the next speaker on 

 the program, the president of the congress spoke as follows: 



"After this magnificent address by Vice President Marshall you 

 are to have the honor of hearing the voice of the high official who 

 directs in questions of wisdom the Department of State of the 

 United States and who, by virtue of his office, is at the same time 

 the chairman of the governing board of the Pan American Union, 

 the Secretary of State, Hon. Robert Lansing." 



