第1章

ToEdwardandAnnaMartinwhogivehelpintimeoftroubleChapterI:ConcerningOne"sLetterBoxPublishanysortofconvictionrelatedtothesemorosedaysthroughwhichwearelivingandletterswillshoweruponyoulikeleavesinOctober。Nomatterwhatyourconvictionbe，itwillshakebothyeasandnaysloosefromvariousmindswheretheywerehangingreadytofall。Neverwasatimewhensomanybrainsrustledwithhatesandpanaceasthatwouldsailwideintotheairatthelightestjar。Tryitandsee。SaythatyoubelieveinGod，ordonot；

saythatDemocracyisthekeytothemillennium，orthesurvivaloftheunfittest；thatLaborisworsethantheKaiser，orbetter；thatdrinkisademon，orthatwineministerstothehealthandthecheerofman——saywhatyouplease，andtheyeasandnayswillpeltyou。Soinsecurelydotheplainest，oldesttruthsdangleinamobofdisheveledbrains，thatitislikely，didyouasserttwicetwocontinuestoequalfourandwehadbeststicktothemultiplicationtable，anonymousletterswouldcometoyoufullofpassionateabuse。

Thinkingcomeshardtoallofus。Tosomeitnevercomesatall，becausetheirheadslackthemachinery。Howmanyofsucharethereamongus，andhowcanwefindthemoutbeforetheydousharm?Sciencehasatestforthis。Ithasbeenappliedtothearmyrecruit，buttothecivilianvoternotyet。ThevotingmoronstillrunsamuckinourDemocracy。OurnativeAmericanairisinfectedwithalienbreath。Itissothickwithopinionsthatthelightisobscured。Willthesaneoneseventuallyprevailandhealthesickatmosphere?Wemustatleastassumeso。Else，howcouldwegoon?

ChapterII:WhatthePostmanBroughtDuringthewinterof1915IcametothinkthatGermanyhadgonedangerouslybutmethodicallymad，andthattheEuropeanWarvitallyconcernedourselves。ThisconvictionIputinabook。Yeasandnayspeltedme。Timeseemstoshowtheyeashadit。

DuringMay，1918，IthoughtwemadeamistaketohateEngland。Isaidsoattheearliestopportunity。Againcametheyeasandnays。Youshallseesomeofthese。Theyareofhelp。Timehasnotsettledthisquestion。Itisasaliveasever——morealivethanever。WhatiftheArmisticewaspremature?WhatifGermanyabsorbRussiaandjoinJapan?WhatiftheLeagueofNationsbreaklikeatoy?

Yeasandnaysareputherewithouttheconsentoftheirwriters，whosenames，ofcourse，donotappear，andwho，shouldtheyeverseethis，arebeggedtotakenooffense。Noneisintended。

Thereisnointentionexcepttopersuade，ifpossible，afewreaders，atleast，thathatredofEnglandisnotwise，isnotjustifiedto-day，andhasneverbeenmorethanpartlyjustified。Itisbaseduponthreefoundationsfairlydistinctyetmeetingandmergingonoccasions:firstandworst，ourschoolhistoriesoftheRevolution；second，certainpoliciesandactionsofEnglandsincethen，generallydistortedorfalsifiedbyourpoliticians；andlastlycertainnationaltraitsineachcountrythattheotherdoesnotshareandwhichhavehithertoproducedperennialpersonalfrictionbetweenthousandsofEnglishandAmericanindividualsofeverystationinlife。Theseshallinduetimebeillustratedbytwosetsofanecdotes:one，disclosingtheEnglishtraits，theothertheAmerican。IsayEnglish，andnotBritish，advisedly，becauseboththeScotchandtheIrishseemtobewithoutthosetraitswhichespeciallygrateuponusanduponwhichweespeciallygrate。Andnowfortheletters。

Thefirstisfromasoldier，anenlistedman，writingfromFrance。

"Allowmetothankyouforyourarticleentitled"TheAncientGrudge。"……LikemanyotheryoungAmericanstherewasinstilledinmefromearlychildhoodafeelingofresentmentagainstourdemocraticcousinsacrosstheAtlanticandIwasonlytooreadytoacceptastruethosestoriesI

heardofEnglandshirkingherdutyandhidingbehindhercolonies，etc。

ItwasnotuntilIcameoverhereandsawwhatshewasreallydoingthatmyopinionbegantochange。

"WhenfirstmydivisionarrivedinFranceitwasbrigadedwithandreceiveditsinitialexperiencewiththeBritish，whoprovedtoushowlittlewereallyknewofthewarasitwasandthatwehadyetmuchtolearn。SoonmyopinionbegantochangeandIwasregardingEnglandasthebackboneoftheAllies。YetthereremainedacertainsomethingIcouldnotforgivethem。Whatitwasyouknow，andhaveprovedtomethatitisnotourplacetojudgeandthatwehavemuchforwhichtobethankfultoourgreatAlly。

"Assuringyouthatyour……articlehassucceededinconvertingonewhoneededconversionbadlyIbegtoremain……"

