The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-04-17
URMSHES AINvOUV TUnVIOnIVu UUW AVI S0U

their spears into pruning hooks; nation
shall not lift up sword against nation.
neither shall they learn war any more
He said: Twenty six hundred years
have gone since tho prophet thus dreamed
of universal peace, and his dream Is still
uurealized. II takes q long time. as We
measure time to eliminate the tiger els-
Inent of our nature. No doubt there has
been an evolution Of pacific sentiment;
peoples of the earth than b ere used to be;
| but the spirit which In ancient days
made war the pastime of tribes and races
is yet strong In even tho nation that Is
the most fully civilized. Never before,
perhaps, was there such development OF
| the whole war system as there has been
within the last half of this nlnetee nth
century. In Europe nearly five millions
of men are under arms. and almost fifteen
millions more are given a military train
ing, and held ready to hurry at once If
need be into scenes of conflict. New for
tifications are continually being con-
struuted, new warships built new instru-
ments of death invented. National debts
have grown to enormous proportions, and
| from year to year the burden of taxation
grows heavier. And now our nation has
caught ths contagion. An easy victory
over weak foe, victory too easy IL
would seem to I'LL our breasts with much
everywhere men are saying that we too
ought to have large army and navy.
Reversing the words Of the prophet we
are beating our ploughshares into swords
and our pruning hooks into spears.
One wonders what the outcome OF all
this is to be? VIII this increase of the
war system continue until there shall te
such an outburst of passion and strife as
the world has never known, or will It go
on until the nations sink beneath its very
weight, or will the people by and by rebal
against il, and absolutely refuse to sup
port it any longer. There Is reason to
think that this last is the thing that will
be done before another half-century shall
have passed away. In Europe especially
there are increasing signs OF revolt against
1t. The Cars action in calling Tor
conference Of the reduction of ornaments,
seems to be pretty large straw showing
The way in which the rising wind Of pub
lie sentiment is blowing.
1t is said that peace is established and
maintained among nations by the very
greatness of tn air ornaments. There Is
some truth in this, no doubt, but after
all, they are not actually promoting peace
nearly as much rs many imagine. On
the whole their effect is infinitely more
evil than good. They oroate distrust, not
confidence among nations; they breed dis
cord not harmony; they beget enmlty.
not fraternity. They cripple instead OF
foster prosperity; they destroy instead of
produce wealth; they retard instead oil
hasten progress. From them come the |
vice of the camp and the woe of the
battlefield, instead of the virtues OF
tranquil society. and the pure joys OF an
unbroken home.
1t would be an infinite gain therefore II
national ornaments were 80 reduced as TO
be small compared with what they are
now. l confess, however that l have but
III all bss1 a INN 1Sadi
lately. | have but little hope that 1t will
be done until 1t shall be imperatively de-
manded by the people. l do not expect
the conference to he followed &C once by
any marked diminishing OF the armies
and navies of the world. ! do expect
Ii to call the attention of mankind far
and wide to the tyranny and curse OF
NJ odern militarism. 1t expect 1t to MAKE
them realize more fully than ever how
thoroughly evil 1t Is for nations to live IN
"a state of latent hostility. expect 1t to
produce In them deeper dislike, not only
Of war itself, but of all excessive and
needless preparation for war. l expect 1t
to inspire more profound and universal
longing for the peace that is maintained.
not by the display of force, but by mutual
good will and cooperation.
1t does seem that every nation claim
ing to be civilized ought to be ready for
such peace. 1t does seem that 1t ought
to be sufficiently civilized to be willing
to settle the troubles that arise between II
and other nations by peaceable and not
by violent methods. And 1t does seem
that intelligent peoples ought to see by
this time howlutterly irrational and In
human it Is to attempt to settle such
troubles by an appeal to arms. Arbttra-
ton is the only rational and humaLe
method of establishing equity between
nations. 1t Is too the only really effective
method Of righting wrongs and allaytng
strife.
We have come to the time when the
troubles that arise between man and man
are settled, not by brute force or by tbs
flash of the pistol Of glssm of the knife,
but by law In q court Of Justice. ne time
is coming when the trouble that arises be-
tween nation and nation shall be
settled, not by brute force either, or BY
the thunder of cannon or the thrust OF
the bayonet, but BY law in high Inter
national courts Of Justice. Law means the
embarrassment of reason and conscience;
war means the enth ronement of passion;
law means The establishment OF equity;
war means the dominion of power; law
means the triumph Of Christianity; war
means the perpetuation Of paganism.
Such "a time Is coming though IL bo 90
leisurely that Ne can hardly discern It's
anproach The dream Of the prophe shall
vet be realized. They shall beat their
swords into ploughshares, and their spears
into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift
up sword against nation. neither shall
thew learn war any more.