Villages will arise again from their ruins, the plow shall turn anew the shell-pitted fields into green meadow-lands, a kindly nature will soon obliterate the scars upon the landscape, but not the deep searings on the soul.  Europe must grapple with this work of reconstruction handicapped by this black devil poisoning the mind and vitiating every effort.  The worst curse bequeathed to the coming generations is not the mountain of debt but this heritage of hate.

It does not behoove Americans to stand on inviolate shores and prate of the wickedness of wrath.  Moreover, this evil is not to be exorcised by a pious wish for it not to be.  It is.  And there is every excuse under the arch of heaven for its existence.

If we had felt the eagles’ claws tearing at our flesh; if, like Europe, our soil was crimsoned with the blood of our murdered; if millions of our women were breaking their hearts in anguish—­we too would consider it a gratuitous bit of impertinence to be told not to cherish rancor towards those who had unleashed the hellhounds of lust and carnage upon us.

As it is, we are not sacrosanct.  Three thousand miles have not sufficed to keep the deadly virus out of our system.  The violation of Belgium kindled a fire against the invaders which the successive cruelties served to fan into a flaming resentment.

Then came our own losses—­a mere grazing of the skin alongside of the bleeding white of Europe.  But it has touched us deep enough to rouse even a sense of vindictiveness.  This kept to ourselves will do injury to ourselves alone.  But when we shout or whisper across the seas that we too despise the barbarians we help no one.  We simply help to render the heartbreaking task of reconciliation well-nigh impossible by lashing to a wilder fury the people already blinded, embittered and frenzied by their own hate.  Those who, above the luxury of giving full rein to their own passions, put the welfare of the French, English, Belgians and other broken peoples of earth, will do everything in their power to eradicate this gangrene from their souls.

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