"
"It must be a nice place," Kirk observed with gentle sarcasm.
"It affords one a great chance to moralize, at any rate. Take the
building of this canal, for instance. First, the French came, led
by a dreamer, and poured in the wealth of an empire in order that
they might exact toll from the world. You see, they were all lured
by the love of gain--the Spaniards, who pillaged the natives to
begin with, and the French, who set out to squeeze profit from all
the other nations. But it seems as if the spot were infected. The
French lost an army in their project; corruption gnawed through,
and the thing ended in disgrace and disaster. Spain and France
have come and gone, and at last we Yankees have arrived. It seems
to be the will of God that the youngest, lustiest people on the
earth should finally be sent to clean this Augean stable."
"By Jove! I never thought of it that way."
"It is a big task, Mr. Anthony, and the mere digging of the ditch
is the smallest part. There is a great deal more to be done. You
see, as men attain culture, they require more than mere food and
drink and bedding, and in the same way, as nations attain to
greatness, they require more than mere territory--they reach out
and absorb power and prestige.
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