The Washington herald., 1909-07-12

and they are astonished how they ever
/ engaged in all those deeds Of savage
cruelty which threatened the extinction
OF their race. They have gone further
and devoted the implements Of war to the
cultivation OF the fields and 70 the serv-
ice OF the sanctuary
What a change that would be. rified
guns into New Testamsnts. DreadnOughts
into missionary ships. millions trained
for battle into millions trained FOR the
service Of the King Of kings, What Wis
ion, that OF the prophet What radiances
Of glory and hope. nations emerging from
ignorance. idolatry inhumanity. 10 join
themselves 10 the Prince OF Peace.
Wholly Irrational.
I'VE declare war against war again
because it is irrational II man carried
away by anger loses bis senses. the same
is true OF nations II war has its pag-
eantry. its chivalry. IL has also it's hide
BUSINESS and its wild unreason. II war
claims IT'S martial virtues. it also has IT'S
martial vices, and not a virtue OF manH-
ness that could not be won IN higher
form in other fields From every point
Of view war is utterly without reason.
Here is It's cost. Eight billions 10
maintain the army and navy on the
Union side alone during our civil war;
S5o.oQ0 lives sacrificed on the Union side.
10000 on the Confederate, and as war
demands the best, OF the 200. 900 enlisted
men in the Union army, $1,000 under
eighteen, and half the whole enlistment
twenty-five years Of age and under. I
stood on one spot where within a few
miles $500 men who wore the blue or
the gray bit the dust To-day practically
twO-thirds Of our total national revenue
IS going for past wars and preparation
for future wars.
we are shocked when we read how
Turkish soldiers IN Asia Minor sack and
burn schools We would think a man
VINO spends FIVE times as much for guns
as for his children's schooling was a
lunauc. Yet France spends five times
as much on her army as on the intellec-
tual training Of her youth: Germany
gives TO educational purposes one-third
as much as she devOtes 70 military DUR
poses: Russia gives nine dollars for DOW
der and shot where she gives two for
education; and Italy spends nine times
for war what she spends for the school
ing Of her girls and boys What is this
but armies robbing the schools? A single
Dreadnought would build ten Tuskegees.
AhpdlFS INDUSTRY
Then think Of the withdrawal Of mil
lions Of men from the industries OF the
world, Think Of our battle ships cir
cling the globe when our commercial ma
rine is well-nigh swept from the seasI
Who shall say war is rational? Where
would we think OF putting the man whom
We found building armOr in the walls OF
guns, and devising daily some new
scheme Of protection; and when we ask
What are you doing? should answer.
oh. the fellow on the other side OF the
Wall-good fellow; we are capital friends,
out we couldn't keep on friendly terms
without these precautions? These are
our peacemakers.' To the madhouse with
such a mani Wen, what OF nations7
War forever against war. because II Is /
unnecessary. Armies and navies they. say
are necessity for peace Would not a
heet Of merchant ships flying the Stars
and Stripes, and bearing our bounties 10
suffering lands, be better promoters of
peace2 Would not the millions spent on
our recent show OF force have done in
hnitely more good in fighting tuberculosis
or building good roads? Could not every
war OF modern times have been settled !
ug dIDlItAllou as a hundred international !
difficulties have been disposed Of within 8 |
score Of years? If statesmen were mora
to calculation, wars wouId be |
less frequent said Benjamin Franklin /
Canada, he declared. might have been l
purchased from France for a tenth mart
Of the money England spent in the con- /
quest Of II; our Revolution could have /
been settled without conflict. I have
been apt to think he afirms, there never
has nor ever win be any such thing as a /
good war or bad peace
Why not supplant tfe system Of war
by system Of law?
Airships Promise Peace.
Then there are three signs of prorn-
ise- First, settlement by pacific means
of all difficulties arising from interna- J
donal differences may be met by the
Of the third Hague CON
ference. Second. the sober thought OF
There is nothing ike what
Garfield used to call the reserved SOW
Of the people The greatest
'evolutionizing force in the world today
s thought and people are thinking in
he shop. on the farm. and in the home.
War Is a Eame which, were shaiE. sub.