Arkansas true Democrat., 1861-05-23
From the Des Arc Citizen, The Value of War to the South.

The present is unqucstionably a utilita ran age and ours q money getting people. Under the influence of these two charac teristics, we have been educated in the conviction that war is the greatest of evils and that civil war especially, is the last misfortune that can betal nation. The policy of the United States, heretofore has been simply to avoid war, to shun trouble. They have been inspired by shuddering aversion to go to war on any terms. No interest has been considered sufficient to prompt hostlities, no degra- dation deep enough to be heavy price for peace. Mr. Fillmore pushed this pol icy to its extreme extent. Mr. Pierce kept it up per force. Mr. Buchanan fol- lowed it, not from compulsion or pursua- sion, but from temperament and opinion. He was the embodiment of peace t-any price, The U S. now reap the fruit of their false politics and despicable ethics in dissolution and revolution. No man and no nation violates a law of nature, or ignores the elements of the universe with out paying penalty for that sin of omis- sion or commission. Battle is need of
 
 They are the medicine of political bodies and the tonic of individual nature. The cumulative principle is ineradicable in the nature of man; assault and resistance is the law of the world, from which no ami nal, no vegetable, not a grain of sand is freed or fails to offer an illustration. The men of this age and of this republic, have undertaken to reverse or rather annhilate the existence of this great fact They have calculated the vast cost, the millions of money consumed in the procrastinaton of wars; they have considered the pain of wounds and the horrors of hospitals, the terrors of voilent death, and resolving to save their gold, and to avoid pain, they have resolved that there shall be war mo- more that swords shall be reaping ma- chimes and that their children shall be reared into such fear of death, and such love of gain that they shall be breed be. tween Jews and monks.
 But war has in every age been the hot bed of the first and chief of manly virtues, and the grandest theatre of their exhib- ton has ever been found on the field of battle. It is not for nothing that the en- tire species, of all nations in each successive country, have given the brightest crown to the real victor, and awarded the supreme token of admiration to the genius and the courage which triumphs in the greatest trial of rival acW and opposing power. It is not the only test of excellency, but, in spite of all teachings, humanity has always reckoned it the best. Out of war alone, comes the patriot who receives the highest reward of his own and after times. Only after the thunder storm of war do nations show their finest qualities, attain their noblest development, and perform the greatest achievement of their civilization; and a long period of unnatural abstinence from war never fails to produce genera tion of little men of mean events, of paltrv politics, of corruption, of public cowardi-e, and ilt llectua commonplace. The cauk- CTS of long peace are proverbial, because of universal observation. Nations like men become enervated by inaction and as the greatest strength of nations can be called into play by national strife, It Is only then, and after, that they can snow their most splendid force and hlsheS' merits
 But not alone to produce glorious goods but to escape great ills; is combat neces- sary to the health of nations Peace ana prosperity, an overflow of money and l goods, and material wealth act on nations