THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



557 



mean more than a brief respite from 

 bloodshed, an unstable truce, during 

 which the Prussian rulers of the Central 

 Powers would devote their energies to 

 preparing for another onslaught on de- 

 mocracy and liberty, for another attempt 

 to win world sovereignty. 



It is true that the free peoples of the 

 earth would never again be found as 

 unprepared as they were before this war 

 to meet a militant Germany and would 

 never again be victimized by German in- 

 trigue and perfidy. Every government 

 would look to that. But such a state of 

 uncertain peace would compel the whole 

 world to remain under arms in antici- 

 pation of German aggression. The re- 

 sources of the nations, already so heavily 

 taxed by this war, would have to be fur- 

 ther burdened for the maintenance of 

 great military and naval establishments. 

 Peace would be in constant jeopardy be- 

 cause it would depend on the belief of 

 Germany's rulers as to their ability to 

 succeed in a new essay of conquest. 



It is not such a peace as that which will 

 satisfy the longing of the world. It seeks 

 and must have a peace which will silence 

 for the future the clash of arms and will 

 make needless the marshaling of armies 

 and the- assembling of navies — a peace so 

 secure and so certain that man's energies 

 may be safely devoted to the productive 

 and not the destructive pursuits of life, 

 and nations may develop without fear of 

 becoming the prey of foreign aggression. 



This great war must end with a de- 

 cision which will be a blessing and not a 

 curse to the present generation and to 

 future generations. Prussianism, with 

 its distorted ideas, its false conceptions, 

 and its intolerable cruelties, must be 

 brought to an end. The Germanizing of 

 other countries must cease. The dream 

 of "Hamburg to the Persian Gulf" and 

 of an enslaved Poland and Russia must 

 be dispelled. 



German diplomacy and intrigue, as 

 now practiced, must be proclaimed an in- 

 ternational crime and suppressed forever. 



The philosophy of the "superman" and 

 of world mastery must die discredited. 

 The evil influences which have so long 

 poisoned the minds of the German people 

 must lose their potency. 



Until these great objects are accom- 

 plished, as they will be when the war 

 aims stated by the President are attained, 

 we must go on with the war. There is 

 no other way. Peace without a radical 

 change in present conditions, or even in 

 those conditions preceding the war, would 

 be interpreted by the German people as a 

 vindication of Prussianism. The Ger- 

 man Empire would continue to accept its 

 doctrines and to menace the world. 



We must go on with the war, intensify- 

 ing our efforts and expending all our en- 

 ergies and resources, if need be, to obtain 

 the great purpose for which we strive. 

 This task must not be left half done. We 

 must not transmit to posterity a legacy 

 of blood and misery. The world must 

 be made a safe place in which nations 

 and individuals may live free and happy 

 lives. 



We must go on with the war until the 

 desire of the nations is satisfied and until 

 human liberty is forever freed from the 

 peril which will continue so long as greed 

 and ambition and blood lust dominate the 

 German Empire, so long as Prussianism 

 is supreme in the mind of the German 

 people. 



A MIGHTY CRUSADE 



We may in this great conflict between 

 civilization and savagery go down into 

 the valley of shadows because our foe is 

 powerful and inured to war. We must 

 be prepared to meet disappointments and 

 temporary reverses, but we must, with 

 American spirit, rise above them. With 

 courageous hearts we must go forward 

 until this war is won. 



Closely associated, as I have been in 

 these critical days, with our great leader, 

 Woodrow Wilson, I have been more and 

 more impressed with his wise judgment, 

 with his stern determination to lead de- 

 mocracy to victory, and with his utter 

 confidence in the unity and splendid spirit 

 of the nation. 



Eet us, as loyal citizens of the Repub- 

 lic, serve in this mighty crusade against 

 Prussianism, confident, as our President 

 is confident, that the righteousness of our 

 cause and the courage and tenacity of 

 the American people will carry this war 

 through to victory and to peace. 



