The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-25


to set itself the high task Of gu.In.
the future OF humanity.
Yet despite this hubbub OF talk down
all the centuries, war has continued
absolutely as II not a word had boon aid
either on one side or the other M.as
dreadful toll In blood has not yet all h.rn
paid The human race bears stu th...
burden. Detained against in the name
OF religion. In the name Of humanity. n
the name of profit and loss. war -,il
goes on. and to this day 1t is th,',-
there in the Balkans. raging at this hour
why. then, is universal peacc eth,
an ideal7 Why Is 1t less like some hup,
Of the future, gliding the eastern hor..
zon. than like some memory Of Satur.
| Man age sunk far below the darkcu,d
horizons OF the past?
An enumeration OF the evils that at.
tend mans life In time OF peace is ob.
vlously no answer. II Is equally no
answer TO celebrate the opportunities
to good fellowship and self-sacrince
| which the battlefield affords and some.
| times witnesses. Toward other ideals
man has progressed-in his war agains,
disease. for instance, and in his war
| against nature, the forest. the sea the
vicissitudes OF season and OF climate.
toward this ideal alone he has made no
progress. And yet 1t is an ideal which.
unlike perennial youth or immunity
from pain and disease, appears to DO
| within his power.
War has changed its forms Tribal
| forays have ceased and the internecins
hatred Of clans; but the tribes and clans
have themselves been merged in IN.
| higher unity of the nation or the race
and the warfares OF the clan and the
tribe have seemed to add all their com.
plexity and ferocity to the wars -
nations. That peculiar form Of heroic
warfare OF the Sagas has disappeared.
! but the conditions Of life which made Il
possible or necessary no longer exist
Wars between city and city. rs those
between Genoa and Pisa. Athens and
Sparta, have also ceased. but civic
States have vanished. Again, the wars
Of religion have ceased: but religion IL
no longer the dominant force in mans
life. War remains as the supreme act
OF the state, unchanged in essence
though varying in mode. In Europe.
which really governs the planet. every
advance in politics or religion has been
attended by war.
Until about 500 years ago England
nation. Her wars till then represent
rather the heroism of dynasties and ~
individual groups of men than tn
heroism of the nation as such. Rut
toward tho middle of the fourteeu'h
century there began series "
really national wars in England
the wars against France, with their
great battles of Crecy and Agin.
court, and the great disaster. the
hour when with Talbot al Castllun 81
empire sank. Then there is the war
against Spain in the sixteenth century
and in the seventeenth century the wars
against Holland and the France ~
Louis XIV, which continue into III
eighteenth century and find their
natural termination only In the war
against Napoleon. In the nineteenth
century there is long series OF wars
In all parts OF the world-in the Crim'a
in India and Afghanistan. in China, In
New Zealand. in Egypt. In Western and
in Southern Africa; SO that II might he
said without eXaggeration that through
all these years scarcely Il sun set winch
did not look upon some Engl!s hrur's
face dead in bnttle--dead for Enrsllni
This war for empire again finds O.
preston in the conflict with Spain. in
]
the seventeenth and eighteenth cen
turtles. And what was the stake fur
which England fought in all her battles
against Bonaparte? The stake was
world empire; and Napoleon knew il
well. Frances opportunity was now or
her world empire was lost forever
Bonaparte fought for that, and fought
for it financially and superbly; and
dying there in Sainte-Helene there died
with him world hope.
Hero then we have this transcendont'l
force governing the wars OF England.
And II we turn from England TO Ger
many We find the same element which
transcends reason governing the wars
OF Germany. One emperor after another
Is led south across the Alps IN the a.:
tempt to make Italy part K Ger
many: To govern Italy. and ,hc-ctrrs
the Papacy, from the Rhine; 20 make +,
reality Of that which was called -.
Holy Roman Empire"--Hn att.rI7'
doomed to disaster. jus. as Engia I'd VS.
doomed to disaster OF the feds u
France. perfectly hopeless dream.
Yet what hero!sm. what courage what
names
Upon a youns and yirile Nation .
rising military state. daily CROWNS
power. pdCllitlSn can never PNrs- HUN
Influence for evil. There l. no poss!-
b!lity Of such nation being seriously
turned from heroism. But o. al %
nation, in which certain forces OF decay
seem, AZ least, already TO he manifest
Ing themselves, might not such a theory
II too arden-ly adopted be fraught witch
very terrible danger. with very real aud
> disastrous consequences?
In regard To Germany W. are con-
= fronted by certain circumstances tn1t
ndisputably merit our consideration
here in England. There Is, for instance
the annual appearance IN Germany Z
, ve-y nearly seven hundred books t"a.-
Inc with war as a science, This points
az once 20 An extreme preoccup1'. oH
IN that nation with the idea o. war 7
. doubt whether twenty books yea" n
4 the art OF war appear IN this c1ur'ri
Z and whether their circulation. whe.
{ do appear. Is much more than 'v.l'"
i England and Germanv--ou " =
paciticism 'lkelier 10 exercise Io."'" We
y Gus and a dangerous effect Fr.n 'p-
/, days survey OF eternal ahs;"a.' .-
!. ciples rs from last wce,s s""',.
ephemeral We, not ins,grlHcar. r'..