a sheet anchor ere it sets forth on the voyage of life, of which 

 it presages dimly the perils and the storms. In days gone by 

 men attempted to equip the children with sheet anchors ready 

 made, with religion, with patriotism, and so forth. But the 

 history of states has shown that in this world such things are 

 no substitute for a knowledge of what is real, and it is upon that 

 basis that the fabric of our state is built. 



In such terms my informant spoke to me, telling me many 

 strange thingl^bout a state greater than any in the world 

 to-day. But whether the language of this state was English, 

 or German, or some other tongue to learn this was not 

 vouchsafed to me. 



