Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-01-07
From lie Massachusetts Quarterly RcricU.
The Mexican War.
ny THEODORE PARKER.

There is a period in history when war is
thought TO be the natural state of mankind
when, certainly, it is the common state, and
peace an exception to the general rule. La
Dor is hated, and war honored. In such a
time, no reason need be given for going to
war; rather perhaps is a reason required for
ceasing from battle and plumber. In the ear
ly period of Rome, the senate now and then
made a truce, but never a peace. Peace was
only an armistice for a limited period. Says
Homer, " 1t is the business of a man TO fight;
of a slave TO till the ground" He represent
ed the general opinion of the Heroic Age"
But now things are somewhat changed. War
is the exception; public opinion is against it.
Merchants and Mechanics dislike it, for ii in
%terferes with their productive operations /;
thinking men abhor it as unreasonable; and
good men look on it as wicked. In all Eu-
ropean countries, the thinking men demand
Of their rulers a good reason for disturbing
their relations of peace. The old talk about
national honor has diminished not a little
amongst intelligent men, who think the ma
tional honor which is gained or lost by a bat
tie is of no great value. Indeed, so far have
matters gone, that many men hold the opin-
ion, and some have even a sober and settled
conviction, that war between nations is no
more reputable and manly, no more likely to
establish justice, than trial by battle in courts
Of law; no better than duelling between men
of honor or a bout with fists between two
Irish beggars partially drunken. They think
that war is nothing but murder, murder in the
first degree, with malice aforethought, and
what is wrong for one man is equally wrong
for twenty millions a.that injustice is not the
less so for being a great injustice. Then
again there are some religious men who think
that Christianity actually forbids war. 1t is
true the various churches Of the world have
taken little pains to say so, but a good deal
of pains to say the opposite. We never yet
have seen the creed, the litany, or the cate
chism, which gave us the smallest hint that
Christianity and war were Incompatible
Still there are religious men who think the
religion Of which God planted the germs in
human nature, is thoroughly hostile to all
war.
All of these men united may be few in
number-Theorists, Philan,hropists, Philoso-
piers, and the like. Still they are not idle
NOR ineffective; they have already produced
a change in public opinion and in this city
and its neighborhood, a very great change
within a few years. Then, too, there are
sound, sober, practical men, who look little
at first principles, it may be, and the nature
of things, but much at modes of operation,
and effects. They see that war is costly :;
that it costs money; that it costs men that
it is not productive. In short, they see that
all which a nation consumes in its army and
navy is a bad investment, stock which does
not pay. Still further: there are humane
men, aboriginal democrats, who think that
Man is of more account than the accidents OF
a man-customs, institutions, property, and
the like; they think that all government
should be designed for the good of all men,
and therefore that it must accord with the
principles of absolute justice, which God has
written on the heart Of mankind. They see
that war tramples all these principles under
foot, and therefore, and in the name of the
people, they obstinately refuse to promote,
TO favor, or even to tolerate a war.
Now, by means of these small parties OF
original thinkers, the Theorists, Philosophers,
the Economists, and the Philanthropists, it
has come 10 pass that war is getting sadly
out of favor. True there are men, and enough
of them, in the name of Religion, Of Philoso.
ply, Economy, and Democracy, who defend
the old usage. They think that war now
and then is a good thing I" it invigorates the
people''--"i it kills off the rabble, and, for the
latter purpose, is better than the Jail and gal
lows, as well as swifter." These men have
a great many newspapers at their command
and sometimes occupy seats deemed more
sacred than an editors chair. Doubtless they
retard the progress of true ideas, and so ado
TO the misery of mankind. Yet they no lon
ger govern public o%pinion; their influence
yearly becomes less, for man naturally love-
justice, and is a human being, not a brute
nor a fool. 1t has now come TO pass, that il
all civilized countries the mass of men looI
on war as a terrible evil, and not one to b
lightly incurred by the government OF the ma
aon.
1t surprises no one when savage tribes qual
rel the cause is seldom inquired after, for
is known that in such a stage Of progress wa
is to be looked for and expected. But whe
a civilized nation pauses in its career Of pre-
ductive exertions, and, turning its art, its SC
enoe, its strength of hand and head, its natu
al activity, from their creative work, seeks
destroy the property Of its sister State, to bur
her towns, to butcher her men, and with III
soldiers invading foot pollute her soil-it
a serious and a dreadful thing. Sober me
look for the cause of such madness. Th
physical evil is monstrous-the waste of pr,
perry, the havoc of life. But this is the small
est part of the mischief. The savage spir
excited in the soldier, which he carries HON
to his village; the hunger after booty, tn
thirst of blood, which successful war walker
in the conqueror's throat; the desire of T,
venge which defeat kindles in the heart
the Observation-Disclosures long retard the pr,
gress of mankind. Take the foremost of eli
ilized nations: the mass of men have not y,
forgotten the savage; the thin garment of ci,
~ilization is easily torn asunder and Stripe
off; you break the skin of the gentleman an
behold a cannibal; the peasant of Englan
or France becomes the fierce Saxon, or ii
savage GauL, whose deeds you shudder
think of.
Every war in this age retards the progress
Of mankind. The United States, having GU