The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-06-04

The history Of tho past contains
many lesson in regard to the future.
but It's first and principal lesson Is
that 1t only speaks of the past, for. Il
mat is forgotten, one may be inclined
to take too dark a view Of the future
In the recent speech made by the chan
cellor OF the German Empire concern
Ing disarmament, Retrospective philo.
sophy played an important part That
the Idea of disarmament should be dis
cusscd simultaneously in the various
parliamcnts of the world is something
quite unheard or IT opens a pcrspec-
tive to a new activity OF the mind, and.
when the mind Is once moved the BODY
soon follows:
The principal condition which makes
me growth of a new idea possible is
that old prejudccs are done away with.
This is what Europe has been trying
10 DO for 200 years. and Kills effort
mas created new Europe politically
but II remains an open question whcth
CT IL mas created a new European, or
~ it is only the old passions appearing
causes OF war have simply made way
loi new modern causes. One Is TEMPT
e ca :. oot ask II the vices Of the nations
virtues. And in this lies the PRINCIPAL
obstruction to the peace Idea. ,'fr'
MS question is, In the first instance.
also say Of national biology. States
men have ever tried TO place the re-
sponsibility for what happens and wha [
a ab not happen upon the shoulders of
,helr nation, and undoubtedly the ,pub-
nc opinion of the nations has a far
Sleater influence upon thu events Of
inc world now than formerly. ~
IN former days national armamentr
were nearly always a prepar ation ~
lake advantage of chance of gain.
mere was SO much to liauidate and
win In Europe. Friedrich Wilhelm /.
collected an army much like a child
collects money In a savings bank. IT
was, indeed, savings bank for his
successor }to empty Armaments had
an offensive object-they were under
taken to secure a prize. To-day all
statesmen, all politicians, all W news
pa pers. say that all ornaments are
purely defensive; that they are forced
upon them to rob the ever suspected
neishbor OF his desire to attack. An
invinciblc lack OF confidence, partly
sincere partly false, drives the nations
TO keep themselves in state of war
like preparation against the treacher
Gus plans OF their neigh bors Never
mas war Imposed upon the nations such
terrible ornaments as the desire for
PSaSC lays upoH tIltITl to-day bismarck
compared the international condition
OF Europe as he found 1t, and upon
which he built his work, to the meet
Ing of two men in dark forest, of
whom one Will shoot as soon as he
secs the other make a movement to-
wa ds his hip peck CT. Not a very nat
tcring comparison to- the promoters of
the worlds civilization. The question
is, then: Does it still hold good, or
have we passed little beyond il?
The European question. which is also
that OF military ornaments. lies to day
between tho Germans. the French and
the Enslishmon. "Menschen, Menschen,
Mcnschcn sind wir alle." says the old
Munich carnival song. We are even
all men Of culture, md even II we do
descend from savagos we are in regard
to the strength of our passions nearly
n faint Image OF them. But some of
thoirs primitive qualities, however,
havo survived In us. II is not humane
and gentlo qualities alone which drive
humanity onward. To the weapons.
With which nature has gifted MS In the
Btruggle for existence, also belong a
number or qualities which we officially
call wicked, oven II we privately admit
that we could not do without them.
and these arc In tho main productive.
Taking from HIS horn OF plenty, an
nn0oI or demon has distributed these