St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-16

man looked at the avOwed reasons, he
smiled TO think what q fools paradise
those who made it lived in: or his
blood ran cold 10 think of the men,
brave and true. who would ere the
years sun had run his course be laid in
unknown graves. Kingly prerogative.
national prestige, imperial dignity,
balance of power are all terrible words
which, ministering to pride of great
peoples, have deluged Europe with
blood. and again and again filled parts
OF IL with carnage too diabolic for me to
describe.
I'VE cannot lay all the blame of this
upon one people; the spirit of it is in
the air. England's pride is her navy.
She spends upon it money like water,
while she keeps large standing army.
She counts in all branches, exclusive of
navy, $4,000 fighting men, and spent
overSS5. 500. goo upon them last year. This
is startling. but it is small as compared
with the total expense. If you cross
the channel you are IN France Here is
the war spirit inherited from the DAYS
of Napoleon, the fighter. Here we are
in the beginning of Western Europe.
we should think these people have had
enough of war. Not at all. They want
to fight: would be glad to do it to-mor-
row with Germany. if you can Judge of
l..
all places where men do most cOngre-
gate. They remember Alsace, taken
by Kaiser William, and they have in
vivid outline the fail OF Paris. They
keep up standing army i'll an effective
way. Their fourteen different parties in
the Legislature fight over many things
but no man in it dareS 10 propose to
weaken the working force of the army.
On @ar footing the soldiery number
100000 men and over S., OO0 horse;
they have $1,000 men in their navy and
1.139 officers. Cross the Rhine. 1t is
very narrow and divides France from
Germany. Here you have an empire
which, led 10y Moltke and Bismarck,
astonished the world as 1t BUNDLED one
OF the first military powers in the world
and encamped in the Place de la Con-
corde in Paris. 1t Is not light thing for
Americans that this great power. at the
beck Of the Emperor William, could
declare war and readily place in
the field 100000 men for war.
set aside the general aspect of such
grave question We have, it is said, in
America about seven million Germans,
every one of whom must have some in
terest in the Fatherland. In Austria a
similar state of things is III being. They
nave system by which they could at
once place 100000 men in battle. Spain
thinks 1t must keep up with the pro-
c3Sslon. SO 1t keeps itself poor by its
vast army. Italy is in like class. with
less resource. If we go over to Euro
pean Russia we come to 4 territory
which is every year adding million to
its people. governed by a depotism
which is the despair of reformers. 1t
can place under arms 100000 men, if
need be.
These are fair samples of what is
being done. 1t is not small sum which
Keeps up all this vast fighting spirit. it
works great haTdShips III two ways. In
most of these lands they have the con-
script plan, which makes every young
man who is physically capable of bear
ing arms go serve his time as soldier.
1t takes him out Of business life at a
time when he needs it, and is, as 4 rule,
needed in it most, and ii takes at least
another man to work for him and his
expenditure in war implements and ap-
purtenanceS. 1t is bad state of things,
as we look at it with the lights of his
tory and statistics. as We remember the
wide devastation wrought and the wider
promised: for, depend upon it, there is
In these uniforms and in this pomp of
war spirit a promise and a prophecy
that Europe Will at no distant day
be the scene of war, compared
with which, the past wars are
Of small account. Diplomacy which
is often the science of deception, may
avert it for time, but the crash will
come, unless now In peace the men who
love it create it and sustain in all lands
a strong, dominant sentiment against it,
Nineteen hundred wears of the gospel
have not enthrOned the rights of man.
the sacredneSS Of life, the criminality of
useless war undertaken for ambitions
sake and prosecuted for national glory
so named. 1t sounds like keen satire to
call these Christian lands, lands in
which. like tigers in cage, men LOOK
over narrow boundary lines and glare
at each other; lands in which on the
slightest pretenSe the dogs of war are
ready to be let tear each other. In our
study Of social, commercial and pOliti-
cal questions in America we do not
place enough value upon the govern
mental unity we have; upon our
wide domain; upon the absence
OF military SyStam which is
the very vitals out of the best. strongest,
usefulest, most hopeful life in Europe.
If we are wise in our day we shall be
most alert to see any change, however
small, which tends to create any leaning
in the direction of the evils point out
now. As long as our best strength, in
10 AlOSN t'NbfO sCclS 10 III illO nClus
store, school. or in any productive,
peaceful, useful. helpful way. and not
in the destructive, wasteful, degrading
and abOminable study how to kill men,
we shall grow in all which is desirable
for US to be. and in all it is desirable for
us TO do. A nation is not to be weighed
or measured by its fighting men, but a
nation built the right way, doing its own
business. fearing God and working right
eousness. will always have men who
can fight, if the sad need arise in just
cause. The wrath and resistance of
righteous men TO great wrongs is ter
rible. The Lord OF Hosts is the God of
Jacob gives mighty energy to it. Let
US as nation be sure that the work of
righteousness is peace. and the effect Of
righteousness QuIetness and assurance