the case of our own country, namely, in ten peaceful Fourths of July (the last July 4, 1910), approximately 1,800 persons were killed and something over 35,000 wounded in celebrating the success of a war which ended nearly 130 years before. The number killed equals the number killed in battle or who died of wounds in the Spanish-American War, the Philippine rebellion and the Indian wars of a number of years preceding. The wounded of these ten peaceful days aggregate seven and a half times the wounded of all these wars. I tell you these things not to prove that war is any less dreadful, or that you should strive less to avoid it, but simply to present to you the truth with reference to the causes which bring about loss of life. Do not give up your ideals. Strive for universal peace, but while striving do not forget the conditions under which you are living, and, however much you may hope

to obtain a condition of world peace, remember that there is no evidence of it today and that if we want to preserve the institutions which have been handed down to us we must be ready to defend them or, as Lord Roberts said:

"Strive to stir up, to foster and develop the manly and more patriotic spirit in the nation-a spirit which will induce our youth to realize that they must be not only ready but prepared to guard the heritage handed down to them."

Abandon the theory of chance and adopt that of probability in making wise provisions for peace through preparedness for

war.

You hear a great deal about the destructive work of the soldier. I am going to say just a word with reference to his constructive and life saving work, which has really been his principal function since the close of the Spanish-American War, and

indeed it was one of his principal activities during that war. Starting with Porto Rico, we find that, principally due to the efforts of a medical officer of the army, Dr. Bailey K. Ashford, tropical anemia, or hookworm disease, as it is ordinarily called, has been about eliminated. Not only was this discovery of value in Porto Rico, but it was made use of throughout our own southern states, with a result of revitalizing and reënergizing hundreds of thousands of people afflicted with this disease. The annual death rate in Porto Rico alone was reduced by a number exceeding the total number of men killed during the Spanish-American War, and a recent inquiry made of all planters in the island with reference to their workers indicates that, in their opinion, the average increase in efficiency is 60 per cent—a truly startling figure, and one which illustrates very well the far-reaching and wonderful effects