The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1901-02-07
ABOUT Wars.
TaE1E ENORMOUS Elk eENsE.
What They cost in Mercy And
Men.

| BY Daniel Motley, Ph D., in Watch Tower.
/ LAST and most Iamentable ct the
closing centu,y's distinction is it al
been \ century Of war. In the sixteen
msj jor wars fought since 1900 by ,La
seven leading civilizsd nations among
themselves 100000 lives have b, en-
lost and $l47 700 co., 600 has been cx-
I pended { of which $S,5OO,0o0,0OO waa
paid out from the United States Treas.
| ury for the civil war alone). Inc!ud.
ing the minor wars ard those waeed
by and with semi civilized peoples the
human slaughter bill for the century
amounts to $4,000, 100000 and the
lives lost number abou: 100000. Id
ding to this vast inventory of destrnc-
slon the Individual losses net paid b.
governments incurred by the des.ruc-
ton OF rrivate property, and the lives
irregularly lost and not officially re-
ported, the total cos: to the world Ct
the wars OF the nineteenth century is
computed at over 5000, 900, GOO ,OoO and
100000 lives. The annual sum now
heing ex ,:ended in maintalng the stand
ing armies and navjes of Tie leading
;,owers on a peace footing numbering
,ver Z, ,OO0, 600 men is about 81 200, ,COO,-
900. And this means that We are to
,esin the twentieth century With an
annual expenditure for war purposes
m !asd and Sc. that is equivalent: 10
ne value Of the constau. labor Of at
East 5000 COO ,aen employed in leace-
III occupations.
Iknow, as well as any savant that ever
.l;gnl.arially spoke Of war as necessary
% our present stage of civilization,
hat the race has not yet developed to
s'.a place where man-killlng machines
and foxces can be entirely abandoned.
No, the very fact that the seven el.fa
nations OF the world butchered CO.
coo OF their brothers in the centur,
just closed Is glaring proof that great
vestiges of barbarism, sayasery, in.
humanity, dense ignorance sill HAYS
hold upon u.s. But $4,000, 100000 {.
number you do not conceive at alD
spent for human killing, and $160, ,0N.-
100000 Of property destroyed and TO-
OC0 GOO lives lost to say nothing of ;ln
demOrailzing effects Of wal is enough
to make any young man ashamed t"
"a thing wifi. which to shoot the hear;
out OF man, the highest work OF God
Aud while l know the majority of Ieo-
ple who urge war, and Of the people
who thoughtlessly clamor for war are
moral oeeenerstes, yet 1t seems that
such figures of cost and OF lives, to say
nothing OF the Thousands OF nights the
bleeding and wounded have spent 10
agony, would be enough to startle these
Ighorances into thinking more serious
]y aud sobsrIy about checking war.
Leaving human lite and pain; THUS
of 5000, ,O,O0 000,0 900 of property destroy.
ed. Think OF the comfortable homes.
the beneficial institutions, the food
ani clothing that could have been pro-
duced by 100000 men employed IN
peaceful occupations" In the face o:
these APPALLING, lnhuman facts-and l
speak mostly of the material and OF
the surface as nearly ev cry BODY else
does IN this age-yet We find young
men saying, 81 would not go to war but
If l refused people would think ms
coward" During the three past years
l have heard numbers express them
selves that way. May heaven give
these poor weaklings at least a SEM
blarce of backbone. And may the
generations unborn show us what n
hero is! Citizen voter, preacher, read
the above facts again and again un-
til you learn to think--emphaticaily
be it said this age needs u thinking
people much more than it needs what
is commonly known as an educated
people. Have convictions. Stand by
them. See, at least, barbaristn aud In.
die out OF the foremost ma
tions. This done we shall be ready. /
say ready, for progress. The indivi
dual hasn't any right to kill his fellow
m IN the State has The s:holasticism
Of the Middle Ages in its great est day
couldn't beat that logic.