I do not know
whether or not, in times of peace, they had all and
everywhere escaped the local passions which have poisoned
national life, but the war has given them sacred union for a
countersign, and they, as disciplined soldiers, have
respected this countersign.
The French nurse's smile will have served the nation's
defense well, but I emphasize this when I think how well it
will have served the nation's unity in the aftermath that
shall follow war. What rancors it will have appeased! What
jealousies it will have blotted out! What petty prejudices
it will have conquered! These society women and women of the
middle class who have leaned over the beds of sick or
wounded peasants, and these young girls who have tended
their hurts, bound up their wounds, and calmed their
sufferings have, with their delicate hands, so expert in the
worst treatments, laid the foundations of a France that is
united and fraternal, where envy and hate have no place. All
eyes have opened to broader vistas of revealed clearness, to
which they have hitherto remained closed through prejudice,
or obstinacy. They will have learned that bravery, devotion
to the right, loyal and tried disinterestedness, heartfelt
and wise knowledge can dwell in the simple soul of the
peasant and the workingman.
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