Roosevelt gave that speech in France, 1910. The Europeans must have taken it seriously. Somehow, four years later, all the military powers of Europe went to

Roosevelt gave that speech in France, 1910. The Europeans must have taken it seriously. Somehow, four years later, all the military powers of Europe went to war, each explicitly saying that they were acting only in self-defense, and the major cities of almost all those nations produced large demonstrations in favor of the war. It turned into total war, industrialization of killing by all available means, up to and including weapons of mass death and destruction, so horrible that the reality of it was not allowed to show its face in the media available on the home fronts. The consequences were so dismal that men, who, like Teddy Roosevelt, cherished violence, insisted on a do-over a generation later. Roosevelt carried a big stick, but only spoke softly as a last resort. He advocates above doing something over doing nothing, but twists that around into promotion of violence, and hurls his "sneering disbelief" at the alternatives. In this new century, we must have the courage, "stern belief", and "lofty enthusiasm" required to move away from death and destruction.