Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from Harper's Pictorial Library of the World War, Vol. 9 of 12: War Makers and Peace Makers; Character Studies of the Leading Actors in the Conflict
The great war was a con?ict of ideas. Back of the men and munitions, the armies and navies of the Allies and of the Central Powers, there were the directing and controlling personalities who won and lost for their causes. It was a contest of wits, mind challenging mind, will against will. Natural resources and equipment were essential, but nevertheless second ary to the wise intelligence capable of using them so as to serve its cleverly conceived purposes, and sustained in every crisis by a spirit which, conscious of the power and promise of its cause, never lost faith in its will to conquer. Therefore it is peculiarly fitting that the American people, particularly the youth of the coming generation, should have at hand a dependable record of the lives and character of those conspicuous figures whose names will be forever intimately associated with this war which has shaken the very foundations of the world, and, as we confidently believe, marks the beginning of a new heaven and a new earth.
The brief biographies of these men are a revelation of their character, their temperament, their struggle, of their defeats and their victories, their perseverance in the preliminary tests of the temper of their spirits all preparatory to the great crises, in which they proved their power, as leaders of their people and saviors of the world's civilization.
To understand fully the significance of the lives of the victors, it is necessary to recognize by contrast also the defects and shortcomings of their foes. Consequently, a portion of this volume is given to an account of the personality of those who sought the destruction of the world that they might build it anew in all the arrogance of their pride, and in cruel contempt of the rights and liberties of their fellow-men.
A biographical sketch does not explain a great man. Is he ever ade quately explained? It does serve, however, to illuminate his personality and powers, by bringing him out of the shadow, and giving to a figure vague and indefinite a concrete setting distinctly focused and clearly de fined. Biography gives life to a name, arousing our interests and sympa thies, by presenting to us something which has the true ring of reality. From time to time we see human nature in its lowest phases, and it is good for us to come into intimate contact with that other phase which appears as the highest and best expression of human endeavor and achievement. Our national heroes become symbols for us of the supreme values in life. They illustrate and embody in their own persons a set of ideas which express the traditions and aspirations by which we as a people must live or perish.
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