World War I-dated typed statement as president, one page, 6.5 x 7.5, White House letterhead, circa 1917. In full: "The Bible is the word of life. I beg that you will read it and find this out for yourselves,—read, not little snatches here and there, but long passages that will really be the road to the heart of it. You will find it full of real men and women not only but also of the things you have wondered about and been troubled about all your life, as men have been always; and the more you read the more it will become plain to you what things are worth while and what are not, what things make men happy,-loyalty, right dealing, speaking the truth, readiness to give everything for what they think their duty, more it will become plain to you what things are worth while and what are not, what things make men happy,—loyalty, right dealing, speaking the truth, readiness to give everything for what they think their duty, and, most of all, the wish that they may have the approval of the Christ, who gave everything for them,—and the things that are guaranteed to make men unhappy,—selfishness, cowardice, greed, and everything that is low and mean. When you have read the Bible you will know it is the Word of God, because you will have found in it the key to your own heart, your own happiness, and your own duty." Matted and framed to an overall size of 11.25 x 12.5. In fine condition. Four days after President Wilson requested Congress to approve a declaration of war against the German Empire, the United States entered World War I as an 'Associated Power' on April 6, 1917. Although the United States had, by contrast, an army smaller than thirteen of the involved nations and empires, the passage of the Selective Service Act resulted in the drafting of 2.8 million soldiers. Shortly after the American declaration, President Wilson wrote this statement as an inspirational preface to be included in a pocket Bible issued to the thousands of American soldiers set to sail across the Atlantic during World War I.
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