Although today this society of other nations has no actual political existenc it has a virtual one. We Italians were made very aware of this when struck by the terrible disaster which buried Messina Reggio and many villages in Calabria and Sicily41 we were consoled by receiving touching proofs of affection and prompt aid from every part of the world
Such is the voice of the universal human soul which in times of great calamity ignores the artificial barriers created for reasons of state and testifies to the goodness and nobility of human nature
And during the celebration of our national jubilee we did not forget the great demonstration of compassion and active sympathy that came to our country from your magnanimous Norway as indeed from all the civilized nations
The orator of the Mille himself the poet Abba42 in the presence of the King at Rome commemorated that great event by expressing the thought which was then and still is uppermost in the minds both of the people and of the government he closed his speech by saying that Italy had risen again to accomplish the mission of peace with which history and her position in Europe had charged her It is now known even outside Italy that there is no longer in our country any party agitating for war Even so there is no lack among us particularly among the military of people who though not expressly wishing for war would not be displeased were war to come they hope that the laurels of victory denied to Italy at the time of her wars of independence which were fought by bands of Italians rather than by an organized Italian army might now come to crown Italy as a nation This idea held by a small number of our fellow citizens, has been rejected by all those of us who have any human feelings and is contradicted by the history of nearly every modern nation which has managed to become great prosperous and respected in spite of the fact that its military chronicles record a larger number of defeats than of victories