HowmanyAmericansoldiersinEurope，Iwonder，havelookedaboutthem，haveusedtheirsensibleindependentAmericanbrains(ourverybestcharacteristic)，haveleftschoolhistoriesandhearsaybehindthemandjudgedtheEnglishforthemselves?Agoodmany，itistobehoped。Whatthatjudgmentfinallybecomesmustdependnotaloneuponthepersonalexperienceofeachman。Itmustalsocomefromthatliberalityofoutlookwhichisattainedonlybygettingoutsideyourownplaceandseeingalotofcustomsandpeoplethatdifferfromyourown。Amindthusseasonedandbalancednolongerleapstoanopinionaboutawholenationfromthesporadicconductofindividualmembersofit。ItistobefearedthatsomeofoursoldiersmayneverforgetormakeallowanceforacertaininsulttheyreceivedinthestreetsofLondon。Butofthislater。ThefollowingsentenceisfromaletterwrittenbyanAmericansailor:

"Ihaveread……"TheAncientGrudge"andIwishitcouldbereadbyeverymanonourbigshipasIknowitwouldchangealotoftheirattitudetowardEngland。IhavearguedwithlotsofthemandhaveshownsomeofthemwheretheyarewrongbuttheCatholicsanddescendantsofIrelandhaveadifferentargumentandasmyeducationisn"tverygreat，I

knowverylittleaboutwhatEnglanddidtotheCatholicsinIreland。"

IrelandIshalldiscusslater。Irelandisnomoreourbusinessto-daythantheSouthwasEngland"sbusinessin1861。ThattheIrishquestionshoulddefeatanunderstandingbetweenourselvesandEnglandwouldbe，toquotewhatagentlemanwhoisatoncealoyalCatholicandaloyalmemberoftheBritishGovernmentsaidtome，"wreckingtheshipforaha"pennyworthoftar。"

Thefollowingisselectedfromthenays，andwaswrittenbyabusinessman。Imustnotomittosaythatthewritersofalltheselettersarestrangerstome。

"AsoneAmericancitizentoanother……permitmetogivemypersonalviewonyoursubjectof"TheAncientGrudge"……

"Tobeginwith，Ithinkthatyoustartwithafalseideaofourkinship——

withtheideathatAmerica，becauseshespeaksthelanguageofEngland，becauseourlawsandcustomsaretoagreatextentofthesameorigin，becausemuchthatisgoodamonguscamefromtherealso，isessentiallyofEnglishcharacter，boundupinsomewaywiththesuccessorfailureofEngland。

"Nothing，inmyopinion，couldbefurtherfromthetruth。Weareadistinctiverace——nomoreEnglish，nationally，thanthepresentKingGeorgeisGerman——ascloselyrelatedandasalikeasacelluloidcombandastickofdynamite。

"WeareboundupinthesuccessofAmericaonly。TheEnglishareboundupinthesuccessofEnglandonly。Weareasfriendlyasrivalcorporations。

Wecanuniteinacommoncause，aswehave，but，oncethatisover，wewillgoourownway——whichway，owingtotheincreaseofourshippingandforeigntrade，islikelytobecomemoreandmoreantagonistictoEngland"s。

"Englandhasbeenacommerciallyunscrupulousnationforgenerationsanditisidletothrowtheblameforthisorthatactofanationonanindividual。Suchargumentsmightbekeptupindefinitelyasregardsanactofanycountry。Aresponsiblenationmustbearthepraiseorodiumthatattachestoanynationalaction。IfEnglandhasexperiencedachangeofheartithasoccurredsincethedaysoftheBoerRepublic——aswantonastealasBelgium，withevenlessexcuse，andattendedwithsufficientbrutalityforallpracticalpurposes……

"Shehasdoneusmanyanillturngratuitouslyandnotasinglegoodturnthatwasnotdictatedbyselfishpolicyorjealousyofothers。Shehasshownherself，uptillyesterdayatleast，graspingandunscrupulous。Sheisnoworsethantheothersprobably——possiblyevenbetter——butitwouldbedoingourcountryanillturntopersuadeitscitizensthatEnglandwasanythinglessthananactive，dangerous，competitor，especiallyintheinfancyofourforeigntrade。Whenabusinessrivalgivesyouthegladhandandasksfondlyafterthechildren，bewarelesttheensuingemotionscostyoumoney。

"No:ourdistrustforEnglandhasnotitslifeandbeinginpernicioustextbooks。Toreallybelievethatwouldbeaninsulttoourintelligence——

evengrudgescannotlivewithoutrealfood。ShouldEnglandbecomehelplesstomorrow，ouranimosityanddistrustwoulddieto-morrow，becausewewouldknowthatshehaditnolongerinherpowertoinjureus。Thereinliesthefeeling——thetextbooksmerelyechoit……

"Inmyopinion，anavysomewhatlargerthanEngland"swouldpracticallyeliminatefromAmericathat"AncientGrudge"youdeplore。ItisEngland"snavy——herboastedandactualcontroloftheseas——whichthreatensandirritateseverynationonthefaceoftheglobethathasmaritimeaspirations。Shemayuseitwithdiscretion，asshehasforyears。Itmayevenbeattimesasourceofprotectiontoothers，asithas——butsolongasitexistsasasupremepoweritisaconstantsourceofdangerandfoodforgrudges。

"WewillneverbeafreenationuntilournavysurpassesEngland"s。Theworldwillneverbeafreeworlduntiltheseasandtraderoutesarefreetoall，atalltimes，andwithoutanymenace，howeverbenevolent。

