The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1902-10-09
20 ABOLISH war. The old,
old dream. / find on turning
back the pages of the Bible to

w ADOL1Sh war. lu0 OlU,
old dream. 1 find on turning
back the pages of the Bible to
paragraph written some
thousands of years ago the following
sentence: "And their swords shall be
beaten into ploughshares and their
spears into pruning hooks. /. there
shall be no more war;"
If the man who wrote that sentence
could have looked across the gulf of
years and viewed the present condi-
tion of the world, would he have writ
ten it?
Today there are, scattered over the
surface of the earth, various organiza-
tions whose object is to promote uni
versal peace. These organizations have
the moral support Of millions of good
and thoughtful people. My purpose
is to show that not only are they and
their supporters indulging in foolish
and Utopian dream that can never be
realized, but that we are about to.wit-
ness one of the most terrible revolu-
tions the world has ever seen.
This dream of q universal peace is
not new. 1t has been indulged in by
nearly every great conqueror. AS q
student who has devoted several years
to minute study Of warfare, believe
i can say little something of interest
on this subject.
In the year 334, b. G., the military
genius, Alexander, crossed the Helles-
pont.. The dream of this splendid
youths far as we can judge by what
he said and did-was to make the world
all Greek. To conquer and solidify in
to one vast empire the entire world
Then, universal peace with Alexan-
der as emperor of all nations. He
came very near realizing it. He did
indeed conquer the world. But dying
at Babylon at the age of 33 in full pos
session Of his youth, power and glory,
he passed away without seeing the fu-
tility of his dream.
Rome. What visions come surging
through the mind when that word is
pronouncedl What flights of yearsI
What barbaric grandeur! It was here
the next great dreamer arose. Caius
Julius Caesar. With him the Idea, the
universal peace idea, was a dominant
one. To make Rome the world and
the world all Roman he put to death
over 100000 human beings. When
he went down beneath the daggers of
the Roman senate perhaps he too saw
the folly Of his dream.
Another idea that in many cases &C.
companied the universal peace idea
was the idea that he, the conQueror,
whoever he might be, was chosen in
strument IN the hands of God or the
gods. With Attilla this Idea was q
mania; an insanity. He deemed and
called himself, "The Scourge of God"
Perhaps he too changed his opinion
when he was crushed at the battle of
Chalons by King Theodore. With the
dreamer Tameriane this Idea was also
mania. 1t has been handed down to
US in the well known couplet:
81 am Tamerlane; the scourge of God.
Mine is the sword and rod"
With Ghengis Khan this same Idea
was again dominant; to make the world
Mongolian; universal peace; for the
glory of God and, incidentally him
self. With Mahomet and his followers
we again see this Idea; and they main
tsined it with frenzy till the battle of
Tours settled the question of Mahomet-
an supremacy.
And last, but not least, comes Ma
poleon. He too was not free from this
Idea. He constantly spoke Of his
destined career" and his astar of
destiny." During the Napoleonic era
the French nation went insane on this
subject; to conquer the world; to Lat
inize it; to bring in the millennium and
universal peace.
And now In these latter days We be-
hold this Same Idea once moro taking
sAape in two RACES. The Anglo-Saxo