THE KING’S BUSINESS 547 with religious solemnity and the offering of fervent supplications to Almighty God for the safety and welfare o f our cause, His blessings on our arms and a speedy restoration o f an honorable and lasting peace to the nations o f the earth: And, whereas, it has always been the reverent habit o f the people of ‘the United States to turn in humble appeal to Almighty God for His guidance in the affairs o f their common life; , Now, therefore, I, Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States o f America, do hereby proclaim Thursday,'the Thirtieth Day o f May, a day already freighted with sacred and stimulating memories, a day of public humiliation, prayer and fasting, and do exhort my fellow-citizens o f all faiths and creeds to assemble on that day in their several places o f worship, and there, as well as in their homes, to pray Almighty (God that He may forgive our sins and short-comings as a people and purify our hearts to see and Jove the truth, to accept and defend all things that are just and right, and to purpose only those righteous acts and judgments which are in conformity with His will, beseeching Him that He will give victory to our armies as they fight for freedom, wisdom to those who take counsel on our behalf in these days o f dark struggle and perplexity, and steadfastness to our people to make sacrifice to the utmost support o f what is just and true, bringing us at last the peace in which men’s hearts can be at rest because it is founded upon mercy, justice and good will. . . . : U In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal o f the United States to be affixed. ' Done in the District o f Columbia this eleventh day of May in the year o f our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Eighteen, and o f the Independence o f the United States the One Hundred and Forty-second. WOODROW WILSON . By the President. ROBERT LANSING, Secretary o f State. The heart of every Christian in America, and every intelligent Ameri can should rejoice that the President has been led to take this action, and it is to be hoped that this day will be observed throughout the United States. If it is observed as it should be, and if the people who pray meet the con ditions of prevailing prayer, this day will prove the turning point in the war. T he a s sa s sin o f th e a r c h d u k e f r an c is F e r d in an d dies BUT THE WAR GOES ON. The immediate pretext on the part of Austria and Germany for the political combinations and the unwarranted demands on Serbia and the military mobilization that fed to the war, was the assassination of the Arch duke Francis Ferdinand, heir apparent to the Austro-Hungarian throne by Gavrio Prinzip on June 28, 1914. Of course all know now that this was simply a pretext. It has been proven on no less authority than that of a German Ambassador to England, and by others, that the war was determined on beforehand on the part of Germany, and that Germany just used this as a pretext and urged Austria on against their own judgment and desire, to make demands that were absolutely unwarranted. Nevertheless, it is interesting to know that Gavrio Prinzip, the assassin, died on May 1st of tuberculosis in a fortress near Prague, but the war is going on with more intense fury than ever. T he p o p e a s a m e d ia t o r . An article appeared in the press of the country May 1st saying* “ Pope Benedict intends to issue a new peace offer on Whitsunday,%May 19th, Cologne newspapers announce. The document, it is said, will be of more pressing nature than formerly and will contain concrete offers of
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