The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-07-05


II must, we fear, he admitted that, except with
very few men upon whom the feminine side Of
Chris,aniiy--the side which breaches resignation.
has taken strong hold, who realize with painful
th0r0ugllness The horrors inseparable from battle,
war, as such. has for cultivated mankind distinct
intellectual charn II attracts them nothing else
does, until In It's presence they cannot turn their
eyes away, and every other subject OF thought be-
comes comparatively insipid audi this even II the
war Ia not one In which they are personally con-
cerIed. OF course II they are their absorption IL
easily explained The results OF u war are no tTe-
mendous an'l far reaching, they Affect all interests
no deeply, and they may involve the future Of
country no inextricably, That 1t IL impossible for men
who have any patriotic or political Imagination at all
not to study lis progress. and even iis minute de-
tails, with concentrated attention. Ono big blunder
In war may PROSTATE nation. Even when, as In
rarely the case Invasion III out OF the question, the
Incidents OF campaign, the conduct OF The troops,
The capacity or imbccility OF the generals, become
matters OF personal and vital inierest-a victory
seems o pleasure beyond all others, defeat cruel
aud individual catastrophe. Mems interests, their
hopes their virtues, their foibles, and their fears are
no involved In "a war In which the nation Ii engaged
that every turn OF fortune IL AN event OF personal
moment, and tho excitement becomes as
engaged Men have been known TO go mad with Joy
after great victory, aud 10 sicken mortay OF the
ge ny g,ea ye a1 ' ar e eses
fingered long In the general memory. There IN
nothing 70 be explained IN that kind OF Interest," but
tho intellectual charm Of war extends much further
than this. Wars which are not ours Interest us
nearly An much an wars which are. scores OF
can Civil War with an attention which missed no de-
tail, and the European world watched the duel be-
tween France and Germany with a gaze which was
almost painful In ts intensity Of waichfulncss The
JOufiaH, which always reflect the popular curiosity
better than the popular thought, were full OF nothing
else, aud The excitement was felt an keenly by men
ordinarily devoted To study az by men who had
been soldiers ora curi0usly common case In ma
ton 10 devoted To civil pursuits soldiers by
inner prcpOsscssiOI II Ii usual 10 ascribc tins at
traction ~ unconscious sclfintcresi, dtSirc that
one or the other should win but we do not
think that mas very much 10 do with the mat
ter. Ihe OnlOOkeis Ia take sides, nO
doubt, often enthusiastically, aud With persistence
which II IL not easy TO explain: hut 1t II mol
OF their hopes fcars that they absorbed.
Thty are hardly less attracted by the wars VI history,
which ihcy ought 10 regard without passion; aud
there may be Keen excitement, though they fall 10
decide which side they wish 10 win. The English
people IN the Franco-Gerinan war sweryed distinctly
from side 10 the other; but they watched Gam
beta aud Shaily with IA much Interest IA they had
watched bismarck and Won Molikc. Moreover, ln-
visible warA, though thcy may strongly Affect the In-
tcreHts OF men, do nOf exercise this attraction. The
wageL by France In Tonquin has hardly been
watched NJ all while the two great Chinese wars OF
our day have hardly received anything beyond
casual mention, and never, even when III progress.
excited the slightest popular attention. Yet the war
IN l0nquln was IN many respects The most impor-
iant COLONIAL war OF our time; and the Two ChIiese
WERE IN the strangeness OF their Incidents aud
their awful consumption OF human life, among the
phenomenal occurrences Of the century