Iowa Heritage Digital Collections
State Library of Iowa

1919 Yearbook

1919 Yearbook

Title

1919 Yearbook

Description

spirit of "love thy neighbor as thyself" shall have been firmly established
upon its ruins.
And then again the hymns of hate are heard from Russia—it could
not be otherwise since Justice is not at the basis of her system. There,
man is not respected in his God-given right to property. But her leaders
have not alone misdirected her ships of state, they have done worse. They
have also betrayed her. It is true, Russia has had dark and discouraging
days and unfortunately in these sad hours between a just war with its hard
sacrifices on the one hand, and a deceitful and dishonorable peace on the
other, she has made the coward's choice. And now the hymns of hate are
enkindling a spirit of disunion, of pillage and anarchy, which like in the
last stages of ancient governments point unmistakeably to her downfall.
Turning our ear from the mad echoes bursting from the autocracy and
socialist state, we ask what hymn issues forth from our own United States
of America.
Oh! it is the hymn of the true democracy—the sweet music of justice
and good will, that bears "malice toward none and charity for all." Who
could have heard or read any of the messages of the able spokesman for
democracy, our Honorable President Woodrow Wilson, without perceiving
the noble sentiment and ideals of the American people? Every word of
these messages to the public breathes the spirit of charity, justice and
right. What nation without the soul of democracy could utter these words
of our President: "We desire nothing for ourselves, what we would deny
the German people," and again, "We seek no indemnities for ourselves, no
material compensation for the sacrifices we shall freely make. We are
but one of the champions of the rights of mankind." Where were the
Christian ideals of righteousness and justice ever better voiced excepting
those alone expressed on the Cross of Calvary? Such was our motive in
entering war. We did not enter it to curb the industrial or commercial
activities and aspirations of Germany, but we did enter it to preserve on
the earth the God-given rights of justice and peace. We are not fighting
to attain any selfish ends, but we are fighting to rid the world of that irresponsible autocracy, that stained her hands with the blood of American
citizens, intrigued against our national and industrial integrity, committed
most horrible atrocities in Belgium, attacked unfortified towns, plundered
the most productive provinces of Europe, defying at all times both the laws
of God and the laws of man. Such flagrant crimes sinned not only against
civilization but they also sinned against the divine demands of justice.
And just as the crusaders of the eleventh century cried out "God wills it"
as they marched to wrest the Holy Land from the Turks, so too today do
the armies of democracy march to a martial strain, which intones in a
great chorus "For God and Country."
.;* And while our armies are striking for God and country over there,
the joyful music of democracy is becoming clearer and sweeter at home.
Before the war the hymns of hate came forth in our own country from the
laborer and the capitalist. And no doubt these hymns of hate were provoked by great injustices. But now the employer and employee are unit-

Date

1919

Rights

St. Ambrose University, 518 W. Locust St., Davenport, IA 52803

Identifier

http://cdm16810.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16810coll2/id/4558