CHAPTER XIV
THE TEMPTER
Now, my America, I will take you to an exceeding high mountain; I will show you all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them.
What an opportunity we have in this year 1921! Here we sit in the midst of our Continent, great and rich as all Western Europe. Almost are we unscathed by the war, while the others which were Powers but six years ago struggle now with anarchy and bankruptcy. The power of Powers has been given into our hands.
The British navy once held mastership of the seas. We can now take mastership ourselves. Ships are made of steel; the great steel-producing nation may if it wishes be the great naval nation. And steel is made of coal and iron. While the British coal measures ever shrink, we have only begun to tap ours; while the British struggle for imported iron ore, we mine more than we need. And so clever are we at mass-production that we make more steel to the man and to the furnace than any other people of the world. Great Britain kept her navy stronger than that of any two other powers; we,
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