"Inconclusion……allowmetoagainstatethatIwriteasoneAmericancitizentoanotherwithnottheslightestdesiretosayanythingthatmaybepersonallyobnoxious。MyownancestorswerefromEngland。MypersonalrelationswiththeEnglishmenIhavemethavebeenverypleasant。Icanreadilybelievethattherearenobetterpeopleliving，butIfeelsostronglyonthesubject，nationally——sobitterlyopposedtoacontinuanceofEngland"sseacontrol——sofearfulthatourpeoplemaybelulledintoafeelingoffalsesecurity，thatIcannothelptryingtocombat，witheverysmallmeansinmypower，anythingthatseemstopropagateadangerousfriendship。"

Ireceivednodissentinglettersuperiortothis。TothewriterofitI

repliedthatIagreedwithmuchthathesaid，butthatevensoitdidnotinmyopinionoutweighthereasonsIhadgiven(andshallnowgivemoreabundantly)infavorofdroppingourhostilefeelingtowardEngland。

MycorrespondentsaysthatwedifferasaracefromtheEnglishasmuchasacelluloidcombfromastickofdynamite。Didoursoldiersfindthedifferenceasgreatasthat?Idoubtifourdifferencefromanybodyisquiteasgreatasthat。Again，mycorrespondentsaysthatweareboundupinourownsuccessonly，andEnglandisboundupinhersonly。Iagree。

Butsupposethetwosuccessessucceedbetterthroughfriendshipthanthroughenmity?Weareasfriendly，mycorrespondentsays，astworivalcorporations。AgainIagree。Hasitnotbeenprovedthislongwhilethatcompetingcorporationsprosperthroughfriendship?DidnottheNorthernPacificandtheGreatNorthernformacombinationcalledtheNorthernSecurities，forthesakeofmutualbenefit?UndertheShermanActtheNorthernSecuritieswasdissolved；butnoShermanactforbidsaLibertySecurities。Liberty，definedandassuredbyLaw，isEngland"sgifttothemodernworld。Liberty，definedandassuredbyLaw，isthecentralpurposeofourConstitution。JustasidenticallyastheNorthernPacificandGreatNorthernrunfromSt。PaultoSeattledoEnglandandtheUnitedStatesaimatLiberty，definedandassuredbyLaw。Asfriends，thetwonationscanswingtheworldtowardsworldstability。MycorrespondentwouldhardlyhaveinstancedtheBoersinhisreferencetoEngland"smisdeeds，hadhereflectedupontheparttheBoershaveplayedinEngland"sstrugglewithGermany。

Iwillpointoutnomoreofthelatentweaknessesthatunderlievariouspassagesinthisletter，butproceedtotheremaininglettersthatIhaveselected。Igaveonefromanenlistedmanandonefromasailor；thisisfromacommissionedofficer，inFrance。

"IcannotrefrainfromsendingyoualineofappreciationandthanksforgivingthepeopleathomeafewfactsthatIamsuresomedonotknowandthrowingalightuponamuchdiscussedtopic，whichIamsurewillhelptoremovefromsomeoftheirmindsafoolishbigotedantipathy。"

UponthesinglepointofourschoolhistoriesoftheRevolution，someofwhichIhadnamedasbeingguiltyofdistortingthefacts，acorrespondentwritesfromNebraska:

"Somemonthsago……thequestioncametome，whataboutourMontgomery"sHistorynow……IfindthateverywhereitistheKingwhoisrepresentedastakingthesemeasuresagainsttheAmericanpeople。Onpage134istheheading，AmericanCommerce；thenewKingGeorgeIII；howheinterferedwithtrade；page135，TheKingproposestotaxtheColonies；page136，"ThebestmeninParliament——suchmenasWilliamPittandEdmundBurke——

tookthesideofthecolonies。"Onpage138，"WilliamPittsaidinParliament，"inmyopinion，thiskingdomhasnorighttolayataxonthecolonies……IrejoicethatAmericahasresisted""；page150，"TheEnglishpeoplewouldnotvolunteertofighttheAmericansandtheKinghadtohirenearly30，000Hessianstohelpdothework……TheAmericanshadnotsoughtseparation；theKing——nottheEnglishpeople——hadforceditonthem……"

"Iamwritingthis……because，asIwasgladtosee，youdidnotmincewordsinnamingseveraloftheworseoffenders。"(HemeanscertainschoolhistoriesthatImentionedandshallmentionlateragain。)

AnofficialfromPittsburghwrotethus:

"Incommonwithmanyotherpeople，IhavehadthesameideathatEnglandwasnotdoingallshecouldinthewar，thatwhilehercolonieswereinthethickofit，she，herself，seemedtobesparingherself，butafterreadingthisarticle……Iwillfranklyandcandidlyconfesstoyouthatithaschangedmyopinion，mademeastrongsupporterofEngland，andaboveallmademeabetterAmerican"

>FromMassachusetts:

"Itiswelltoremindyourreadersoftheerrors——orworse——inAmericanschooltextbooksandtorecountBritain"sachievementsinthepresentwar。ButofwhatpracticalavailarethesethingswhenamansohighlyplacedasthepresentSecretaryoftheNavyasksaBostonaudience(TremontTemple，October30，1918)tobelievethatitwastheAmericannavywhichmadepossiblethetransportationofover2，000，000AmericanstoFrancewithoutthelossofasingletransportonthewayover?Didhenotknowthatthegreaterpartofthosetroopswerenotonlytransported，butconvoyed，byBritishvessels，largelywithdrawnforthatpurposefromsuchvitalserviceasthesupplyoffoodtoBritain"scivilpopulation?"

