Show where britain and the united states lead the world must follow by DR STEPHEN LEACOCK mcgill university montreal the vast tast communities of peoples gathered under the british and american america flags represent an organization of power easily superior chese to any 1 force that could conceivably bo brought against it where these two nations lead the world must follow pence peace and war lie in their hands on the other hand disagreement between britain and america spells ruin not only for themselves but for the world so great is the power of each that war between them could mean nothing but mutual destruction neither could conquer both must fall the efforts of every honest citizen should be bent toward the maintenance of peaceful relations and mutual understanding the union that is needed is not one that is contrived with pen and ink and written on a scrap of paper but the union that reflects an understanding and a common purpose a union of sympathy and not of symbols to my thinking the best and truest means of union is to 0 o be sought in enlightenment our quarrels in the past have arisen from OUT our lack of knowledge of ono another our inability through ignorance to share one an others point of view for this the remedy is better knowledge Ow ledge the more we can interchange our thoughts the more certain are we of agreement As far as possible we should seek to share one an others ideas through the press through the drama we should facilitate every way the sympathetic relations of our great universities there should be between britain and america a constant and perpetual interchange a sort of tidal ebb and flow of all that makes for scholarship and literature much is already done but much remains in business men have long since found out that the personal relation is everything we must apply the same fame to our political relations relation S we must not rely upon conclaves of cabinets and congressmen we must know one another in the faco face of such knowledge ill will will vanish and brit ish american union union without bond bonc I 1 or pledge or con contract tract will become a fact |