The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-15
IN THE CAUSE OF PEACE.


Andrew Carnegie attracts the atten-
ton and challenges the admiration of
the world again by giving $1O.000,000
to hasten the abolition of international
war. The income from this large sum,
which will amount to 100000 a year,
is to be devoted to this great cause.
Just how this money is to be expended
is to be left to the wisdom of body
of trustees, named by Mr.. Carnegie In
his deed Of gift, which comprises rep
resentative and leading men OF the
United States, lawyers, statesmen, edu-
Gators, diplomats, fnanciers and phil
anthropists. That they will use TINS
money to the best possible advantage
there can be no doubt. How much
they will be able to accomplish IN
pushing this most worthy enterprise
of all ages remains to be seen. There
is likely to be great hopes the world
over that the end Mr.. Carengie aims at
will some day be achieved. But there is
bound to be much skepticism that 1t
will come in the immediate future
And there is little wonder. If any
thing. each and every nation in the
world today is devoting much OF its
time and more of its money each year
to enlarge and improve its military
and naval strength. Scarcely a day
goes by that the newspapers do not
announce that this or that power has
started work building what is going to
be the biggest battleship afioat. And
the promoters of these tremendous
projects of war would have credu-
lous public believe that their efforts IN
this direction are merely for the pur-
pose of maintaining the peace of the
world. They seem to work on the
theory that if each and every one OF
the major powers equips itself with
most superior army and navy, no other
power will have the temerity to go TO
war with it. In this way the peace
of the world will be assured. This is
fine theory, but it is a tremendously
expensive one, and some of the ma
lions, the weaker ones financially, are
likely to go bankrupt before long if a
halt of some kind is not called in this
direction. There are some men, too,
who hold to the belief that nations will
fight with each other as long as the
world endures, because to fight for
ones rights is human, and nation is
merely collection of humans. But
these opinions are held for the most
part by. militarists, generals in armies
and admiraIs in navies And they've
been. educated from the cradle along
that line of thought. It's their bust
ness to prepare for war, SO they natur-
ally look upon wars as inevitable.
Among discerning men of all nations
today, there is a rapidly growing SEN
timent, however, that wars are relics of
the barbarous ages and have no place
in an advanced civilization such as
now exists. 1t is the truth, too. that
nations are now settling by arbitration
questions of more serious moment than
have caused wars in the past. If such
differences between nations can be
adjusted amicably, why can not all
that may arise be settled in the same
way? A nations honor like mans
is a priceless possession. There is no
good reason, though. why it can not
be preserved without making rivers
run red with blood and without sap
ping up the financial vitality of a
| people.
With the means made available
through 1argesse of Andrew Car
negie, the cause of universal peace
ought to make rapid strides to the
| fora