TheomissiononthepartofourSecretaryoftheNavywaslaterquietlyrectifiedbyanofficialpublicationoftheBritishGovernment，whereinitappearedthatsomesixtypercentofourtroopsweretransportedinBritishships。OurSecretary"sregrettableslighttoourBritishallieswasimmediatelysetrightbyAdmiralSims，whoforthwith，bothinpublicandinprivate，paidfullandappreciativetributetowhathadbeendone。

Itis，nevertheless，verylikelythatsomeAmericanswilllearnhereforthefirsttimethatmorethanhalfofourtroopswerenottransportedbyourselves，andcouldnothavebeentransportedatallbutforBritishassistance。Therearemanypersonswhostillbelievewhatourpoliticiansandnewspaperstellthem。NoincidentthatIshallrelatefurtheronservesbettertopointthechiefinternationalmoralatwhichIamdrivingthroughoutthesepages，andatwhichIhavealreadyhinted:Nevertogeneralizethecharacterofawholenationbytheactsofindividualmembersofit。Thatiswhateverybodydoes，ourselves，theEnglish，theFrench，everybody。Youcanformnovalidopinionofanynation"scharacteristics，notevenyourown，untilyouhavemethundredsofitspeople，menandwomen，andhadampleopportunitytoobserveandknowthembeneaththesurface。HereontheonehandwehadourSecretaryoftheNavy。HegaveourNavythewholecreditforgettingoursoldiersoverseas。

HejustifiedtheBritishopinionthatweareanationofbraggarts。Ontheotherhand，inLondon，wehadAdmiralSims，anotherAmerican，asplendidantidote。HecorrectedtheSecretary"sbrag。Whatisthemoral?

Lookouthowyougeneralize。SinceweenteredthewarthattribeofEnglishhasincreasedwhojudgeuswithanopenmind，discriminatebetweenus，drawclosetoajustappraisalofourqualitiesanddefects，andpossiblyevendiscernthatthosewhofillourpublicpositionsaremostlyonalowerlevelthanthosewhoelectthem。

Iproceedwithtwomoreletters，bothdissenting，andbothgivingverytypically，asitseemstome，theAmericanfeelingaboutEngland——

partiallyjustifiedbyinstancesmentionedbymycorrespondent，butequallymentionedbymeinpassageswhichheseemstohaveskipped。

"LatelyIreadanddidnotadmireyourarticle……"TheAncientGrudge。"

Manyofyourstatementsareabsolutelytrue，andIrecognizethefactthatEngland"shelpinthiswarhasbeeninvaluable。Letitgoatthatandhush!

"IdonotdefendourownIndianpolicy……WoundedanddisabledinourIndianwars……Iknowallaboutthemandhowindefensibletheyare……

"Englandhasbeenalwaysouronlylegitimateenemy。1776?Yes，callitancienthistoryandforgetitifpossible。1812?Thatmaygointhesamecategory。Butthecausesofthatmisunderstandingwereidenticallyrepeatedin1914and"15。

"1861?Isthatalsoancient?Perhaps——butverybitterinthememoryofmanyofusnowliving。TheAlabama。TheConfederateCommissioners(Iknowyouwillsaywewerewrongthere——andsowemayhavebeentechnically——

butJohnBullbulliedusintocompliancewhenourhandsweretied)。

LincolntoldhisCabinet"onewaratatime，Gentlemen"andsubmitted……

"In1898wewereastrongandpowerfulnationandadangerousenemytoprovoke。Englandrecognizedthefactandactedaccordingly。Englandenteredthepresentwartoprotectsmallnations!Heavensavethemark!

Yousurelyreadyourhistory。PraytellmesomethingofEngland"spolicyinSouthAfrica，India，theSoudan，Persia，Abyssinia，Ireland，Egypt。

ThelostprovincesofDenmark。TheUnitedStateswhenshewasyoungandhelpless。Andthus，almostto-infinitum。

"DoyounotknowthatthefoundationsofninetypercentofthegreatBritishfortunescamefromthelootofIndia?upheldandfosteredbythegreatandunscrupulousEastIndiaCompany?

