The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-04
THE OF PEACE.
Work Intended to Save the World
from Destructive Wars.

Ofh
II is a tremendous task now set before
the world more prominently than ever be-
fore. that of transferring the emphasis in
literature, art. politics. diplomacy and in
the still wider field of human ambition.
from war and its superficial glamor and It's
meretricious glories. TO peace and the nobler
victories and achievements that belong TO
1t. Thus TO make a stand against a current
of thought and feeling coeval with the his
tory Of mankind. to turn il aside into new
and unaccustomed hannels. into saner.
loftier, more humane ways, will be the
work Of slow and weary years. filled though
they may be with the most intelligent. ener-
getic and persistent effort to that end Of
many gifted and devoted men and women.
All the vast literature of the world, as ii
exists to-day, its poetry and its prose, its
history, its Biography and it's romance, are
imbued with the martial spirit. with the
pomp and circumstance of war. Every
where it is the warrior who figures as the
nero of his time. as the idol of the people;
everywhere ii is the deeds of the sword,
the CLASH cf deadly combat, the roar of
battle that sounds what seems TO be the
sweetest music in the ears of men. TO
change this note in literature, to put the
dominance OH the heroics of peace, will. in
itself. be a mighty undertaking, demand
ing the finest thought, the highest gifts and
the noblest energies of men for many years
10 come. And the great work cannot begin
TOO soon nor be pressed too vigorously to
save the world from adding further to the
aWIul load or woe and agony which war
mas piled upon il.
A better beginning of the specific work
OF building up the literature of peace and
thus educating public sentiment in favor
or settling civil and International disputes
by other arbitrament than that of the
sword could hardly be made than that un-
dertaken by CHM & Co, the we'll
known publishers of Boston. This firm
proposes TO issue from time 10 time in
cheap and substantial form all the great
writings OF the past and of the present,
which tend distinctly to emphasize peace
as the true aim of nations and to show
the folly and waste of war. The first vol
ulne In the series is a condemnation of the
great work of the late Jean De Bloch on
The Future of War" without doubt the
most remarkable work In depreciation of
war from the economic as well as the
humanitarian point of view ever written,
a work which, it is believed. induced the
Car of Russia to issue his famous rescript
summoning the peace conference at The
Hague, which, in turn has led to the
organization of The Hague Tribunal for
the settlement of international disputes by
arbitration, in itself one of the most nota-
bic and "epoch-making events in human his
tory. The original work of M. De Bloch
consists of six volumes, which have not
yet been translated in English, a fact
which obviously puts it beyond the reach
of all except special students and investi-
gators. The work issued by CHM & Co.
is a volume of only $50 pages, but II
contains practically all the meat of the
original work, the facts and figures on
which NJ. De Bloch bases his arguments
and conclusions against war, as well as the
substance of these arguments and con-
The volume thus published may well
stand as No. l in the library of anti-war
literature. 1t is certain to be for all time
to come the leading authority on this sub
ject, a classic work in its line. The next
volume in this series which the Messrs.
CHM & Co. propose to issue, Will be made
up of Charles Sumner three Famous
speeches, The True Grandeur of Nations, F"
WAR System of the Commonwealth of Ma
tons and THE Duel Between France and
Germany" The first of these speeches, that
on The True Grandeur of Nations has
often been printed in school readers and
Evolutionary manua as an exercise in ora
tory, and it is justly regarded as one OF
the finest examples of forensic eloquence
in modern times. Aside from its features as
a specimen of finished Oratory, the speech
furnishes one of the strongest
against war and the war spirit ever uttered,
and it deserves TO be still more widely
known and studied for this reason alone.
The price set by the publishers upon M
De Bloch's work is only 90 cents and IT is
expected that the price of the Sumner
volume will not be more than % cents.
These prices will barely cover the cost OF
publication. for CHM & Co. have not taken
up this work from any mercenary motive
whatever, but with a sincere and genuine
desire to promote the cause of peace so far
as possible by the circulation, at cost, or
the best available writings on the subject,
both new and old. To this end they ask
the support and cooperation of all who
have this cause at heart. The way to give
them support and cooperation is to send
! for De Blcch's book. now published, and
the others to follow in the series, and help
secure for them the widest possible circula-
ton. This is a direct. positive and practical
service i'm the interests of peace. costing but
little money or effort, a service, therefore,
which lies in the way Of every one who is
minded to do anything towards promoting
the coming of the happier day when war
shall be no more.