SMUTS ON WILSON

Hokitika Guardian, 9 June 1921, Page 1

SMUTS ON WILSON

THE EX-PRESIDENT’S PLACE IN HISTORY.

An eloquent article on “AVoodrow Wilson’s Place in History,” by General Smuts, Premier of South Africa, appeared in the “New York Evening Post” recently. Appended are a few excerpts from the article: “There is a great saying of Mommsen (I believe) in reference to tho close of Hannibals career in failure and eclipse. On those whom the gods love they lavikh infinite joys and infinite sorrows.’ It lias come back to my mind in reference to the close of AVilson’s career. For a. few brief moments be was not only the leader oi the greatest state in the world; lie was raised to far giddier heights and became the oentrt of the world’s hopes. And then he fell, misunderstood and rejected by his own people, and his great career closes apparently in signal and tragic defeat.” In dealing with the results of the Peace Conference, General Smuts declares that “it was not Wilson who failed. Tho position is far more serious. It was the human spirit itself that failed at Paris.” Regarding the Covenant of the League of Nations lie says that “the Covenant is Wilson’s souvenir to the future of the world. No one will ever deny him that honour. The honour is very great indeed, for the Covenant is ono of the great creative documents of human history.”