purposes being worked out are so great, that it is difficult for us
to see them with our limited human vision, but in great moments of
insight we do see, and having seen, go back to our tasks in the light
of that vision, knowing that though now we fight in dim shadows with
monstrous and awful evils of mankind's creation, the day is coming
nearer and the light will come.

An age is dying and a new age comes, and what it shall be only the men
and women of the world can answer.

RECONSTRUCTION

"The tumult and the shouting dies--
The captains and the Kings depart--
Still stands thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite heart.
Lord God of Hosts; be with us yet,
Lest we forget, lest we forget."

--RUDYARD KIPLING.

"We shall not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall our sword sleep in our hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In England's green and pleasant land."

--W. BLAKE.

CHAPTER XIV

RECONSTRUCTION

And what is to come after? The first and the last and the greatest
thing to do is to win the war and to get the right settlement. Unless
we finish this struggle with the nations free, there can be no real
reconstruction. The greatest work of reconstruction--the fundamental
work--will be at the peace table. Those who are giving everything
and doing everything to gain victory for the Allies, are the true
reconstructors of the world.

The first great task of reconstruction is victory and the second is
right peace settlements.

We cannot say that anything we can do will make future peace certain,
but we can see that just and righteous settlements are made, so that
the foundations are laid that ought to ensure peace in the future.
There is no real peace possible while injustices exist.

There is no real peace possible while evil and good contend for
mastery, and the spiritual conflicts of man are, and will be, as
terrible as any physical conflicts. While mankind stands where it does
now, it is well that against corruption of spirit and thought, we can
use our bodies as shields.

The fact that we have had to fight Germany physically, shows clearly
that spiritually and mentally we were unable to make them see truth
and honour, and the meaning of freedom, and that the ideal of peace
made no real appeal to them.

They built up in their nation great thought forces of aggression, of
belief in militarism, of worship o