“Let me see it, Cousin Mayo; please let me take it in my hands,� said Anne. She cuddled the dove against her cheek. “What a pretty, gentle bird it is! The emblem of peace, isn’t it? Oh, what a shame it seems to send it from this quiet, sweet place to those terrible battlefields!�
Mr. Osborne put one caressing hand on the bird and the other on Anne’s head.
“These God’s dear creatures bear messages of help and rescue through the battle cloud; they soar above and beyond it, and their wings catch the eternal sunshine. Ah! our doves of war are still—are more than ever—the birds of peace. For this war isn’t just a fight for territory and undisturbed sea ways; it is a war for freedom and human rights, and so for true and lasting peace. Agnes,� he turned to Mrs. Wilson, “have you given our young folks the President’s message?�
“Not yet,� she answered.
“Not yet!� he repeated reproachfully. “And already it is being read in French schools. It is a part of the history of our times, of all time; it’s like the Declaration of Independence, but wider, higher, grander.�
“I’m going to read it to my history class,� said Mrs. Wilson.
“To every one of these young folks, from primer babies up, and now,� Black Mayo said impetuously. “Get the paper. Let’s sit in the summerhouse here and fancy it’s the Capitol and this is the history-making night of April 2d.
“Here we are, waiting for the President. He’s coming. The throngs on the streets are cheering him at every step. The floor of the House is crowded,—its own members, senators, Cabinet officers, judges of the Supreme Court, representatives of the Allied nations. The galleries, too, are crowded; people waited at the doors for hours for the precious privilege of a seat.
“The President rises, solemn and resolute with a great duty. He stands there before the House, before the world for all time. He is America speaking. He gives the message that devotes a hundred million people to war for American rights and world freedom.
“It is done. He turns to go. And now, ah! now statesmen are not Democrats, not Republicans; they are only patriots. Men who have stood with the President, men who have stood against him, throng shoulder to shoulder to clasp his hand and pledge themselves to support him in this sacred cause. Only the ‘little group of willful men’ stands shamefully apart.