The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1905-01-12
A School of Peace.
BY EDWIN GINN.

From year to year the peoples OF the
civilised nations meet in convention to
discuss the problems OF peace and war.
Our peace congresses are exerting a
deep influence. Yet the misfortunes
OF war are pressing upon us more heav-
lily year by year. 1t would be difficult
for any one to picture war in all its
phases in stronger language than that
used by Sumner in his True Grand
eur of Nations" or by Charming in
his "DiscOurses ON War" or by Bloch
in his economic treatment OF the sub
ject. 1t is not a lack Of the knowledge
of the horrors Of war and the blessings
OF peace that retards Our movement; it
is the failure of the people to grapple
with the esubject in businesslike way.
The resources Of the nation are de-
veloped to a remarkable degree; but
the large part of this gain is lost in
the expense of equipment for military
purposes. Nationally we are all MAX
ing good ress--linancially, ecOnom-
ically, intellectually morally; just laws
are established and obedience to them
is secured through the courts. But
internationally, in important respects,
we are still barbarians. The nations
still rely upon the sword and the can
non for the protection or assertion OF
their rights. Occasionally they are
willing to submit their differences to
arbitration; but not a single great nat
ion is lessening in the slightest degree
the physical force upon which it relies
for its defence. The Hague Tribunal
is a great step forward; but the peoples
of the world in the main are slow to
submit their differences to this court,
and until the individuals who make up
the nations are ready for such action,
the heads of governments will con-
tinue powerless.
There now exists among the civil
lized nations the most complete mill
tary organization the world has ever
known, force almost beyond our
ability to comprehend. Eight mil
lions OF the ablest bodied men in the
world are withdrawn largely from pro-
ductive service and their future as re-
CARDS salary and promotion, depends
upon the present military regime. In
addition to this maintenance Of vast
armies and navies there is the enor-
nous expense of establishing and
equipping notifications. All this i'm
poses frightful burden upon the COM
munity. To support this force and
carry this burden the industrial world
is hard at work, on the farm, in the
shop, on the sea, in the counting house,
in all the vocatiOns for the real uplift-
ing OF humanity; and after paying the
enormous taxes imposed on them be-
cause OF these great armaments there
is left to many pitiful margin for the
absolute necessities of life. Mr. At
kinson has computed from Govern
ment sources that in this country each
family OF five people pays for the ex-
pense of warfare 5000 year, "a terrible
burden when we consider that not one
family in ten is able to put by, year by
year, one-half this amount.
To opposeall this what are We doing?
We have few societies of we'll dispos-
ed men; few journals of limited cir
culation; a few noble men and women
who are devoting their lives, so far as
possible, to open the eyes of their fell
lows to the evils ot the present system.
But the entire amount of money spent
each year for these objects in our
country does not equal respectable
fraction of the expenditure upon one
OF our battleships. How long will it be,
under such hconditions, before any great
change can be expected?
Is it not time for us to look at exist