Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1898-10-22

America.
War-how dreadful thou art shall
not, indeed, declare thee to be immoral,
ever unnecessary, ever accursed. No,
shall not so arraign thee as to mete Pile
nary condemnation to the whole past his
tory of nations, to the whole past history
of my own America. But, that thou art
ever dreadful, ever barbarous, shall not
deny. War 1t is by cunning design
in order to hide from men thy true nat
ure-that pomp and circumstance attend
thy march; that poetry and music set i'll
brightest colors the rays of light strug-
Cling through thy heavy darkness; that
history weaves into threads of richest
glory the woes and virtues of thy victims?
Stripped of thy show and tinsel, what art
thou but the Staying of men-the Staying
of men by the thousands-aye, often by
the tens, by the hundreds of thousands
With steady aim and relentless energy,
tasking science to, its utmost ingenuity,
the multitudes of me to their utmost
endurance, whole nations work day and
night-ftting ourselves for the quick and
extensive killing of men. This prepare
ton for war; Armies meet OIL the field
of battle; shot and shell rend the air;
men fall to the ground like leaves in
autumnal storm, bleeding, agonizing,
dying: the earth is Redeemed by human
blood; the more CORY the earth beneath
the tread of one army, the louder the
revel of victory i'll the ranks of the other.
This, the actual conflict of war. From
north to south, from east to west, through
both countries whose flags were raised
over the field of battle, homes not to be
numbered morrned in soul-racking grief
for husband, father, son or brother, who
sank beneath the foeman's steel or yield
ed life within the fever tent, or, who sur
viving shot and malady, is carried back
to his loved ones manned or weakened
body. This, the result of war.
Reduced to the smallest sacrifice of
human life the carnage of the battle
fields, someone has died and someone is
bereft. ''Only one killed" the headline
reads. The glad news speeds. The
newsboys cry, "Killed only one" "He
was my son; what were thousand to
this one-my only son!"
1t was Wellington who said: Take
my word for it, if you had seen but one
day of war you wonld pray to Almighty
God that you might never see such a
thing again" 1t was Napoleon who said;
"The sight of battlefield after the fight
is enough to inspire princes with love
of peace and horror of war"
War, be thou gone from my souls
sight. l thank the good God that thy
CHASTITY specter stands no longer upon the
thresholds Of the homes of my fellow
countrymen in America, or of my fellow
beings in distant Andalusia, When,
ask heaven, shall humanity rise to such
heights of reason and of religion that wal
shall be impossible, and stories of battle
fields but the saddening echoes of print
tive ages of the race?
And yet, while we await that blessed
day, when embodied justice shall sit in
judgment between peoples; as between
! individuals, from time to time conditions
more repellant than war may confront g
nation and to remove such conditions the
solemn dictates of reason and religion
impose wars as righteous and obligatory.
Let the life of nation or the integrity oil
its territory be menaced, let the honor Of
nation be assailed, let grievous crime
against humanity be perpetrated within
reach of a nations flag or nations arm
reiterate appeals or arguments and diplo
macy failing, what else remains to q
death or dishonor but to challenge the
fortunes of war and give battle while
strength remains in defense of "It'
hearthstones and its affairs" War, in
deed, is dreadful, but let it come. The
sky may fall, but let justice be done
War is no longer reputation of peace
but the means to peace-to the sole peace
a self-sacrifcing people may enjoy, peace
with honor.
A just and necessary war is holy. Thu
men who at country call engage in sucl
a war are the country's heroes to whom
must be given unstinted gratitude anC
unstinted praise. The sword in thei
hands is the emblem of self-sacrifce anG
of valor; the flag which leads then
betokens their country and bids then
pour out in oblation to purest patriotism
the life blood of their hearts; the shrouC
which spreads over the dead of the battle
field is the mantle of fame and of glory
Happy the nation which has the cour
age of Just war no less than that of
just peace, whose sons are able and will
ing to serve her with honor alike in wa
and in peace. Happy the nation who's
! jubilee of peace, when war has ceased, i
also jubilee of victory.
"We love peace, not war, but when W
go to war we send to il the best and BRAY
est of the country" These words spokel
few days ago by the chief mag
istrate of America embody great princi
pie of American life.
What prowess in action. what intellec
in planning what skill in execution, wer
displayed by soldiers and seamen, b
men and officers MAGNIFICENT the sure