The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1878-02-26 00:00:00

Sotto anb Itints.

PEACE OR WAR?

While the London newspapers seemed rather dis-
posed to regard war as nearer than before, and some
sof them with terri,4a eagerness looked about, not so
much for peaceful means of solving the difficulty is
for allies in the contest, it was gratifying to find that
In the more sober country places, the advocates of
peace are still speaking with considerable calmness
their convictions in favour of peace. It is true there
are here and there a few, of whom we can 0, ly think
that they are young and eatignine, too young, perhaps,
to remember the Crimean war with anything like
distinctness am to its episodes, while sanguine,
patriotically, as to the power of England to meet all
eition and bear it down. Far be it from me to
throw a damp upon the patriotic faith in the ultimate
strength of the cause of freed =; what I would in at
earnestly press upon the sanguine is that we most first
Ihe sure we have the right on our able. Without
doubt, large and wide as the world to, so vast has been
the energy put forth by trade, so great have been the
I regalia obtained by commerce, and so much have
I populations increased, that restless and impatient
people have a feeling that the world is too small for
them, and that they want another to c oaquer, if not
by form of arms yet by force of trade. in this un-
easy premium from within lies a gsad deal of the canes
, et that pressure outwardly, which brings nations into
tight and sometime* irritating contact. But for our
sounti7 to attempt to play an imperious part in the
mighty pressure of nations, seems as silly am fora bully
to be turbulent in a crowd. The holly may for a time
gain himself elbow-room by treading on the toe* of
other people, or thrusting himself against their ribs;
but while he contribute* to the minery of the crowd,
he as surely makes himself a nuisance, sooner or later
to be repremed, perhaps by the strong arm of the
police, or by a comlAnatian of three whom he has
annoyed. In the rush and pressure be is the wiser
who consults the greatest happiness of the greatest
number, and though he may be checked and thwarted
and even delayed, it is be who gets out with the best
feeling from times around. In the agitation about the
war, I am sorry to have 'narked in some quarters a
disposition to take it as rather a good thing if we were
to fight. A writer seems to think we are to be a
second David, to battle with metaphorical sling and
stone with some monstrous giant I blame him nit:
nay, if the giant had defied us in the name of force, and
we were clearly in the right, wean should applaud the
resolve to stand against wrong.

"Far It-still must be
The instinct of great spirit. to be tree,
And the sworn foes of cunning barbarian:
He, who haa deepest search el the wide abysm
Of that Soil which men call fate,
Knows that to put move faith in lies and hate
Than truth and love, is the true atheism." —Law U.
But, above all things, let no be sure that we are right,
let no watch to see if the giant we fancy is indeel a
'rued giant, or U he has at last learnt right; and while
this great country is pausing in doubt, let no make the
best use of our time to pray earnestly to the Source of
Light for guidance It in certain that, as yet, the
giant has not defied our Gal by voice, but has out-
wa dly acknowledged and invoked Him, and we cannot
doubt that the Ruler of all will reveal the truth, and
will not prosper any service, if it he Indeed hypocrit-
ical and falsely done in His name. Meanwhile let as
be thankful that we are not mourning in • long,
desperate, and doubtful war • let us reioice that peace
Is yet ours, and heartily acknowledge the blessing. By
this time we might have been wailing, as dear old
Lowell,

" What words to them whose faith and truth
On War*, red touchstone rang true metal,
Who ventured life and love and youth
rjuh ernst pro., of death in
haw'?
o, To
Plashed on bet ore the charge's thunder,
Tipping with lire the bolt of men
That rived the Rebel line asunder.
'Taint right to have the young no first,
All throbbing full of gifta and graces,
Leaving life. paup.ro dry as dust
To try and make blieve fill their places;
Nothing but tells us what we miss,
'There're gap. our lives can weer be gay in.
And that world seems an far from this.
Left for us loafers to grow gray in.'
Dear Britain might now have been bleeding and
aching in heart ea she vise after the last war; but ea
! yet the fiend has not come, as yet we have breathing
time. That time must not be bet; praise and prayer
gingt go on together with earnest preparation, what-
everform that preparation needs take. Insults to those
whom we do not understand must be aternly repressed,
' and those men taught to feel that they bum their
country, who would enrage her rivals and disgust her
allies. We need not to defy ;we ought not to brag,
and while as freemen we love and hold to, and stand
by, that freedom which is one of the crowning gifts of
God, let us be careful not to foster (Animism in our
leaden, or braggadocio in our tone.
•
The Eroseiser's suggestion—that more drill be
administered to those who know nothing about war,
Is not half a bad one; but we can't have the partial
conscription. It ruins the conscript, placing him at •
disadvantage in comparison with his rivals in trade,
and, ea proved by the Franco-German war, it fails.
Our Rifle Volunteers came up well on Thursday
night, when forty rank and file or thereabouts,
mnetered at the King's Statue, and marched to the
Guildhall. The remarks of our worthy Mayor were
very timely and serious: but let us earnestly pray
that peace may be preserved, for under 200,000
volunteers, scattered over Great Britain, would not be
too many, even with our little army, to defend the
country, If any invasion were effected. True, there
are our noble ahips in the find line of defence, and
stout hearts under stout armour would seem impregn-
able. But that li, supposing they are at the right
spot. We have now nearly five millions worth to
guard in the Sues canal, and the alarmists proclaim a
Russo-Turkish alliance, while they declare that the
Kaiser-Band still exists. These forces turned against
England. our volunteers and army would be but a
small band against syrarming myriads that could be
marched to any point where they could threaten
Britain. So, if we are to resist form by force, and be
ready against ell Wizards, it seems to me that some-
thing like universal efficiency, and universal liability
to service, must be the state of Britons. The capital
Is now the weakness of our Empire, for London Ii so
overgTown that its very size would make it impomible
to feed, if its communications were interfered with.
But let anything like universal efficienty be the a ale,
and Invaders would give the vest London army the
wicket berth-