"Comedowntolatertimes:to-dayforinstance。HereinCalifornia……I

meetandassociatewithhundredsofBritishers。AretheyAmericancitizens?Ihadalmostsaid，"No，notone。"SneeringandcontemptuousofAmericaandAmericaninstitutions。Continuallyfindingfaultwithourgovernmentandourpeople。ComparingthesethingswithEngland，alwaystoourdisadvantage……

"NowdoyouwonderwedonotlikeEngland?AmIpro-German?Ishouldlaughandsowouldyouifyouknewme。"

TothiscorrespondentIdidnotreplythatIwishedIknewhim——whichI

do——that，evenashe，soIhadfrequentlybeengalledbytherudenessandthepatronizingofvariousspecimens，highandlow，oftheEnglishrace。

ButsomethingIdidreply，totheeffectthatIaskednobodytoconsiderEnglandflawless，oranynationacharitableinstitution，butmerelytobefair，andtoconsideracordialunderstandingbetweenusgreatlytoourfutureadvantage。Tothisheanswered，inpart，asfollows:

"Iwishtothankyouforyourkindlyreply……YourargumentisthatasamatterofpolicyweshouldconciliateGreatBritain。Havewefallensolow，thisgreatandpowerfulnation?……Trucklingtosomeotherpowerbecauseitsbacking，moralorphysical，maysomedaybeofusetous，eventho"weknowthatinsodoingwearesurrenderingourdearestrights，principles，anddignity!……Oh!mydearSir，yousurelydonotadvocatethis?Iincloseaneditorialclipping……IsitnoshocktoyouwhenWinstonChurchillshoutstoHighHeaventhatundernocircumstanceswillGreatBritainsurrenderitssupremecontroloftheseas?ThisinreplytoPresidentWilson"spleaforfreedomoftheseasandcurtailmentofarmaments……Butasyousee，ourPresidentandourMr。Danielshavealreadysaid，"Verywell，wewilloutbuildyou。"NeveragainshallGreatBritainstopourmailshipsandsearchourprivatemails。AlreadyhasEnglanddeclaredanembargoagainstourexportsinmanyessentiallinesandalreadyareweexpressingourdissatisfactionandtakingmeanstoretaliate"

Oftheeditorialclippinginclosedwiththeabove，thefollowingisapart:

"JohnBullisourassociateinthecontestwiththeKaiser。Thereisnodoubtastohispositiononthatproposition。HewentaftertheDutchingreatshape。NexttoFranceheledthewayandsaid，"Comeon，Yanks；weneedyourhelp。Wewillputyouinthefirstlineoftrencheswheretherewillbegoodgunning。Yes，wewilldoallofthatandatthesametimewewillborrowyourmoney，raisedbyLibertyLoans，anduseitforthepurchaseofAmericanwheat，pork，andbeef。"

"Mr。Bullkepthisword。Heneverflinchedorattemptedtododgetheissue。Hekeptstrictlyinthemiddleoftheroad。HisdeterminationtodowntheKaiserwithAmericanmen，Americanmoney，andAmericanfoodneverabatedforasingledayduringtheconflict。"

Thiseditorialhasmanytwinsthroughoutthecountry。Iquoteitforitsvalueasaspecimenofthatsortofjournalisticandpoliticalutteranceamongstus，whichisasseriouslyembarrassedbyfactsasaskunkbyitstail。Haditsauthorsaid:"TheDeclarationofIndependencewassignedbyChristopherColumbusonWashington"sbirthdayduringthesiegeofVicksburginthepresenceofQueenElizabethandJudasIscariot，"hisstatementwouldhavebeenequallyveracious，andmorestriking。

AstoWinstonChurchill"sdeclarationthatGreatBritainwillnotsurrenderhercontroloftheseas，IamaslittleshockedbythatasI

shouldbewereourSecretaryoftheNavytodeclarethatinnocircumstanceswouldwegiveupcontrolofthePanamaCanal。ThePanamaCanalisourcarotidartery，GreatBritain"snavyisherjugularvein。Itisherjugularveininthemindofherpeople，regardlessofthatnewapparition，thesubmarine。IwasnotshockedthatGreatBritainshoulddeclineMr。Wilson"sinvitationthatshecutherjugularvein；itwastheinvitationwhichkindledmyemotions；butthesewereofalessseriouskind。

ThelastletterthatIshallgiveisfromanAmericancitizenofEnglishbirth。

"AsaboyatschoolinEngland，IwastaughtthehistoryoftheAmericanRevolutionasJ。R。GreenpresentsitinhisShortHistoryoftheEnglishPeople。Thegistofthisrecord，asyoudoubtlessrecollect，isthatGeorgeIIIbeingengagedintheattempttodestroywhattherethenwasofpoliticalfreedomandrepresentativegovernmentinEngland，usedtheAmericansituationasameanstothatend；thattheEnglishpeople，insofarastheirvoicecouldmakeitselfheard，weresolidlyagainstbothhisEnglishandAmericanpolicy，andthatthetriumphofAmericacontributedinnosmallmeasuretothesalvationofthoseinstitutionsbywhichtheevolutionofEnglandtowardscompletedemocracywasmadepossible。

WashingtonwashelduptousinEnglandnotmerelyasagreatandgoodman，butasanheroicleader，towhosecourageandwisdomtheEnglishaswellastheAmericanpeoplewereeternallyindebted……

"Prayforgivesolongaletterfromastranger。Itisprompted……byasenseoftheillimitableimportance，notonlyforAmericaandBritain，butfortheentireworld，ofthesetwogreatdemocraticpeoplesknowingeachotherastheyreallyareandcooperatingasonlytheycancooperatetoestablishandmaintainpeaceonjustandpermanentfoundations。"

