The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1853-07-06
For the Register.
To the rreemen Of Vermont.

" nation shnll not liz up sword against
nation, neither shall they learn war any
more" Other cnormitics, on consioera-
ton, have been wholly or extensively
driven from socicty-such rs knight
crrantry, dueling, witcbcraft, trial by or
deal. judicial combat, and the slave trade,
and why not war; 1t il not to be cx-
pectcd, that any great evil, especially If
il administers TO the vicious appetite
chcrisbcs tho spirit Of avaricc gives
men onvicd distinctions in society and
oft, with very littlo merit or effort,
clothes ,bcm with badges Of honor. will
be removed, till those, who cherish just
views arc aroused and bring a correc-
tive influence to bear on the community.
War has been the greatest scourgc of
the human race, and, il credit may be
given TO the estimates Of Dick and Ed.
muud Burke, has slaughtered many times
the number Of persons that now inhabit
our globe Lord Brougham exclaims,
Il hold war to be tho greatest Of all hu-
man crimes" Even Voltaire says, "put
together all the vices Of all ages and
places, and never will they come up to
the mischicfs and enormities of single
campaign" Butchering in the field Of
battle, without reference to right or
wrong. dcbascs the mind, ard prepares
it for all crimes and General Taylor
said of his soldiers, "there is scarcely
form Of crime that has not been re-
ported to me, as committed by them"
1t is remarked by John Angel James,
ia hatred of war is an essential feature
of practical christianity; and it is a
shame upon what is called the christian
world, that it has not long since borne
universal and indignant testimony against
that enormous evil, which still RACES, not
merely among savages, but among scbcl'
ars philosophers, christians and divines. II
Dr. Claiming says, ia moro fearful hell
than the field of battle cannot we'll be
conceived IN any region of the universe
There fends hold their revels and spend
their fury"
Till within less than half a century
very little organized or efficient cffor
has been made to stay the war spirit
A few have mora,ized, and we have oc
casionally had flash of oratory or I
gem of poetry, that condemned war
Within few years, however, societie
have been organized and convention
, held in different ountries-somctim
:. on a scale, that entities them to be call
ed "Worlds Conventions" and will
these have been connected some of tn
leading minds of the most powerful ma
, tions, all endeavoribg to devise sub
stitute for war War, brutalizing as i
generally is to officers and soldiers, i
: not so horrible as it once was, when tn
vanquishcd were murdered or mad
slaves, and the estates Of private ind
. viduals,as in feudal times when our fail
= er land was conquered by William til
first. were paicelled out by the conquer
or to the minions, who rallied under hi
i standard.
" The fact therefore that as christianit
> advances, war exhibits less terrific Il!
poet, and that with some nations on ia
eastern continent a substitute for war ha
been successfully introduced, encourage
!, US to hope, that, especially among chri:
|, tian governments, substitute may +
introduced, that shall save in most case.
if not in all, from those inhuman butcher
d les, which are always the result of wal
, The fact too that our government fol
y lowing the example of some other coun
a tries has in several instances introduce,
n into national treaties stipulated arbitra
tian or reference to an Umpire, as
6 substitute for war, in cases where nego
6 citation might fail, and that war has new
err been the result, where such an articl
has been introduced into our treaties o.
q such principle acted upon, inspire thu
confidence that, where our citizens ant
our rulers have duly considered the sub
ject, such an article when practicable
will invariably be introduced into all oul
, treaties. But this cannot be expected
till the attention of the community is
I called distinctly to the subject. AL
discreet minds, however, will doubtless
. consider stipulated arbitration SO obvi
q ously preferable to war, that if the pull
' pit and the press-if our educational
seminaries from the highest to the low
est, and even our freside instruc
tion shall deprecate war as adapted only
I to barbarians, We may hope that ever
e this generation will not pass away, till q
!, public sentiment prevails, which shall
not only sustain our government, when
T. of war they shall wash their hands il
innocency, but shall fash conviction on
all, who do not contemn justice, and like
q blood-hounds rely on brute force. Let