Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-06-03

zeal for the national honor exalting the
spirit above the thought of personal dam
ger and abov: the fear Of death, that
makes the heart beat like a trip ham
me- when this and tales like these are
told,
And to this II wac those robber tribes
paid tribute when they twined about the
wrists of the dead the red thread Of
honor. And it is for this spirit that we
honor you, my brothers. who are the
veterans Of the Grand Army Of the
Republic and of our later wars. The
Chinese ambassador in speaking before
the recent peace conference at Mohonk,
mentioned among the chief cause Of
war. the exaggerated and unjust honor
we pay to Dir martial heroes as compared
with the heroes Of peace and he gave ii
as his Judgment that ito avert war and
encourage arbitration. the public, and,
in fact the whole world. should be
educated to look upon war as n most
disastrous and accursed event. and those
engaged in the struggle. though success
full; should not be worshpped as they
have been. statesman who has avoided
a disastrous wcr should be more honored
than a great general" This believe
to be profoundly true, and 1t becomes
the duty of every good citizen of this
republic and especially of every embas-
sador OF the Prince of Peace to see that
In his desire to honor. and to lead the
church and the nation to honor its
warriors, he makes it perfectly clear
what it is In the warrior and in the
spirit OF war he does and does not
honor.
We certainly do not wish to honor that
diseased and abnormal form Of the spirit
OF war which We call militarism and
which has grown 40 rampant In our day
III you wish peace" says this spirit
prepare for war" and preparing for war
the nations OF the world are, In our own
day as never before. It Is claimed that
this spirit is being fostered among the
nation by their army and navy experts
through alarnnist speeches and scare
articles that seek to keep before the
nations the shadow of an impending
conflict. In the age that has done most
for International arbitration. for the
preservation Of worldwide peace, the
nations are being asked by their govern
ments for military and naval ornaments
OF size and order unprecedented in tho
history OF the world. and that threaten
to overload their already vast war debts
to the verge Of national bankruptcy. In
line with this Is the spectacular displa Y
Of our naval strength that we have lust
completed in the progress OF our navy
round the world. Such spectacle can, II
seems to me, have but one effect among
the peoples by whom II IL witnessed 1t
deceives them as to the chara cter of our
people and conceals the secret that has
made America great: for we have be-
come a world power not by either army
or navy. but by an unpa ralleled develop
ment Of the works and arts Of peace and
Il can have but one effect at home here,
to divert the thoughts and ambitions of
our people towards at least the preserva-
ton Of military prestige, and the double
effect. of the possession, and the display,
OF large ornaments. on the temper and
spirit of a people is ominously illustrat-
ed to those who knew It intimately as I
DID In the British empire, at the time
Of the Boer war. The time has not yet
come for disarmament. We must be
reasonably prepared for war. but surely
We shall not as a nation be diverted into
the extravagances Of an armed peace
hut rather shall be ready and willing as
OF war rather than imperl all our days
Of peace by the thought OF war, and
shall. with great faith and hope COM
bine the spirit OF our own diplomacy
| ma the spirit OF our own great leader.
In other days and shall call halt or
tho ambition of our own militia r1sts fol
the vast naval armaments for which
they are now besies.ng Congress- And
they said lord, behold, here are two
swords and Christ said unto them II,
is enough"
But It is because the Grand Army OF the
Republic was raised and operated in q
spirit that was 80 far from being the dis
| tnsed spirit Of militarism that we car
honor It both now and always without
danger to either the present or the flu
ture OF our national life, I need not re
mind you who fought its battles how 4
wGs the thought Of the nation. the per
manence of the Union. the internal Sc
cprity and ultimate development II
peace OF the whole people that was tn,
cause and the sustaining motive Of the
civil War. ! need not remind you thai
the justification Of that war and the only
righteous justification OF all war is, tina
by II alone and we must he sure of thai
word "alone," can he secured the bes