Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-11-22
SOME HORRORS OF WAR.
Won Moltke. De MaupasSant and 7. W. Higgi
son on the Subject.

Won Moltke. De Maupassant and t. W. Higgin-
son On the Subject.
The Doblest plea for peace 1 ever heard
was from the Veteran Victor Hugo in
1873, and if it be said that il Is easy for
the beaten side to be pacific, it must be
remembered that his views on this sab
ject long preceded the Franco Prussian
War, writes Colonel Higginson in Har-
per's Bazaar. Contrast his noble attitude
with the words with which q typical
German-Yon Moltke, who has been
called by Frenchman ''a man with a
genius for killing" (urmassacreur de
genie)-answered the delegates of peacs
congress. WAR" he said, in substance,
"a holy thing, of divine institution; it is
one Of the sacred laws of the world; it
nourishes among men all the high and
noble sentiments-honor, disinterested-
ness, virtue, courage-and keeps them, in
word, from sinking into the most hideous
materialism." And how well and brave
~ he is answered by a typical
Frenchman, the gayest and most au-
dacious of Parisians, Guy de Maspass-
ant! In his last graceful, and for
wonder almost iaoffensiye, little book,
Sur II Eau" the record of yacht
ing trip, he bursts ont into indignation
after visiting the finest of French men
after visiting the finest of French armed
vessels and says: "When / simply dwell
on that one word, war there comes over
me a wild horror as if men talked to me
of sorcery, of the Ing uisition or anything
remote, obsolete, abominable, monstrous,
contrary to nature" We speak with con-
Tempt OF cannibals, he says, but if it is
atrocious to kill men for food, is it not
worse to kill them merely for the sake of
killing? Then he gives a brief, short
sketch Of battle, set off by his etchers
with formidable glimpse on the oppo-
site page, OF the field after q victory.
Then he quotes Won Moltke's words, and
proceeds to comment on them thus:
''Soldiers are the scourges of the world.
We are all striving against ignorance,
against every kind of obstacle in order to
render our miserable existence less severe
Men, philan thro pists, scientists, spend
| their existence in toll, seeking out what
/ ever can aid, bless and relieve their
| brothers. Absorbed in their usual toll,
they go on accommodating discoveries, en-
largipg science, giving to intellect each
day some new resource of knowledge and
adding daily to the prosperity, the COM
fort and the strength of their native land.
rails have annlhilated twenty years Of
genius, labor and patience. And this is
what is called by Won Moltke, the avoid
ance of the most hi6eous materialism."
Then he goes on: "To enter q foreign
country; 30 kill q man who is protecting
his own house, and is not, like you, in
military uniform; TO burn the houses of
wretches who have no more food; to de-
stroy or steal all property; to drink wine
found III the cellars; to assault helpless
women III the streets; TO burn an enOr-
NOUS quantity of powder, and leave be-
hind onts misery and the cholera-that is
what is called the avoidance of a hideous
materialism!" It must be owned that
here the cynical, worldly Roman Catholic
Freh Gilman seems on far higher moral
ground than the laborious, deVout Prot
estan5 German; and yet Won Moltke
ought consistently to hate war more than
De Maupassant, for the very reason that
he has seen more Of it. The time is
passed when ar uments for peace from
the side Of humanity could be set aside
H. merely childish or womanish. Tt is to
the greatest military nation of all history
that We owe ne terse motto, summing up
all personal experiences: "Dulce bellum
! mex pertis"-war is sweet to those who
have never tried it.