The Defenders of Democracy | Page 6

the rich contributions to this book
which it has been their privilege to arrange. The generous spirit which
has accompanied each gift permeates the pages, and its genial glow will
be felt by all of our readers.
The book is only a fire-side talk on the ideals and purposes held in
common by those who belong to the friendly circle of the Allies, and is
not intended to have diplomatic, economic or official significance. The
Editors, however, have been honored by the approval of their plan, and
have received invaluable assistance from diplomatists, statesmen and
men of affairs in securing contributions otherwise inaccessible at the
present time.
We wish to acknowledge (although we cannot adequately express our
appreciation) the gift from the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES of his portrait, and his kind recognition of our desire to render
an international service.

We are especially indebted to VISCOUNT ISHII, Special Ambassador
from Japan to Washington, D. C., and to LORD NORTHCLIFFE,
Chairman of the British War Mission, for their thoughtful and
sympathetic articles written during days crowded with official duties.
We owe a debt of thanks to HIS EXCELLENCY, the ITALIAN
AMBASSADOR, for the privilege of publishing for the first time in
America, D'ANNUNZIO'S sonnet to GENERAL CADORNA; to
THEIR EXCELLENCIES, the PORTUGUESE, GREEK, and
CHINESE MINISTERS, for helpful suggestions and translations; to
MR. WILLIAM PHILLIPS, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE;
to MR. JOHN HAYS HAMMOND; to MR. JOHN LANE, MR. W. J.
LOCKE, MRS. THEODORE McKENNA, all of London, England,
who assembled our rich English contributions for us; to MR.
WILLIAM DE LEFTWICH DODGE for the cover design, a rare and
beautiful tribute to our defenders; to MR. MELVILLE E. STONE,
without whose personal influence we could not have secured
contributions from all of our Allies in so short a time; to MR. J.
JEFFERSON JONES and MR. WILLIAM DANA ORCUTT, who
have devoted time and thought without stint to the making of the book,
and have given the committee the advantage of their technical
knowledge and distinguished taste entirely as a patriotic service; to
MISS LILIAN ELLIOTT for her many translations from Portuguese
and Spanish writers; to MISS LA MONTAIGNE, CHAIRMAN of
THE CARDINAL MERCIER FUND; to MR. TALCOTT WILLIAMS,
MR. ROBERT UNDERWOOD JOHNSON, MR. DANIAL
FROHMAN; to THE BRITISH WAR MISSION, THE FRIENDS OF
FRANCE AND HER ALLIES COMMITTEE, and to THE RUSSIAN
AND SERBIAN CIVIL RELIEF COMMITTEES. To ALL we give our
heartfelt thanks.
THE EDITORS.

Preface

This beautiful book is the expression of the eager desire of all of the
gifted men and women who have contributed to it and of the members
of the Militia of mercy to render homage to our sailors, soldiers, nurses
and physicians who offer the supreme sacrifice to free the stricken
people of other lands and to protect humanity with their bodies from an
enemy who has invented the name and created the thing
"welt-schmerz"--world anguish. But we want it do more than extol their
heroism and sacrifice, we want The Defenders of Democracy to help
them win the war. It has been the thought of those who planned the
book to meet three things needful, not only to the army at the front, but
to that vaster army at home who watch and work and wait (and perhaps
we need it more than they who have the stimulus of action)--to
strengthen the realization that our soldiers of sea and land, though far
away, are fighting for a cause which is vitally near the heart of every
man and every woman, and the soul of every nation--human freedom;
"to forge the weapon of victory by fanning the flame of cheerfulness,"
and to be the means of lifting the burden of anxiety from those who go,
lest their loved ones should suffer privation, bereft of their protecting
care. So truly is this an Age of Service, that the response to the scope
and spirit of our work was immediate and within four months from the
day we sent our first request for co-operation in carrying out our plans,
we had received the rich contributions contained in this book from men
and women of letters and other arts, not only from our own generous
country, but from our allies.
Perhaps the most difficult task fell to those who were asked not to write
of the war but to practice the gentle art of cheering us all up--an art so
easily lost in these days of sorrow, suspense and anxiety--yet we have
received many delightful contributions in harmony with this request,
and so the cheerful note, the finer optimism, recurs again and again,
and is sustained to the last page.
Such a book is historic. It is a consecration of the highest gifts to the
cause of human freedom and human fraternity. The Militia