ChapterIII:InFrontofaBulletinBoardThere，then，aretenlettersofthefiftywhichcametomeinconsequenceofwhatIwroteinMay，1918，whichwaspublishedintheAmericanMagazineforthefollowingNovember。Tenwilldo。Toreadtheotherfortywouldchangenoimpressionconveyedalreadybytheten，butwouldmerelyrepeatit。WithvaryingphraseologytheirwriterseitherthinkwehavehithertomisjudgedEnglandandthatmyfactsaretothepoint，ortheyexpressthestereotypedAmericanantipathytoEnglandandtreatmyfactsaswemortalsmostlydowhenfactsareembarrassing——side-stepthem。

Whatbestpleasedmewastofindthatsoldiersandsailorsagreedwithme，andnot"high-brows"only。

May，1918，asyouwillremember，wasaverydarkhour。Wehadcomeintothewar，hadbeeninforayear；buteventshadnotyettakenusoutofthewell-nightotaleclipseflunguponourcharacterbythoseblightingwords，"thereissuchathingasbeingtooproudtofight。"TheBritishhadbeentoldbytheirGeneralthattheywerefightingwiththeirbackstothewall。SinceMarch23rdthetreadoftheHunhadbeencomingsteadilynearertoParis。BelleauWoodandChateau-ThierryhadnotyetstruckthetrueringfromourmetalandputintothehandsofFochtheonefurtherweaponthatheneeded。Frenchmoralewasburningverylowandblue。Yeteveninsuchanhour，peopleapparentlyAmericanandapparentlygrownup，weretalkingagainstEngland，ourally。Thenandthereafter，evenasto-day，theytalkedagainstherastheyhadbeentalkingsinceAugust，1914，asIhadheardthemagainandagain，indoorsandout，asI

heardamanoneforenooninacrowdduringtheearlieryearsofthewar，themiserableyearsbeforewewakedfromourtranceofneutrality，whileourchosenleaderswerestillmisleadingus。

Doyourememberthoseunearthlyyears?Theexplosions，theplots，thespies，theLucitania，thenotes，Mr。Bryan，vonBernstorff，halfourcountry——oh，morethanhalf!——indifferentorincredulous，nothingprepared，nothingdone，nosteptaken，TheodoreRoosevelt"sandLeonardWood"salmosttheonlyvoiceswarninguswhatwasboundtohappen，andtogetreadyforit?Doyourememberthebulletinboards?Didyougrow，asI

did，sorestlessthatyouwouldstepoutofyourofficetoseeifanythingnewhadhappenedduringthelastsixtyminutes——wouldstopasyouwenttolunchandstopasyoucameback?Weknewfromthefacesofourfriendswhatourownfaceswerelike。Incompanywepumpedupliveliness，butinthestreet，alonewithourapprehensions——doyouremember?Forourfuture"ssakemayeverybodyremember，maynobodyforget!

Whatthenewswasuponacertainforenoonmemorabletome，Idonotrecall，andthisisofnoconsequence；goodorbad，thestreamofby-

passersclottedthicklytoreaditasthemanchalkeditlineuponlineacrossthebulletinboard。Citizenswhowereinhastesteppedoffthecurbtopassroundsincetheycouldnotpassthroughthiscrowdofgazers。Thusthisonthesidewalkstoodsomefiftyofus，staringatnameswehadneverknownuntilalittlewhileago，Bethincourt，Malancourt，perhaps，orMontfaucon，orRoisel；Frenchnamesofsmallplaces，amongwhosecrumbled，featurelessdustIhavewalkedsince，wherelivedpeacefullyafewhundredorafewthousandthatarenowathousandbutcheredorbroken-hearted。ThroughmeranonceagainthewonderthathadoftenchilledmesincetheabdicationoftheCzarwhichmadecertainthecrumblingofRussia:afterFrance，wasourturncoming?Shouldourfields，too，besownwithbones，shouldourlittletownsamongtheorchardsandthecornfallinashesamongstwhichbrokenheartswouldwanderinsearchofsomesurvivingstickofproperty?IhadlearnedtoknowthatalongwhilebeforethewartheeyesoftheHun，thebirdofprey，hadbeenfixeduponusasajuicymorsel。Hehadwrittenit，hehadsaidit。SinceAugust，1914，thesePan-Germanschemeshadbeenleakingoutforallwhochosetounderstandthem。Agreatmanydidnotsochoose。

TheHunhadwantedusandplannedtogetus，andnowmorethaneverbefore，becauseheintendedthatweshouldpayhiswarbills。LethimoncegetbyEngland，andhisswordwouldcutthroughourfat，defenselesscarcasslikeaknifethroughcheese。

Avoicearrestedmyreverie，avoiceclosebyinthecrowd。Itsaid，"Well，IliketheFrench。ButI"llnotcrymuchifEnglandgetshers。

What"sEnglanddoneinthiswar，anyway?"

