Reconstruction of things, of men, and especially of ideals was demanded as soon as the world awoke to the magnitude of the destruction being wrought by the great war. As time went on and more and more peoples were drawn in, with ever widening ruin to property and institutions, the need for devising far-reaching plans for rebuilding became more pressing. While every possible effort was being made to win the war quickly, yet at the same time certain far seeing men recognized that if peace came without having adequate plans for reconstruction much of the fruit of victory might be lost. Thus it was that many of the nations, even during the height of the war, created organizations whose duty it was to prepare plans and especially to conduct researches into those matters which, with the reëstablishment of peace, would have prime importance.

Many a statesman of Europe and each propagandist the world over has seen the opportunity. He has had his vision of what may be accomplished at the golden moment in the world's history when so much that is old and bad has been weakened and so much that is idealistic may become real if only this opportunity is grasped.