The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-09-03
TRIVIAL CAUSES OF WARS.
Historic Cases of insignificant Incl
dents Resulting in Conflicts.

Opinions may differ as to whether
the dispute which led to the present
contagration in Europe were suffl-
cient to Justify the loss of blood and
treasure Which. it is feared, will be
expended, but it is certain that many
great wars in history have resulted
from much more trivial causes. The
dogs of war have been let loose and
continents deluged with blood fire.
quently as the result of amazingly
Insignificant incidents.
A man may start an inciplent riot
in his own home by appearing unan-
nounced with a clean shave after
having worn a luxuriant hlrsute
adornment for years. but ordinarily
the trouble does not go beyond his
own door. Louis VII of France was
less fortunate. A visit to the royal
barber plunged two nations-France
and England-into intermittent war
fare which lasted 800 years.
According to the story, the Arch
bishop of Rouen persuaded the king
to remove his beard, in common
with his subjects. The act led to so
much friction with the queen that
at last Louis divorced her, to be-
come a few months later the wife Of
Henry II of England. From this
marriage centuries of bloodshed may
be said to have followed.
Imam iron case in the tower OF the
cathedral in Modena, Italy, a bucket
which 900 years ago was the cause
of a terrible war may be seen today.
Soldiers of Modena in mischievous
mood stole the bucket from a public
we'll in Bologna and refused to re-
turn it. The States were rivals and
were Jealous of each other and fights
between soldiers of the two follow
ed. This spark kindled fire of war
which devastated large part OF Eu-
rope and led to the Imprisonment
for life of the king of Sardinia, son
of the German emperor.
A broken teapot started a war in
China $50 years ago which cost half
a million lives. The teapot was the
cherished possession Of a dignltary
high in favor with the emperor.
When travelling through a lawless
province in the northwest of China
some of his retinue who had fallen
behind the main body were inter-
cepted by a band of robbers, and
among the spoils the teapot was
found and contemporary thrown
on the ground and broken. The
mandarin reported his loss to the
emperor, a force of soldiers was sent
out, and a long and terrible war en-
sued
Lord Palmerston once said that
only three men had ever known the
exact nature of the troubles in
Schleswig-Holstein which led to two
great wars. Two of them had died
before the wars broke out. and he,
the third of the trinity, had COM
pletely forgotten what it was all
about.
The manipulation by Count Bis
marck, then PruSsia's foreign minis
ter, of telegram set Prussia and
France flying at each others throats
in 1870. The French ambassador
went to Ems. where Emperor Will
liam l then was, to ask him not to
approve the ambition, of Prince Leo
pold to become the king of Spain.
The king refused to give definite
answer, but Prince Anthony of Ho-
henzollern withdrew his sons candi-
dacy. A report of the conference
was submitted by telegram to Count
Bismarck with authorization to pub
lish it. Bismarck altered the text,
and in the changed form gave it to
the newspapers and through them to
France. As Bismarck wrote it, the
report was unfavorable to France,
and the international war with all
its horrors followed. Years after
Bismarck confessed the forgery.
The war Of the Spanish succession,
in which the great Duke Of Marl-
borough played brilliant part, was
said to be the outcome of glass of
water at a ball at the Tuileries in
Paris. One of the court ladies had
expressed a wish for drink of water
in the hearing of the British and
Spanish ambassadors, who hastcned
to get it for her. Returning each
with a tumbler they found the fair
bird had flown and was dancing with
a French statesman. The English
diplomat accidentally, it is presumed.
brushed against the Spaniard and
upset the glass he was carrying. This
ridiculous incident infamed the jeal-