"Herfleet"skeepingtheKaiseroutofyourfrontyard，foronething，"

retortedanothervoice。

Withassuranceslightlywobblingandatouchofthenasalwhine，thefirstspeakerprotested，"Well，lookwhatGeorgeIIIdonetous。BadasanyKaiser。"

"Aw，getyourfactsstraight!"Itwassaidwithscornfulforce。"Don"tyouknowGeorgeIIIwasaGerman?Don"tyouknowitwasHessians——

they"reGermans——hehiredtocomeoverhereandkillAmericansanddohisdirtyworkforhim?AndhisGermansdidthesamedirtyworktheKaiser"saredoingnow。We"vegotaletterwrittenafterthebattleofLongIslandbyamemberofourfamilytheytookprisonerthere。Andtheystrippedhimandtheystolehisthingsandtheybeathimdownwiththebuttsoftheirguns——afterhehadsurrendered，mind——whenhewassurrenderedandnaked，andwhenhewasdowntheybeathimsomemore。That"sGermansforyou。

Onlythey"vebeengettingworsewhiletherestoftheworld"sbeengettingbetter。Getyourfactsstraight，man。"

Anumberofuswerenowlisteningtothis，andIenviedthehistorianhisingeniouspromptness——Ihavenone——andIhopedformoreofthistimelydebate。Butdebatewasover。Theanti-Englishmanfadedtosilence。Eitherhewasoutoffactstogetstraight，orlackedwhatissopithilytermed"come-back。"Thelatter，Iinclinetothink；forcome-backneedsnofacts，itisaself-feeder，anditsentireabsenceintheanti-EnglishmanlooksasifhehadbeenaGerman。Germansdonotcomebackwhenitgoesagainstthem，theybleat"Kamerad!"——ordisappear。Perhapsthismanwasaspy——apoorone，tobesure——yetdoinghisbestforhisKaiser:slinkingabout，peeping，listening，tryingtowedgetheAlliesapart，doinghislittlebittowardsmakingfriendsenemies，justashisbreedhasworkedtosetenmitybetweenourselvesandJapan，ourselvesandMexico，FranceandEngland，FranceandItaly，EnglandandRussia，betweeneverybodyandeverybodyelsealltheworldover，inthesacrednameandforthesacredsakeoftheKaiser。Thushashisbreed，sinceweoccupiedCoblenz，runtotheFrenchsoldierswithliesaboutusandthenruntouswithliesabouttheFrenchsoldiers，overlookinginitsprovidentialstupiditythefactthatweandtheFrenchwouldinevitablycomparenotes。Thustooishisbreed，atthemomentIwritethesewords，infestingandpoisoningtheearthwithapropagandathatremainsascoherentandassystematicallydirectedaseveritwasbeforethepapersbegantoassureusthattherewasnothingleftoftheHohenzollerngovernment。

ChapterIV:"MyArmyofSpies"

"Youwilldesiretoknow，"saidtheKaisertohiscouncilatPotsdaminJune，1908，afterthesuccessfultestingofthefirstZeppelin，"howthehostilitieswillbebroughtabout。MyarmyofspiesscatteredoverGreatBritainandFrance，asitisoverNorthandSouthAmerica，willtakegoodcareofthat。EvennowIrulesupremeintheUnitedStates，wherethreemillionvotersdomybiddingatthePresidentialelections。"

Yes，theydidhisbidding；there，andelsewheretoo。Theydiditatotherelectionsaswell。DoyourememberthemayortheytriedtoelectinChicago?andcertainmembersofCongress?andcertainmanufacturersandbankers?Theydidhisbiddinginournewspapers，ourpublicschools，andfromthepulpit。CertainlocalitiesinoneoftherivercountiesofIowa(forinstance)werespotsofGermantreasontotheUnitedStates。The"exchangeprofessors"thatcamefromBerlintoHarvardandotheruniversitiesweresomanycamouflagedspies。CertainprominentAmericancitizens，dinedandwinedandflatteredbytheKaiserforhispurpose，womenaswellasmen，camebackheremereKaiser-puppets，hypnotizedbyroyalty。Hisbiddingwasdoneinasmanywaysaswouldfillabook。

Shopkeepersdidit，servantsdidit，Americansamongusweredecoratedbyhimfordoingit。EvenaftertheArmistice，aschooltextbook"gotby"

theBoardofEducationinawesternstate，whereinourboysandgirlsweretobetaughtaGermanversion——aKaiserversion——ofGermany。

Somebodyprotested，andtheboardexplainedthatit"hadn"tnoticed，"andthebookwasheldup。

Wecannot，Ifear，ordertheschoolhistoriesinGermanytobeeditedbytheAllies。Germanschoolchildrenwillgrowupbelieving，inallprob-

ability，thatbombsweredroppednearNurnberginJuly，1914，thatGermansoilwasinvaded，thattheFatherlandfoughtawarofdefense；theywillcertainlybenourishedbyliesinthefutureastheywerenourishedbyliesinthepast。ButwecanpreventGermansorpro-Germanswritingourownschoolhistories；wecanpreventthat"armyofspies"ofwhichtheKaiserboastedtohiscouncilatPotsdaminJune，1908，fromcontinuingitsactivitiesamongusnowandhenceforth；andwecanpreventourschooltextbooksfromplayingintoGermany"shandbyteachinghateofEnglandtoourboysandgirls。Besidethesickeningsillinesswhichstillasks，"WhathasEnglanddoneinthewar?"isasillinessstillmoresickeningwhichsays，"Germanyisbeaten。Letusforgiveandforget。"ThatisnotChristianity。ThereisnothingChristianaboutit。Itismerelysentimentalslush，sloppyshirkingofanythingthatcompelsnationalalertness，oreffort，orself-discipline，orself-denial；amoralcowardicethatpushesawayanyfactwhichdisturbsashallow，torpid，irresponsible，self-indulgentoptimism。

