cal, and social development of Latin America. You
also know now what her resources are and to what conditions the growth
and progress of this southern continent are due.

After visiting prosperous countries, whose peaceful labor on behalf of
civilization has not been disturbed by the sorrows of war, you reach a
land where once flourished the greatest empire which ever arose in
America.

You have arrived at the ancient metropolis of Spanish America; you are
now at the heart of a nation which attracted the world's attention in
former days on account of its greatness and the treasures it
possessed--a nation which fought the final battles for independence;
and, more important than all, a country which, having been shaken and
convulsed by dissension, has risen once more to a life of well-being
through a supreme effort of will and a firm belief in its future.

The Peru you are visiting is not only the country of olden times, which
tradition has made known for its fabulous wealth, but it is a modern
country, versed in the principles of order, industry, and labor.

Nations which live exclusively on the wealth given them by nature make
no effort to become greater, nor do they consider their future welfare,
but perish, crushed by those whose envy and greed they excite.

On the other hand, those countries whose prosperity is based on the
principles of justice, trade, and peace attain success and incite others
to follow, contributing thus to the great work of universal
civilization.

Unfortunately, this peace, based on those principles, must be sustained
abroad, following the example of the Old World, by the acquisition of
elements of warfare only useful for the destruction and ruin of men and
progress, wasting the national vitality and prosperity, earned by dint
of the labors of the citizens and the products of the resources that
nature has given.

To change this system for another which will insure to our nations the
tranquil possession of what lawfully belongs to them, allowing them to
devote their efforts fearlessly to their own advancement, is the noble
work to which the endeavors of the great nation which has risen up in
the New World should be directed, just as the sun rises in the celestial
dome to give light, heat, and life; to maintain the equilibrium and
prevent the collision of lesser stars.

Such ideals of civilization and fraternity have always guided the
conduct of Peru, whose influence and predominance in o