Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1900-08-10

In spite OF I NINA : dlldCh uDbll tAuScldh
Siberia the ear has not yet declared that
Russia is at war with China. Apparently
he hestates to act Independently of the
other western powers. The struggle that
has now begun in China may involve the
world in the greatest war of modern his
tory. The outlook is gloomy and the
dangers to mankind are numerous. The
statesmen of Russia may be pardoned,
therefor, for taking time to learn the
true situation before advising the czar to
begin war the end of which no man can
forsee.
There are many optimists who will say
that the world has passed safely through
similar crises without encountering any
sweeping disaster, and they again argue
! that. therefore, no serious calamity will
result from this one. But "the pitcher
that goes often to the well will be broken
at last" says the proverb, and there are
reasons and conditions in the present in
ternational difficulties likely to produce
results different from those that have fol-
lowed previous complications.
All over the world barbarian as well as
civilized nations have been arming and
drilling their men for the purpose of re-
sisting the possible aggression of their
neighbors. The civilized nations have
enjoyed the blessings of peace for about
twenty years, there having been no
great war since Russia and Turkey made
peace in ISIS But everywhere the ma
tions have gone on turning out the most
efficient instruments of death and train
ing their subjects for duty on the battle
field. So irksome have become the burd-
ems of militarism that even Russia, the
strongest power in Europe. tried last
year to induce its neighbors to unite in a
policy of arbitration and disarmament.
1t Is true the congress of The Hague has
not apparently FASTENED the arrival of
| the millennium but the fact that such
an effort was made to avert the possibility
of war was eloquent testimony to the
fears inspired by the then existing situa-
ton In the minds OF the leading military
nations.
During the comparatively long term Of
peace every people has been growing in
numbers. There is no longer room at
home for all the sons and grandSons that
want places there is no longer sufficient
food at home for all the mouths to be
filed; there is no longer adequate cloth
/ ing at home for all the backs to be coy
cred. Many of the youths of every ma
/ ton except ours have been forced to
/ leave the fatherland to seek their for
tunes elsewhere. IN their quest for live
/ lihOod they have entered the territory of
unclvllized or semi-civilized nations,
where they have sought to establish their
| home customs and forms of government.
The lands thus invaded by foreigners
have not always been willing to admit
that the newcomers way was the best
way. The foreigner has derided and de-
spised the native and all his works, but
the native has shown equal or greater
contempt for the ideas and methods of
the invader. 1t seems to be the natural
instinct of mankind to dsparage and dis
like the thing that is strange. Every
where we find the foreign immigrant
c'inging to his old customs and manners,
and equally everywhere we find people
who are to the manner born coldly con-
temptuous or actively hostile to the