The Washington herald., 1912-03-10

Corinth, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, Chicka-
; mauga, Fort Fisher. and Appomattox.
We know that no braver men ever lived
than those who composed the armies OF
the North and South. They were not
alone brave, but they were fierce and
furious warriors, while their endurance,
both in battle and on the march, sur
passed. i venture to say. any physical
tests ever before sustained BY large
bodies Of troops.
IF peace is enervating. IL fighting and
killing are good 1or human beings, then
1t is the duty OF nations to bring on
Periodical wars simply for exercise and
discipline. Eli of, / would say, half a
million Of the most patriotic and vigor-
GUS men in the country, so that those
who remain at home may grow in
strength and courage! Such a doctrine
however, is manifestly ridiculous Man
kind does not require murder. rapine.
and the torch to make 1t fearless and
sturdy. Were that the case. then we
| should have learned professors OF blood
and imposing faculties devoted to the
polite and necessary sciences OF robbery
and arson. The human race. now, as
always, needs manhood. self-restraint,
Justice. and integrity-qualities that are
developed by peace and not by warfare"
After Man walked on Two Legs.
But" I inquired. isn't it natural to
hght?"
| Yes, foE barbarians who, suddenly
walking upright on two legs instead of
| on all fours, have not ceased TO act like
dogs battling for bones. Primevally, man
. lived in huts. breasted the elements out
of doors, and fought with wild beasts
for his food. He was a oody-handed
and bloody-minded creature. His life
made him so. Killing was his business.
British in his habits contendIng with
nature, animate and inanimate, Turing
| the birds out Of the air and the fish out
Of the sea, he was a law unto himself
and only lived by his strength or
strategy. Thus man fought man as nat
urally as he fought the storms, the
waves and the animals whose skins COW
cred his body and whose flesh satisfied
his hunger.
But man emerged from that darkness
into light. It was a slow process. Pres
entity men came together in clans and
tribes, which was the first step toward
the creation of governments. Laws fol-
lowed. Rights were slowly recognized.
oh, It is a long and dreary story-a
struggle of centuries out of savagery
into Christian civilization. Little by little
man softened the edges OF his ferocity.
Still he continued TO settle his personal
quarrels by force. Wrongs were righted
country insults. real or imagined, were
brought to an issue on the so-calIed field
of honor As often as otherwise, the in
jured man lost his life to the aggresSor
or the one in the wrong.
"One of our Presidents was a duelist.
Alexander Hamilton, we all know. died
by the hand of Aaron Burr. Indeed. duel
ing was so common that histories have
been written on the subject filled with
eminent names. Yet the practice, as We
now admit, was unbecoming in rational
human beings, principally. because II
lacked all the elements of common sense.
Gradually dueling became foolish and
disgraceful. and now a challenger would
be condemned and jerred at by public
opinion and the press Americans Of the
twentieth century take their differences
into court. Man-the unit-has pro-
gressed- He has put away his stone AK,
his dirk, and his pistol But man, as
Rembled in nations, is weak, silly, and
Violent as in the past.
War Is Simply Multiplied Murder.
IF ii is murder for one person to kill
another, II is murder for one nation to
make war on another. Morally. there is
no difference whatever. War is a single |
murder multiplied 1000 times or more. |
1t is said the Federal losses during the |
terrible struggle between the States were
$4,000 and the Confederate losses 3OO.000 |
BY their education and by their laws |
men singly can kill no more. Coming !
together in armies, however, they can |
kill as in the past 1 would extend the !
law and morality of the individual so |
that IL would include all the nations of |
Europe Asia, and America Man is re- |
strained by laws: nations ought to be-"
President Taft seems to think" I
said. that peace is TO be hoped for. but i
that il is long way on"
Tt is not at hand; that / know. II !
will never be at hand unless the world /
is educated as to the waste, folly, and /
wickedness Of war. II We simply specu-
late and dream and lecture, nothing will /
be accomplished. II we work in the
right way. wars will be impossible. When
the people of the United States. Great
Britain, Germany. France, Japan. Rus
sia, Austria, and Italy realize what war
is costing them; when the facts sink
into their minds, there will be permanent
peace throughout Christendom. Presi-
dents. kings, emperors. congresses. and
parliaments will not dare to declare or
go to war. Meanwhile, there must be
organization and agitation"
did you ever talk with Theodore |
Roosevelt on the subject of universal
peace?"
mo, Col. Roosevelt is an honest. mas
tertul, and useful American, but he ap-
believes that force rules the
world. 1 believe it does not. Force is
breaking down before love. The brutal |
man is giving place to the just man. En-
ergy. that once found vent and action |
in the chase after animals and human
beings is now employed in commerce and
and in relieving the sufferings
of the unfortunate. Mr.. Roosevelt is a !
of knight and citizen. He is
half modern and half ancient. I hope
to see him some time a stern and stren-
uous proselyte to peace
What the Standing Armie. Cost.
do you know what the armies and the
navies of the world cost annually?"
Two thousands millions of dollars.
That Is the sum of the yearly appropria-
tions that we must face and defeat
What does such mountain of money
mean? Ships. ammunition. and arms, all
bought on contracts OF the most profita-
bic kind. Tho manufacturers are alert
and influential They have the ears of
rulers and legislators. To a man, they
believe in war, as all brewers believe in
beer. In every country professional SOL
Hers in large numbers, hoping for pro-
motion and glory, are sneering at peace
ard polishing their swords But, of
course, 1 know well that there are many
'f whom this is not true.
''Shipbuilders, ammunitionmakers, and
of armor plate and arms,
growing rich by leaps and bounds, have