The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-26
Theodore Roosevelt Neglected a
Golden Opportunity.
Mistake in Returning to New
York Politics Says Preacher.
AS A WORLD LEADER.
Should Have Taken Charge Of
Peace Movement.
MiIitarism Is Menace of the Age
Says DIR. LOveland.

Theodore Roosevelt missed the
greatest opportunity which ever came
to man by returning from Africa and
plunging into the dirty pool of New
York politics from which he emerged
shorn oe much of his power" declared
DR.. F. L. Loveland in the course of a
Christmas morning address on Inter
national Peace VS.. the Menace of Mill
tarism'' at the First NJ. E. church.
when he came through Europe from
Africa the world rulers were ready to
accept leadership from him in the for
nation of a court for the purpose OF
settling all international questions.
ON earth peace, good will towards
men," began the speaker. DO you
believe in the angels song? Will it
come true? Will there ever come n
time when peace will reign on earth?
This morning I thought it would be
q proper time to turn our thoughts TO-
wards world peace. I want you to
consider world peace and national dis
armament.
You and believe as children of God
that the time must come when the war
drums viii be heard no more, but the
thought of the part that we are to play
towards bringing about this end mas
probably not impressed us deeply
There has never been a time when
the nations were spending so much
money to get ready to fight. There has
never before been a time when tn7
Christian nations stood like hounds
ready to cut each others throats at the
moment some one cuts the strings. YET
We Christian people are singing our
songs of peace and many of us are pay
ing little attention to the war clubs
which hover over the Christian nations
Vision of Universal Peace.
"a vision of universal peace has
been held down through the ages from
the time of the prophets. 1 believe in
the reign of universal peace to be-
when We ask ourselves when this
will be there are three or four ques-
ttons that from a philosophical stand
point haunt us. One Is that there has
never been a time when there was not
war You can't read history without
taking a bath in bloOd-nfne pages out
of ten record the deeds of war. On
down to the present moment some
where humanity has been at war. II
we judge from the past we might
question whether the song of the ages
will come true.
Then another thing; man is a fight
er. It is the inheritance that comes to
us through thousands of years You
and / are but little removed from saw
ages 1t doesn't take much of an in
suit to make you reach for your
tomahawk or your scalping knife. It's
in the blood-let's not forget that.
Then there is another fact that we
don't want to forget, and that is that
wars in the past have been beneficial
to the worlds progress. I'm sure that
every battle for liberty has been
blessing. The civil war did more for
the white man of the south than it
did for the negro.
There was a time when perhaps
polygamy and slavery were blessings in
the uplift of humanity.
Nations like individuals claim the
right of self-p protection. Just as you
have policemen pacing your avenues
with pistols. so there should be soldiers
to protect your land and vessels to
patrol your seas.
In the interests of public safety we
must have the police. and we should
have vessels on the seas. or otherwise
pirate ships would interfere with COM
merciaI interests. There is no reason,
however, why nations which call them
selves Christian should be arming them
selves to the teeth in a manner which
would be disgracefu1 to pagan peoples.
asIn my opinion militarism is a menace
more fearful than anything that now
faces civilization We have our mill
tary experts A military expert is a
man who looks at the world through
the bore of a gun. A specialist is al
ways dangerous when he gets out of
his own little province. A nation is
doomed when it leaves its management
to a military expert.
''Three things are keeping alive the
war spirit Talk of war comes from the
military experts, the jingo journalists,
and the builders of battleships-and the
Lord deliver us from all three
THE slogan, In times OF peace pre-
pare for war was born in Caesars time.
That thing has already proven to be
practically absurd. We are now reach
ing the time when IN my opinion we
are beginning to see the beginning of
the end This age is now preeminently
trying to realize the truth known as
human brotherhood. Provfncfalism is
now an absurdity. Today a great idea
and a great man are no longer local
they belong to the world.
commerce is now demanding the
abolishment of wars as a business pro-
position At one time the loot of war
was the object of war Women, siayes.
and land became the property of the
victor. This is no longer tolerated
Now when one nation goes to war the
business interests of the entire world
are affected. You disturb the banking
interests in Hong Kong and you DIS.
turg the banking interests in the rest
of the world.
more than that there is a growing
consciousness that it is absolutely suici-
daI to spend the amount OF money on on
armament that is being expended. 1t
has been said that Europe is starving
herself to arm herself.
an the last eight years since the
Spanish American war 81 per cent OF
the government funds have been ex-
pended for the army and navy ana
questions growing out OF the war. Be
fore the war it took SO million dollars
a year-now it takes 200 million dol
lars to maintain our military organiza-
ton.
s'You tell me your santa re raliroau y
&c -ohhing Kansas Just supposing II is
trne and even then you are not being
,-obbed 90 much as by the building of a
new battleship to bear the name o. o.
your state which IS costlng II or -