Salt Lake Tribune | 1915-09-05 | Page 6 | War's Masterpieces

Heists and propagandists have turned out some noteworthy work, but undoubtedly undoubt-edly President Wilson's notes to Germany Ger-many on the Lusitania disaster approach ap-proach nearest to the level of literary masterpieces. Here again we find the two elements necessary for supreme eloquence elo-quence the man and the subject. The fjiBitania affair is immortal. Quite apart from its effect upon the war it was of surpassing importance. In it were involved and placed again upon trial the principles of justice, humanity human-ity and human liberty, and these have been the themes of the world 's greatest orators in all times. Needless to say the training of President Wilson entirely entire-ly fitted him to produce state documents docu-ments which for literary expression have seldom been equaled in this country. WAR'S MASTERPIECES. The war continues to produce masterpieces master-pieces of poetry and eloquence. From time to time some- compelling imaginative imagina-tive appeal from poet, orator or controversialist con-troversialist appears. No war has called forth such a high average of literary excellonco and hero and there aro to be found productions that will endure. Wo are remindod of the war's commanding com-manding efforts of genius by the latest 7 speech of Moyd George, which is, per haps, the most striking and orig'nal speech delivered in Great Britain iu the course of the conflict. It has an imaginative imag-inative quality which comes from exalted ex-alted inspiration and its appeal, while bold and picturesque, is true and powerful. pow-erful. His apotheosis of "coal" in his address to the miners whom he sought to spur to greater endeavors is strikingly strik-ingly original in that it is a natural product of the peculiar conditions of the present war and also in that it bears the stamp of magnetic individuality. It is as follows: We are short of coal to run the I country in a great crisis. We are suffering from the patriotism of tho miuors. A quarter of a million of them have gone into the fighting line. The demand for coal Is greater than ever. The supply of labor is less than ever. In times of peace coal is the most important element in tho industrial life of tho country. The blood which courses through the Veins of industry in this country coun-try is made of distilled coal. t peace and in war King Coal is the paramount lord of ind iat ry. It enters into every article of consumption con-sumption and of utility. It is our real international coinage. We buy goods abroad, food aud raw material. mate-rial. Wo pay, not in gold, but in coal. In war coal is life for us and death for our foes. It not merely fetches and carries for us; it makes the material and the machinery which it transports. It. bends, molds, it fills the weapons of war. Steam means coal. Rifles moan coal. Machine Ma-chine guus mean coal. Cannons mean coal. Shells are made with coal. Shells are filled with coal. The very explosive inside them is coal, and then coal carries them on right into the battlefield to help our men. Coal is everything to ns, and we want more of it to win victory. Coal is the most terrible of enemies and it is the most potent of friends. Vou read that teVribte casualty list given out by the prime minister the other day. Three hundred aud fifty fif-ty thousand British soldiers. The' were casualties inflicted by German coal, by the Westphalian miner, working in co operation with the Prussian engineer without stint, without reserve, without regulation, putting their strength at the disposal dis-posal of their fatherland. When you see the seas clear and the t British flag flving with im punity from realm to realm, and from shore to shore- -when you find the German flag banished from the face of the sens, who has done it f The British .miner, helping the British sailor. The peroration was quite as eloquent if not. as imaginative and original. A few other speeches of the war come to mind. At the opening of the conflict con-flict Premier Asquith and Sir Edward Grey presented the cause of their country coun-try to the world in masterly fashion. Premier Viviani in France has delivered a number of speeches which have thrilled the nation. In the poetic realm the German 'Song of Hate" has a marvelous power. pow-er. Kipling's song, "Who Dies If Eng land Live." is a worthy if not an en- during creation. In the controversial line some magnificent mag-nificent writings have been produced, J too numerous to mention. They have displayed a genius aud scholarship most impressive and they have come out of France, England, Italy, Russia, Ger-1 Ger-1 many. Austria and Belgium. Perhaps the most notable European production was the pastoral letter of Cardinal Moreier of Belgium on the German Ger-man invasion and the duties of the Belgian Bel-gian people. All supreme creations of eloquence grow out of two elements the man and the theme. It is unnecessary unneces-sary to dwell upon the subject of Belgium Bel-gium "here. It is simply necessarv to say that human annals have produced pro-duced few subjects more rife with sublime su-blime and noble ideas. Until Cardinal Merrier wrote his pastoral his name was unknown in this country outside ecclesiastical eccles-iastical circles, although it transpirea that for years he has been recognized as one of the foremost theologians and writers of the contemporary church. In our own country essayists, pub-