Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-02-15
WHAT Is WAR?


ISnn FfnnciHto 'nfonlclc.l
No artist living or dead has depicted
war In coiorr with such vividness and
fidelity aa vcrcstchngin. the famous
Isussian painter. Ills paintings tell the
terrible story Of the Asiatlc wars OF
conquest Of Russia aud the Rus
ro-Turkish war ~ no word portrayal
Of war was ever able to tell II. although
he supplemented his paintings himself
with graphic description OF war under
the title u 1.-THE War Correspondent"
Eleven years ago his paintings were
FIRST publicly exhibited. and they cree
ntod Juror wherever they worc shown.
Their exhibition IN England constituted
the sensation Of the time.
vorcHtchagin iiaclnima any other
purpose In his paintings than that OF
painting the truth-"to paint things nH
they are" lie rcacntH the suggestion
that tho motive Of his paintings Ia TO
show the evils Of war. Hts idea Of what
war IN IA thus conciacly stated.
Il think II II rtupid-a stupid sport.
In the old days men killed one another
In war. and then roasted and ate one
another. Their waH something prac-
teal IN that. II was a way OF getting
your food. hut they don't do that now.
They would be ashamed OF ~. sun.
they 10 on killing one another. Why.
there IL no object IN ~ To bring back
the matter to the polnt-i would make
II compulsory that In war men should
eat their slain enemies. Then We should
see what thcy would do. IN. you do
not know how stupid II II. a battlefield
IL the atupidcst place In the world on
the one side there IN a hospital. where
there are doctors ana sisters of charity,
putting ON bnndagcr. giving drugs and
trying TO heal the wounds of those who
arc brought In. nut. M fast ~ they are
dealt with others come pouring Ina
faster and faster tide. And all the
time, away on there. tho battle goes
on-boom' lIooml iioom'-and men
are killing one another and woundlng.
/ II u not foolintf ON the part of the
MA they arr healing. on another they
are woundlng, And an they come IN
surgeons cannot heal quick enough.
| and they say. pushing dead man
aside. All. take him away, and make
room for another Why should doctor.
and sisters Of charity do all this! n
| u ~ right 10 destroy, let them destroy
N Il IN right to heal let them heal. Eat
this-thn N hypociiny. II ~ huinbIg.
II " neither one thing nor the other.
| Humanity DO you think there W any
humanity In war; The object II 10
kili--just to Xiii mcn-and TO Mii aH
many aA you can. That II the object
/ Of the soldier. and his priest In all ie-
/ liginn tells him that II " right The
soldier goes Ia his priest, and asks him
whether II In right that he should XII
the enemy. and the priest tells HIN,
Yes. XIII ar many na YOU can; II u
right. and that N rcllgion' Yes. talk
10 military man AMI you viii mud
that he enjoys war--that he likes ".
Why IN II 10 him that war ~ TO ha the
| first aud greatest Of aportHG becuur'
| Il means that he will Kill men. The
priest In looEing his hold. Men say IA
| him, All, my good fellow. what you
ay IL very pretty. but II II not true.
| ask myself. how much longer VIII th'
soldier have his way Take France
| wnA speaking Ia Alexandra Dumas
once. and | said TO him. What " the
time should come when the soldier VIII
not shoot; when they Will turn bach
their RrmHg lie paused u moment, and
then lcant over Ia me, and said. "fhoS
viii stlll shoot For a time that inny
he true: but the day win come when
| men will refuse 10 shoot those who nrs
their brothers. These ideas are taking
root In France, ana Will spread.
In Europe nearly all territorial cues
tious nrc acttird,nnd II " Europe whici
mainly Affects ua. Europe. | say, II Z
settled country. ~ 10 Africa and Asia
II IN not for these countries that VI
shall fight, Take Russia. We have unl,
some 1900 men IN Central Asia tn
greater part Of our vast nrmy-aome
thing like 100000 men-lr stationed
along the frnntiorn Of Germany nm,
Austria. n the ornaments Of theHl
countries were reduced, We should III
able 10 do something 10 reduce ours
hut not before II N 40 easy 10 say
that these things ARE dreams Every
thing N dream until IL IL accom-
plished. say-let them 20 on an'
work Il ont and discuss u, and then
however small may be our achieve
ments we may achieve something
Then when we have done "a. the who'll
world will come round To- see and prais
us. and believe us, for u 10 IN with IN
world. They viii wornhlp nothing tx
cent the falt nccompli Things canno
go ON as they are-we are being BLEED 4
death. All the misery OF Russia
There are the masses OF the peopl
without education, without fo0d-nni
an the money Il going for thlH--for thl
stupidity-for this stupidity of war. |
cannot go on; something must be done
and We are all with the oHhr In I'M
"nut unklnd critics say here that IN
czar IN Increasing his armaments Will
he talks Of peacel What can he do
Ito IL the head of the state. and mus
govern. As long a. the others ar
armed, Russia must be armed; for N
must defend herself " attacked. AM
I
the law into their avn hands. lie mus
emf rec the law ne IL exists He cnnno
lot one or two men say; I do not wan
To serve, and. therefore, | VIII not a
long az the law OF service exists, h
must enforce Il; while. ~ the sam
timo. he can say 10 his subjects, \ WI
help you II | cnn.' Hut even u the Rus
SLAMS succeeded and we have interim
tinnr rules, IL viii not cure war n
onco. but Il win do something. Man I
not 20 warllke nm animal m he was
We are more civilized now than W
were a century ago, our hands ar
smaller: our foreheadH are higher. AM
our ttCth are less prominent. I hav
seen mon In Central Asia with protrud
Ing teeth like those OF "A tiger We mr.
better thnn that now. and the proof
! TINT war II very much against our con
sciences now. That II why I am en-
deayorlnF to tell the people AZ HON
the facts about war Ms Il IL. In pie
lures aud In books. II Is the best wa
10 put down wars"