The herald., 1898-11-13
fUROPE'SARMfD CURSE
A CRISIS HAS BEEN REACHED I'm
THE MILITARY EVIL
WORLDS WEALTH IS WASTED
It Is Dawning on the Leaders in the
Old World That the Days Of War
Must Be Numbered

Armed Europe seems to have reached Z
hating place midway between universa.
peace and bloody war. 1t seems to depend
upon very slight turn of the wheel either
way whether the cars plan for general dis.
armament be adopted, or whether the NUT
terings of wrath in various quarters. fol.
lowing small and insignificant sauabbles.
should cause an outbreak that would be
the signal for the mighty armies of CONT.
mental Europe to engage in terrible
struggle to the DEATH 1t is difficult
to realize how colossal are the standing
armies of these continental powers and
how terrible is the strain on the manhood
of the nations who thus stand ready to
spring at a moments notice to the defense
of fatherland
Only in the inner circles of European
diplomacy is the full extent of the curse Of
militarism realized. Here it is seen what
injury is done to the country by taking tho
best blood, bone and muscle from industrial
life and keeping it for years in useless
inactivity waiting for war.
To take figures even of the mighty armies
of the present day and compare them With
the total population of the country that the
army represents does not make a very
large percentage of the whole, but The
quality of the manhood of which the peace.
full fields of industry and commerce are de.
prived is what gives the matter &C serious
an aspect.
Here are the armies of the world ON .
peace footing:
Officers and Men.
Russia (European) .Yl 500
Germany .:.'...............6s .6s5, 40
Austria-Hungary .S5S, 697
United Kingdom ........................l .lS3.b6s
This represents the number of men always
under arms, and total loss to the indus.
tries of the country whose uniform they
wear. Take the same army on war foot
ing and it is possible to realize how drained
of it's backbone population would be the
continent of Europe in the event of great
war in which the armies of the field would
have to be constantly replenished by drafts
from home. 1t would practically mean that
the whole male population capable of bear.
ing arms would be locked in life and death
struggle, fearful thing to contemplate
even at this distance from Europe. Here
are the figures on war footing:
Officers and Men.
Germany ........................... .SO0O.0O0
France ....................."... .2.50O.0Oo
Russia (European) ,<55, 900
ustria-Hungary .S72.178
Italy ,3O6
United Kingdom ...................... 369 III
To make the comparison still more inter.
esting, it is necessary to take into consider.
alton the total population of the various
countries, men, women and children, ard
show what proportion of these will be en-
gagged in battling for their homes. These
are the figures of the entire population OF
six of the European nations:
Russia lin Europe). )................. LOG. 1l45D
Germany .............'.............. o1'1SSle
Austria Hungary ................ 44.448.4N
United Kingdom ..............".... 40.OOO0Oo
France ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. B,617.9B
Italy ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 200 40
A calculation made by dividing the mum.
ber of men in the European armies with
the total number of inhabitants shows
that in Germany the percentage of soldiers
under arms during time of peace is ll.20o
to each 1000 inhabitants in Austria. Hun
gary 500, in Russia 7.463, in Italy 1894,
and in the United Kingdom 40S9. On war
footing these percentages would be in.
creased enormously, as the following fig.
ures show:
France leads with percentage of 64.9N
to each 1000 inhabitants, Germany next
with 1882 to each 1000 inhabitants, Aus
tria- Hungary 42.l22, Italy 4O,533, Russis
%. 3.l39, United Kingdom 9.243.
In the case of the British the soldiers
under arms are very few as compared with
the mighty armies Of continental Europe,
but the waste of good material in her enor.
nous navy is just as strong an argument
in favor of general disarmament as is the
waste of men in the armies by the military
system of the continent. The vast navy
of England is so much marine carrying
power going to waste. The 1000 warships
of the United Kingdom add nothing to tho
earnings of the nation. Their business 10
to destroy, not to increase the wealth OF
the world They are SO many leviathans
of the deep steaming around on valueless
missions, carrying no cargoes. helping no
industry, taking no foodstuffs to hungry
people, They are a mere waste of coal and
energy from the standpoint of the man
who cries for general disarmament.
Well may the diplomats of Europe look
with relief on the proposition of the hu.
name czar for the general laying down OF
arms and returning of the soldier and naval
| man to his home and his peaceful mercantile
|