The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-01-13

ilit 1t was the nation which forced
b the governments hand. A wave o
] warlke enthusiasm suddenly swep
over the country. Even the chief ad
vocates of peace were suddenly trans
formed into apostles of war, and tn,
government was forced to take cog
. nizance of this great manifestation o
{ opinion"
After his statement that the tim,
may come when, as a general thing
governments will be forced to make
war to crafty popular whims, FerrerC
continues;
Those philosophers who created the
modern State would perhaps be a bi
astonished if they could look on al
this spectacle. And their astonish
ment would increase when they be
came aware thai nations today desire
and often bring on war with the same
| irresponsibility which they charged
against the sovereigns of the old
regime.
In every epoch, evel in those when
authority seems to have been strong
est and most respected, governments
were obliged to take account of the
ideas of the masses. No people has
ever been governed by force alone, in
opposition to all aspirations, except
under temporary and extraordinary
circumstances. Thus, public opinion
he's always been a great social force,
even under the most daspotic govern
ments. Many contemporary nistori-
ans have such difficulty in understand
ing the past because they do not re-
alize this fact.
But, between our epoch and those
preceding it there is a great differ
ence. In former times public opinion
was timid and by no means eXacting.
II was satisfied with little and never
made itself felt too energetically. 1t
was not a difficult matter for govern
ments to meet its wisnesy yet to keep
for themselves a great freedom of
action in those affairs which were of
the greatest Importance.
But today public opinion has ev-
erywhere realized it's strength. The
diffusion of culture, ideas, and demo-
cratic institutions; the press, the abil-
ity which public opinion has won to
manifest itself by all sorts means
from the speech to the moving picture,
from the pamphlet to the riot-have
greatly increased its energy.
1T wishes to be a great, uncon-
trolled power; and, like all absolute
monarchs, it is becoming capricious.
In all countries it has contradictory
aspirations.
1T wishes prosperity and glory, or
der and liberty, progress and tran
quillity, increase of expenditures and
decrease of taxes, the benefits OF
peace, and the advantages of war
Even if many of these aspirations are
excluded, it persists none the less
in wishing to have all of them re,
allied, and makes governments respon.
sible for the establishments that are
bound to occur.
This violence of public opinion is
new phenomenon in the history of
the world, and it is also perhaps one
of the most serious weaknesses of our
civilization Everywhere, in repub-
lies as we'll as in monarchies, under
parliamentary as well as despotic
forms of government, one sees the
multiplication of the symptoms of a
serious political crisis. Everybody
in every country in the world is COM
planning more or less bitterly that gov.
ernments are weakening, becoming
disorganized, framing their chaotic
character into a system.
1T is difficult for contemporaries to
estimate the exact value of these re-
ordinations and the true scope of this
crisis, which not only exists but is
general. Anyhow, there is no doubt
that public opinion and what it eX-
acts are among it's most important
factors. That which is impossible
remains impossible even for the most
powerful of kings. In all countries
the governments have before them to-
day the task of solving problems with
out solution, and they exhaust their
strength in this dangerous and diff
cult game.
Among these unsOlvable problems
must be placed, in future, those occa-
stoned by peace and war. How re-
concile the bellicose spirit which
seems to be invading the masses and
the needs of peace which is so great
in our epoch? For our civilization as
for all complicated civilizations, war
can only be a transitory and infre-
quent crisis. Too long or too frequent
wars would completely disorganize it.
Herein lies the reason why all respon-
sible politicians, when it comes to