New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1914-05-06

full and cowardly. No motives
can be strong enough to excuse the evil of
war.
l would suggest therefore that we
should issue an appeal to all the nations
especially the Christian ones, stating
what every one knows, viz. that war is
not praiseworthy undertaking as is
generally believed, but that war is, like
every other murder, an ugly and coward
ly action whether taken up as an occu-
patton or driven into by force or by
selfish motives.
Regarding the people who look upon
war as an honorable and just undertaking
and enter military service for the fame
and splendor with which military
service is generally regarded, / wish to
say that this occupation is shameful and
criminal, that the higher the position Of
the officer, the more cowardly and
criminal the act. It ought also be ex-
planned to the masses constituting the
rank and file of the army and who are
compelled to enter military service by
threats and graft, the error they are COM
uniting against Faith and Morality;
against Common Sense whenever they
agree to join the army.
Against Faith, because by Joining the
ranks Of the murderers they sin against
Gods Laws which they. profess. Against
Morality, because, they are doing that
which they believe, at bottom Of their
hearts, to be wrong. Against Common
Sense, because by joining the army they
are risking their lives and the punish
ment for refusal to obey the government
cannot be graver of consequence.
Furthermore their obedience is averse to
reasoning by the fact that joining the
army, they join their enemies-those
who have deprived them OF their freedom,
and compel them. to enter military
service.
|: l could suggest that we should en-
,phasize in our appeal the thought that
Tor truly enlightened people and there
fore free from the prejudice of military
splendor, and the number of such people
is ever increasing, that militarism, in
spite OF the efforts to conceal its mean
ing from the people---is as criminal, nay,
even more criminal, than the calling OF
an executioner. For the executioner
kills only those who are considered cri1ni-
nal and harmful, the soldier is ready to
murder anybody, may be his best friend
or neighbor.
The human race in general, and es-
pecially the Christians, have reached
such a stage of contradiction between
its moral codes and the existing social
order, that it is unavoidable that the
social order itself should undergo a
change This change is being brought
about through the inner contradictions
and is especially noticeable in the pre-
|eparations for war. Causes demanding
this change have in our time reached
such stage that, as is often the case with
liquid substance being transformed into
a solid body, only slight pressure is
needed to insure it's complete transfer
nation, SO in order to prompt the trans
formation of our cruel and foolish mode
OF life with it's armies and battles into a
sensible and rational social order harmo-
nizing with ethics of modern humanity,
one slight effort may suffice; maybe only
one word. Each such word, every such
effort may be that final pressure for the
cooling liquid to transform the liquid
into solid body.
Why should not our present conference
be that effort? We are told in Ander-
sons Fairy-Tale that the people have
admired the beautiful clothing of a king,
! who was marching through the streets
displaying himself before the astonished
| masses, one word Of a child who said
Look, there is nothing on him" changed
everything. The inspiration vanished
and the people who a moment before
believed that they saw wonderful new
! clothes, noticed that he was nude and
the king himself felt disgraced.
We must do what the child did, we
must say what we know, but dare not
lutter the truth. We must say that
murder is always cowardly and criminal
We only have. to say that clearly enough
and people will stop seeing what they
do not see, but will begin seeing the
truth. They will not see the glory o.
war, patriotism to their country, but will
see the naked criminal act OF murder
And the same thing as in Anderson's
. story, will happen, those who are engaged
in wars will feel the disgrace Of murder
and those who cannot see the crime Of
killing, will see it and stop to murder.
''How will the nations defend them.
selves from their enemies? How will
they maintain order without the army?
/ will be asked. How society will arrange