The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-15
DEPICT HORRORS OF WAR
C. T. BROWN INVEIGHS AGAINST
MODERN BARBARISM.
Says Many People Do Not Quite
Know What We Are Fighting For
In the Philippines-Peace Dis
courses at the Tabernacle and
Unitarian Church.

6tClG " Sltdh Will ItltICllSt ~ iLe
International Peace congress which is
to be convened at The Hague on May
Is. His subject was international
Arbitration and the Peace of Cod and
he chose his text from Micah. 4, 3:
They shall beat their swords into
plow shares and their spears into
pruning hooks
He said in part: Il for one, desire
to raise my voice in congratulati2n
upon an event so significant as the
Peace congress that is to meet next
week at The Hague There have been
peace conferences held before, but none
just like this one. Many conferences
have been called by a war or threat
ened war, but never before have we
had in the worlds history a call which
has had SO general a response simply
on a general principle, to discuss the
mitigation of the horrors of war, and
some plans for the bringing about of
an international agreement by which
disputes may be settled by arbitration
instead of the arbitrament of the
sword.
Some of the points to be discussed
at this Peace congress are these: The
first one, and a very modest one. is an
agreement not to increase naval or mill
tary forces and the corresponding
budgets for fixed period Another is
the restriction of the use of the most
terrible of existing explosives, and for
bidding the throwing of any explosives
from balloons or similarly Another,
the naturalization of vessels saving
hose wrecked in naval battle What
a glorious object lesson our own
splendid navy gave in saving those
from the enemy'S shipsl And finally,
among the list of the ten points to be
discussed at the conference, is this:
Acceptance of the principle of media
ton and arbitration in such cases as
lend themselves thereto This is a
series of propositions certainly not en-
tirely sentimental or impracticabie;
certainly practical when we recollect
that the Russian government has over
two and one-eighth millions of men
ready to be modified at "A moments
notice; when we recollect that France
on a peace footing has 100000 to sup
port and 100000 in Iime of war. Ger
many's figures are practically the same
as those of France, and Austria's are
but little smaller. Italy's figures are
$4,000 in peace. 1.473,000 in war. and
100000 with full muster. Englands
bill for her army and navy is S145. 000.-
600 ever year. There are almost five
and one-half million men under arms
all the time in Europe, with 44,25O,0OO
ready for service on short notice. Sure
~ a proposition not to increase the
military forces and budgets is a very
practical measure.
Let us first of all admit frankly
that war is the residuum of a bar
barous age, and not the invention of
an enlightened civilization We ask
those who think that an occasional war
is needed to develop the virtues of
peace, to reflect upon that proposition,
which l think is undeniable. that war is
the residuum of d barbarous age and
not the invention of an enlightened
civilization. In spite of all the miti-
cations of our day, no tongue or pen
can ever tell the horrors of war the
stories of the field after the fight is
over, the pictures of mutilation, the
horrors of death; the animal fury of |
the charge, the smell of blood: the |
charge that brings out some of the best |
there is in human nature, and also !
some of the worst. And then the awful /
as a recent writer in the /
Forum has put it, The Aftermath of !
War The number of those who die |
from wounds is small compared with |
those who die from exposure and dis /
eases contracted during the cam !
paign.
An the signs of history are for ar |
bitration. In the dim dawn of history |
disputes were settled by fisticuffs and 1
clubs, personal encounters. AS man |
rose in the scale, there came the duel, /
and later came group fighting, one
group of families against another group |
of families, clans against clans. The
church in the middle ages. by its
Peace of God exercised a great in
fluence over that terrible custom. The
duel is gone-from America, at least
and there is a significant analogy be-
tween the duel and its history, its de-
cline and fall, and the history of war
and the hopes of arbitration. All our
are for peace, thank Cod Is il not
significant that the enthusiasm which
so gloriously responded to the call of
our country from one end of the land
TO the other when everybody felt it was (
4 fight for humanity, has notably
lbated during the present Filipino war?
am not criticiZing the administra-
ion; that is not the business of this
pulpit. ] am only speaking of the SEN
iment of the American people. Every
body was enthusiastic about fighting
or a generous cause; but many are
ieeply questioning the policy of fight
ng when we are not quite sure what
We are fighting for. The instinct, tie
sober second thought of America is for
)eaee, and l cannot think that this
movement upward will be permanently +;
checked or reversed
Within, a hundred years forty dis
,utes with Great Britain have been set
led by arbitration The gudeposts of |
history point to international arbitra- '
ion for the settlement of all disputes. l
The women OF the world are for it. The |
rational secretary of the Womens
PEACE society said last year: The [
Mothers. the wives and the homes of !
'ur land have the deepest interest in |
he substitution of law for war For, |
n the last resort, they are the ones who {
uffer most. !
John Burns said of the arbitration
reaty: The treaty signed between I
america and England is the act of the s
entury. the real bond of brotherhood, 7
he deed of democracy bonding two ma {
ions into civilized whole. an arbitrat-
ng by nationality instead of passion. g
England and America are one and in
ivisable for peace. The treaty de-
hrones militarism, the curse of Europe
nd the scourge of humanity
And, last Of all, the Lord Christ is
or il. At the beginning he was for it:
1 the close of his career he left it as
is benediction. AS brain is better
han Drawn, as the college is nobler
han the castle. as the ballot is more
otent than the bullet, as Christ is
reateF than Mars, the arbitration of
eaee is better than the arbitrament of
he sword. AS Christ, with his message
Justice and peace; as Christ with his
edeenied ones, the singing legions of
onverts; as the white Christ, with his
leaning robe, unstained except by mis-
wn hearts blood, is better than Mars
18th his horrid visage and CORY locks,
} is arbitration better than war.
In his name. let every Christian
cart pray for the success of this Peace
9ngress."
TTS uAuE