as we have latterly looked critically upon them, with fresh, awakened
eyes; have dropped their disguises and shown themselves alien and
sinister. Some new things, as we look frankly upon them, willing to
comprehend their real character, have come to assume the aspect of
things long believed in and familiar, stuff of our own convictions. We
have been refreshed by a new insight into our own life.

We see that in many things that life is very great. It is incomparably
great in its material aspects, in its body of wealth, in the diversity
and sweep of its energy, in the industries which have been conceived
and built up by the genius of individual men and the limitless
enterprise of groups of men. It is great, also, very great, in its
moral force. Nowhere else in the world have noble men and women
exhibited in more striking forms the beauty and the energy of sympathy
and helpfulness and counsel in their efforts to rectify wrong,
alleviate suffering, and set the weak in the way of strength and hope.
We have built up, moreover, a great system of government, which has
stood through a long age as in many respects a model for those who seek
to set liberty upon foundations that will endure against fortuitous
change, against storm and accident. Our life contains every great
thing, and contains it in rich abundance.

But the evil has come with the good, and much fine gold has been
corroded. With riches has come inexcusable waste. We have squandered a
great part of what we might have used, and have not stopped to conserve
the exceeding bounty of nature, without which our genius for enterprise
would have been worthless and impotent, scorning to be careful,
shamefully prodigal as well as admirably efficient. We have been proud
of our industrial achievements, but we have not hitherto stopped
thoughtfully enough to count the human cost, the cost of lives snuffed