The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-08-04

ing a minimum because of the sanity
OF modern thought, by the same end
may it be reached among nations.
For though murders still occur and
though wars still rage, yet are they,
we believe, storms whose force is ex
tended, as at sea, on the surface,
while the great currents go on their
stately way to moderate fierce eli
mates and make them the happy
homes of men.
Starting once more with the initial
statement about commons sense, let us
look abroad for awhile in order to
prove the point. In Europe are four
of the five great nations that lead the
world, Russia, Germany, France, En-
gland. Notwithstanding their pro-
gressiveness in other directions they
seem to be afflicted with the national
dementia by reason of the rivalry of
force. For nearly twenty years not
one of them has been involved in a
serious European war; yet through
out all those years, and long before,
each of these great powers has been
piling up armaments increasing army
and navy budgets, multiplying de-
SlIuEllNt lOICCS. anu "
the point of protest the pockets OF the
great common people upon whom the
burden of all this falls. What result
has accrued? Nothing. They are all
relatively where they were at the out
set and as disinclined as ever to come
to real test of strength. The vaunt-
ings and boastings of idiots have
grim humOr and one can afford to
smile at them but smiling is forbid
den when we realize that all this in
crease of apparent strength among
European nations is really an increase
of weakness. Taking as an example
the case of Germany, with its lordly
chanceling who prates Of divine
rights" and we shall realize how like
a wasting consumption, is this re-
lance on force.
The function of the army abroad. is
to starve out all originality in the
rank and file, so as to transform the
men into so many unfeeling, unthlnk-
ing machines. The perfection of dis
cipline is to make them do, needless
of consequences, Just exactly as they
are commanded. This destruction of
initiative takes place, too, just when
the young men are best lifted to throw
into productive lines their super
abundant energy. Yet this is only a
part of the injustice; for the army re-
lentlessly takes from home the young
and capable and turns them into re
ceivers of aims, like the paupers and
the demented. The army produces
nothing but demands everything. 1t
places upon those who are least Wig
orous the burden of supporting those
who are most vigorous. Then hay-
ing ground away the individuality OF
the soldier by years of Dracoman
severity, he is thrown back into the
world with wrong ideas OF labor; and
he needs must go through a second
attempt to adjust himselI,to life as it
really is, and not life as the few mill
taryyears haveled hint think it to be.
The whole tendency of the system is
to put brakes ou the wheels Of prog
ress, and create discomfort. Com
nonsense among the common people
is making them feel that they are in
the position of the tabled cat whose
paw was used to drag out hot chest
nuts for military monkeys. The par
ade and the show do not help the peo-
/ pie up, but hold them down so that
a military few may swagger over them
and trample on them.