Monday, January 13

Discussed on Monday's class was the Treaty of Versailles and the last two years of Woodrow Wilson's presidency.  I give Wilson credit for this monumental undertaking.  It was not an easy task to be charged with, cleaning up the aftermath that was WWI.  I thoroughly enjoyed author Frederick Lewis Allen's description of the the events surrounding before and after the Paris conference.  The reader could almost picture being there.
I find it ironic that Wilson would go to Versailles, the home of the long past French kings.  Though the town might be nice its long history of debauchery and lechery is legendary.  There, crimes were committed, crimes of passion, sin, and sharp wit and gossip.  I imagine Wilson visited the palace, if not at least marveled in its opulence.  Here was the seat of power that decided so many fates over countless centuries.  Here he too would decide the fate of the world.  You can only admire a person who wanted to do right for the world and give his health and life fighting for good causes.
That being said his intentions were often misplaced and too grand for many to grasp.  But nevertheless he kept going.
I recently watched a French movie called Renoir directed by Gilles Bourdos.  Its content described the last few remaining years of the famous impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir.  In it we see an artist crippled by arthritis and aged a great deal.  He still paints though his hands are noticeably deformed from the arthritis and large knobs are seen growing on his knuckles and knees.  He cannot walk and has trouble holding up a paintbrush.  The doctor visits him at one point during the movie and tells Renoir that he cannot go on his health is deteriorating.  Renoir scoffs at this.  The doctor asks him what will you do when you cannot paint anymore with your hands?  Renoir replies, "I will paint with my dick."  Here the doctor laughs at this but Renoir turns to him and seriously says, "I will paint until I collapse."
Wilson, too, knew that he could never give up and likewise kept working until he collapsed.  Though one of his ultimate masterpieces the Treaty of Versailles never say its true potential during Wilson's lifetime his stubborn manners and unflinching morals showed the world that there could be peace without harsh punishment.  I'm not sure about Wilson's politics during the last two years of his presidency.  After reading Allen's description of Wilson's life during those last few years of his presidency in the book Only Yesterday all I can remember is the bitterness and erratic behavior that overtook our once great president.