The San Francisco call., 1897-05-30
WAR AND CIVILIZATION

The Greco-Tu urkish war again brings up the
question W he ther war is ever a necessity and
whether modern war conditions are inimical
TO the highest in terests of civilization we
understand them to-day.
To be fully prepared for immediate war is
now recognized as a first necessity by all the
great Continental powers. These conditions
profoundly affect the entire policy of these
states. both domestic as well as foreign. This
is a most remarkable feature OF the present
stage of civilization and one worthy the full
est attention of the philosopher and states
man. So far-reaching a system cannot but
have marked effect for good or evil upon the
nations concerned and through them upon the
whole civilized world.
If the result of the extraordinary advances
made In all departments of science during the
past half century has been 10 enable nations
to butcher one another on a scale hitherto un-
known, 1t may well be thought at first glance.
that our boasted civilization is q mere gloss,
and that If the surface be but scratched all of
the fighting and destroying tendencies of
bar barrie man will still be apparent.
In the minds OF many extremists war is never
1ustihable; no possible good can ever come
from 1t, and hence 1t should be avoided on all
occasions and at any cost. Needless to say If
such views had always held full sway and had
been carried to their logical conclusion we
privileges which can only come from being
citizens Of a great and powerful country. To
condemn war unfortunately is thus tanta-
mount to denying the advantages flowing
from those larger aggregations Of peoples
called nations.
Evidently, and without entering into any
apology for war for its own sake, occasions
must often arise in the life of q nation when
war is not only justifable, but actually de-
manded by every consideration. Not all wars,
unfortuna ately, fall into this category. As long
as human nature remains unchanged we may
expect the same conditions to repeat them
selves. and once the war spirit of q people is
aroused calm reasoning is at an end. If to
provoke unnecessary war Is q crime, scarcely
less SO Is 1t for a nation to remain quiet under
insult and injury. To be prepared at all times
for war is to lessen the probability of its oc-
currence and in this sense reasonable con-
dition OF preparedness is the duty even Of the
most peace loving of nations.
Nations have often been compared to indi-
viduals, and in the main the comparison is
exact By war nations are born, by war they
grow, and by war they finally perish as Or
ganized and separate communities. Peace is
eEervating, while war develops many of the
finest qualities both of nations and of indi-
yiduals. Ii then the civilization of the present
day has made war in many ways more terrible,
on the other hand 1t has made 1t thing not
lightly to be undertaken. Great wars are no
longer dynsstical, but national The whole
manhood of the nation Is involved, and the
consequences Of defeat or victory are therefore
vastly more far reach ing. Public opinion and
not the will of princes now controls the dogs
of war. constant state of readiness for war
constitutes in itself the strongest guaranty OF
peace. The very scale on which modern war
Is waged causes q serious drain upon the
richest country. The sinews OF war are still
the same.
Al a result of all these conditions wars be-
tween civilized nations are becoming both less
frequent and of she rter duration, and will not
probably be undertaken until every other re-
source is exhausted. Who can say that this
does not constitute q distinct advance for civ
ilizat tion7 1t marks Q decided change from
by-gone times, when war was undertaken
often upon the fimsiest pretext and dragged
It's slow length along for years. with all the
interruption to progress which that implies
Now, when war is finally decided upon the
object will be to make it short, quick and de-
cisive. 1t will be pushed to its legitimate
conclusion as quickly as possible. In this way
lasting peace is assured with the least possi-
Bile interference with existing conditions and
the cause OF civilization correspondlngly ad-
vanced.