The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-07-02
KNOX PREsEN ED WITH
HANDSOME CLOCK
TRIVIAL CAUSES
OF WAR.

. U=,t W. ~ fflx LIN
Nothing is more amazing in the his.
| tory of nations than the absurdity
| trivial causes which have been stuff.
cient to let loose the dogs of war and
| de1uge continents in blood.
Many an American, says the Chi
cage Tribune, has started an incipient
riot in his household by appearing
unannounced with a clean shave after
having worn a hirsute adornment for
a number Of years, but it is almost
incredible at first glance that two
great nations should have plunged
into an intermittent warfare lasting
300 years from the same cause. Yet
nothing more than this was the pri-
mary source OF three centuries Of
war between England and France.
In order to please the archbishop
Of Rouen Louis VII. of France CON
scented to remove his beard in com
mon with his subjects and present a
clean shaven face TO the world. 1t
was a disastrous shave, for it led to
SO much friction with his wife. who
resented her husbands changed ap-
pearance, that at last the King di-
yorced her, to become a few months
later the wife of Henry II OF England.
From that marriage Of Henry to the
angry. discarded wife OF Louis cen
turtles of bloodshed may be said to
have followed.
InclOSed in an iron case in the tow
err of AIodena cathedral may be seen
was the innocent cause of a terrible
war Some soldiers of Modena, in a
mood of mischief, had stolen the
bucket from public well in Bologna,
and refused to give it up on demand.
Fights between the soldiers of the
rival and Jealous States ensued. and
from this spark was kindled fire OF
war which devastated a large part of
Europe and led to the lifelong i'm
prisonment of the king of SARDINIA,
son of the German Emperor.
a war in China two centuries and
a half ago. which involved the loss
of half a million lives, sprang directly
from broken teapot. The teapot
was the treasured possession of dig
nitary high iC the favor and coun
ellis of the Emperor, and when he was
travelling through the lawless prov
inces in the northwest of China some
of his retinue, who had fallen behind
the main body, We're Intercepted by
a band of robbers. and among the
spoil the teapot was found and con-
emptuously flung on the ground and
@A2ken. The matter was reported to
,6fS4A E,ror iy,l
)Ss2ss a punitive force was sent out |
long and terrible war ensued. !
Palmerton used to say that
3ree men had ever known the !
ERE 3of the troubles Of SchleswiS- |
which led to two great wars |
them had died before the |
Ike out, and he, the third Of
Aity, had completely forgotten
fwas all about. 1t is now we'll |
3lowever, that a slight manipu-
Bismarck of a telegram set
and Germany flying at each
threats generation ago,
kesults too appalling to contem-
2sYhe war of the Spanish secession,
- which the great Duke of Marl-
SHrouSh played SO conspicuous. and
brilliant part, was, it is said, the
outcome of a split glass of water at
l Tuileries ball. One of the court
aides had expressed a wish for
glass of water in the hearing of the
British and Spanish Ambassadors,
Who forthwith fastened to fetch it.
On returning, each holding a tum-
der, they found that the fair bird
lad flown and was dancing with a
french Statesman, and to drown
heir discontinue the English diplo-
nat caromed against the Spaniard
nd upset the glass OF water he was
arrying-an accident which led to
n apology and an exchange of cour-
estes. A trivial, ridiculous incident
ut it served to infame jealousies
nd cement sympathies and thus to
urn the balance in the direction of
rar.
The Seven Years War was largely
ue, according to his own confession,
? the vanity of Frederick the Great
. wanting to see his name largely
SAthe gazettes. "