The herald., 1896-02-02
WAR AN INDUSTRY
BY JOHN E. MGOWN

That the twisting of the British lions
tail by Italy, France, Russia, the United
States and the Beers will cause that
beast some pain and ultimately force it
to show fight and retsliate, is but the
natural outcome OF humiliation and
pain.
10 contemplate war between two
progressive and np-to-date nations like
Great Britain and the United States of
America is to picture results terribly
disastrous.
The middle ege italian stories of
deadly poison manufactured by the
ancients, and of ladies destroying their
rivals by the perfume of fan, a nose
gay, or q pair of gloves, have often
been regarded as mere exaggerations,
the fruit of a panic occasioned by q
large addition made to the number of
known poisons in the first age of mod
ern chemical discovery. But we believe
that this incredulity is not shared by
all the great chemists of our day.
They say that il chemical research,
instead of being divided by the wish to
penetrate ths secrets of the natural
world, or to find remedies for diseases,
or even to hit upon the philosophers
stone, were directed solely by the am
bition to effect the subtle destruction
OF human life, there is no reason why,
| if not among solids and fluids, at least
among vapors, 1t might not easily fiod
| the means Of doing all that the italian
|
tunately for the human race, poisoning
has never been viewed with more than
very moderate approval. Whatever
states, they certainly went near to
stamping out this particular crime.
The fears and hesitations of the
spothecary in Romeo and Juliet are
among the last traces of contest in
which the law had the best of it.
The ending of the nineteenth cent
uary will apparently be period dur
ing which the skill, patience and
wealth which hitherto have been main-
ly devoted to developing the arts of
peace, will be applied by the most
civilized races Of the world to improv-
ing the arts of destruction. As this
process will be carried on not amid the
execrations, but amid the applause of
mankind, it is impossible that we
should not ask ourselves what may bO
expected from it.
The treasures of destruction lurking
in nature and capable of being disin-
tered by the hand Of man, would ap-
pear to be practically infinite.
Looking to one branch alone in this
class of discoveries, we find that gun
powder, which was supposed to be
unique in its properties, belongs to
whole family of sister compounds,
each more explosive and deadly than
the other. Cotton. after being dipped
in certain useful acids, turned out to
be so explosive that its very destruc-
tiveness prevented it's being freely en-
ployed, until, by process which looks
like a cruel parody on the manufacture
of paper, the limitations on it's fatal
usefulness may be removed, although,
by distinction quite immaterial TO
the happiness of mankind, 1t must now
be exploded by the tap of hammer,
whereas it once went off with spark.
In fact the nineteenth century would
appear to be future Of Eliminates.
Suppose what at present seems per-
fectly possihle) naval engagements
we're to begin with the simultaneous
laundering of half of each fleet
through the explosion OF torpedoes,
movable or immovable.
Suppose the greatest part of each of
two contending armies was, on the
firing of the first shot, instantly to
succumb to a shower Of deadly hail;
or, again, suppose war to resolve itself
into system of perpetual dodging
into harbors or behind fortresses.
Would the human race be suddenly
overcome by sense of the ludicrous,
and the great tribunal of war break up
amid general laugh?
One thing in war has been placed at
least beyond doubt. 1t is an industry,
like any other industry, capable Of i'm
provement or retrogression under pre-
cisely the same conditions.
Mankind have outlived many il.
lusions on the subject.
Once they tho aght the issues of war
we're SO tremendous that they must be
specially determined by the deity, and
the doctrine is written both in the Old
Testament and on the Moabite stone.
But the apothegm which was once
held to be the very quintessence OF
cynicism-that the divine favor goes
with the big battalions-is shown 10
BIT literal statement Of common
place truth.
Again, it was part of the popular
creed about war, and doubtless still Is
to q great extent, that victories are
won by personal valor. There can be
no completer analogy than between
the great military epochs ct war, and
the industrial epocbs marked by great
exhibitions or expositions, such as the
Columbin international exposition,
1894 Worlds Fair, Chicago.) The
war exhibits made BY France. Russia