Ourgoldenageofisolationisover。Toattempttoreturntoitwouldbeamereperniciousday-dream。ToharkbacktoWashington"swarningagainstentanglingalliancesisassensibleastogobyamapoftheworldmadein1796。Wearecoupledtothecompanyofnationslikeacarinthemiddleofatrain，onlymoreinevitablyandpermanently，forwecannotuncouple；andifwetriedtodoso，wemightnotwreckthetrain，butweshouldassuredlywreckourselves。Ithinkthewarhasbroughtusonebenefitcertainly:thatmanyyoungmenreturnfromEuropeknowingthis，whohadnoideaofitbeforetheywent，andwhoknowalsothatGermanyisatheartanuntamed，unchangedwildbeast，nevertobetrustedagain。Wemustnot，andshallnot，boycottherintrade；butletusnotgotosleepattheswitch!JustasbusilyassheisbakingpotteryoppositeCoblenz，labelled"madeinSt。Louis，""madeinKansasCity，"her"armyofspies"

isatworkhereandeverywheretounderminethosenationswhohaveforthemomentdelayedherplansforworlddominion。IthinkthenumberofAmericanswhoknowthishasincreased；butnoAmerican，whereverhelives，needtravelfarfromhometomeetfellowAmericanswhosingthesongofslushaboutforgivingandforgetting。

PerhapsthemanIheardtalkinginfrontofthebulletinboardwasoneofthe"armyofspies，"asIliketoinferfromhisabsenceof"come-back。"

ButperhapshewasmerelyaninnocentAmericanwhoatschoolhadstudied，forinstance，Eggleston"shistory；thoughtless——butbynomeansharmless；forhisschool-taught"slant"againstEngland，inthedayswewerelivingthroughthen，amountedtoa"slant"forGermany。HewouldbesorryifGermanybeatFrance，butnotifshebeatEngland——whenFranceandEnglandwerejoinedinkeepingthewolfnotonlyfromtheirdoorbutfromours!Itmattersnotintheleastthattheywerefightingourbattle，notbecausetheywantedto，butbecausetheycouldn"thelpit:

theywerefightingitjustthesame。Thattheywerecompelleddoesn"tmatter，anymorethanitmattersthatingoingtowarwhenBelgiumwasinvaded，England"sdutyandEngland"sself-interesthappenedtocoincide。

OurdutyandourinterestalsocoincidedwhenweenteredthewarandjoinedEnglandandFrance。Haveweseemedtothinkthatthisdiminishedourglory?Havetheyseemedtothinkthatitabsolvedthemfromgratitude?

Suchtalkasthatman"sinfrontofthebulletinboardhelpedGermanythen，whetherhemeanttoornot，justasmuchasifaspyhadsaidit——

justasmuchassimilartalkagainstEnglandto-day，whetherbyspiesorunheedingAmericans，helpstheGermanyofto-morrow。TheGermanyofyesterdayhadherspiesalloverFranceandItaly，busilysuggestingtorusticuninformedpeasantsthatwehadgonetoFranceforconquestofFrance，andintendedtokeepsomeofherland。Whatisshetellingthemnow?Idon"tknow。Somethingtoheradvantageandtheirdisadvantage，youmaybesure，justassheisbusysuggestingtousthingstoheradvantageandourdisadvantage——jealousyandfearoftheBritishnavy，orpro-Germanschoolhistoriesforourchildren，orthatwecan"tmakedyes，orwhateveryouplease:theonlysurethingis，thattheGermanyofyesterdayistheGermanyofto-morrow。Sheisnotchanged。Shewillnotchange。Thesteadystreamofherpropagandaallovertheworldprovesit。

Nomatterhowoftenhermasqueradinggovernmentchangescostumes，thatcostumeismerelyherdevicetoconcealthesamecunning，treacherouswildbeastthatin1914，afterfortyyearsofpreparation，sprangatthethroatoftheworld。Ofallthenationsinthelatewar，shealoneispullingherselftogether。Sheishardatwork。Shemeanstospringagainjustassoonasshecan。

DidyoureadtheletterwritteninAprilof1919byherVice-Chancellor，MathiasErzberger，alsoherministeroffinance?Averyable，compactmasterpieceofmalignantvoracity，goodenoughtodocredittoSatan。

ThroughthatluckyflawofstupiditywhichrunsthroughapparentlyeveryGermanbrain，andtowhichwechieflyoweourvictoryandtemporaryrespitefromthefangsofthewolf，MathiasErzbergerpostedhisletter。

Itwentwronginthemails。Ifyoudesiretoreadthewholeofit，theInternationalNewsBureaucaneitherfurnishitorputyouonthetrackofit。Onesentencefromitshallbequotedhere:

"WewillundertaketherestorationofRussia，andinpossessionofsuchsupportwillbeready，withintenorfifteenyears，tobringFrance，withoutanydifficulty，intoourpower。ThemarchtowardsPariswillbeeasierthanin1914。Thelaststepbutonetowardstheworlddominionwillthenbereached。Thecontinentisours。Afterwardswillfollowthelaststage，theclosingstruggle，betweenthecontinentandtheover-