Sigma Alpha Iota

A PRESIDENTIAL MYSTERY MYSTERY continued from page 17 receipt of letters from wives and mothers of men in service asking to be enrolled as associate members. Since the press throughout the United States as a result of the notice in the Official Bulletin of May 11 so widely announced the work of the National Association for Mothers of Defenders of Democracy, 51 East Forty-second Street, New York City, and since there are 2,000,000 women who have sons or husbands at war, I find this the only means possible of acknowledging the enrollment of the free memberships. I trust that each wife or mother so enrolling will accept this as an answer to her letter. In the service of the mothers, Pauline Arnoux MacArthur, President National Association for Mothers of Defenders of Democracy, Inc, New York, May 31, 1918." This conjunction of political and musical prominence suggests that MacArthur may have attended Wilson's speech on May 18, possibly through a special donation to the Red A page from the The Apocalypse score by Paolo Gallico. Cross. She might have had the opAngel Zarraga. portunity on that occasion to meet the In addition, Woodrow Wilson, according to President and hand him a copy of her libretto. John Milton Cooper's biography, Wilson excelled Nothing can be verified yet, but the presence of Wilson in New York where MacArthur was living in music as a boy: "He became an accomplished and working on May 18, 1918, and the likelihood singer, a tenor, and music, both sacred and secular, would remain his main artistic interest that Wilson himself dated the libretto as "May outside literature for the rest of his life." (Cooper, 1918" lend some plausibility to the hypothetical 22) In one of his speeches, Wilson remarked that connection "The man who disparages music as a luxury and Third, Henri Pierre Roche, co-author of the non-essential is doing the nation an injury. Music libretto, might also have the Red Cross event, now, more than ever before, is a national need. perhaps in the company of Pauline MacArthur. There is no better way to express patriotism than Roche was a respected and somewhat notorious through music." journalist and writer in government, industry, Probably because of his musical interests, financial, literary and artistic circles in New York Wilson kept all those pieces sent him during and Paris during the war years and was exceedingly well connected. He was close friends with a 1918-1919, including the libretto to The Apocalypse, which possibly intrigued him, although it large number of young artists from the Montparhad not yet been set to a score. The libretto deals nasse Quarter of Paris as well as other leading with the cosmic battle between good and evil, the artists and intellectuals as Guillaume Apolapproach of the "end time" and the building of a linaire, Walter and Louise Arensberg, George New Jerusalem. Wilson was of course in his own Auric, Constantin Brancusi, Georges Braque, World War and seeking to build a new world Jean Cocteau, Marcel Duchamp, Jacob Epstein, order, the League of Nations. The libretto in Part Felix Feneon, Alfred Frueh, Nicole Groult, Marie 1, Armageddon, talks about war initiated by Laurencin, Jacques Maritain, Pablo Picasso, John the killing of Abel by Cain. The baritone soloist Quinn, Albert Roussel, Eric Satie, Getrude and depicting the Spirit of War, sings: Leo Stein, Bernice Wood, Wols, and 18 PAN PIPES WINTER 2012 sai-national.org "I am the Spirit of War! I am he who is better than his neighbor. I am the fierceness that fills young hearts and old brains. From cave to cave, from tribe to tribe, From city to city, from province to province, From nation to nation, From group of nations to group of nations, I have breathed rage and hatred! And behold! today I have armed one-half of the Earth against the other… I laugh, I laugh, O men! For I have heard this from the beginning of time. The last war will be When you have become pure of heart, When you have lost your greed. I yet have time to gorge myself on your blood!... I forge humanity with white heat; I strike it, And its impurities burst forth in jets and sparks. And I will strike until its impurities of today have been beaten away! Then shall I leave humanity in peace!" It could be that Woodrow Wilson received The Apocalpyse libretto while he was preparing his American Red Cross Speech on May 18, or maybe after giving the speech, Pauline (or Henri) was able to work her (his) way through the crowd and give the libretto to him, or maybe she (he) sent it to him after going to hear his speech. However valid speculation, Wilson and the co-authors of the libretto had a common line of thought, and whatever the sequence, Wilson might have found in the libretto a kindred theme as he spoke about the war effort that evening: "Have you formed a picture in your imagination of what this war is doing for us and for the world? In my own mind I am convinced that not a hundred years of peace could have knitted this nation together as this single year of war has knitted it together; and, better even than that, if possible, it is knitting the world together. Look at this picture! In the center of the scene, four nations engaged against the world, and at every point of vantage, showing that they are seeking self aggrandizement; and against them, twenty-three

• Cover