Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1914-08-17
NO PROGRESSION.

20 that my head were waters, and
mine eyes fountain OF tears, that |
might weep day and night, for the
slain of the daughters of my people"
exclaimed the mournful prophet of
old-and so, to this day, may we all
exclaim. 1t is said that from Old
Man Adam we have inherited all the
sin in the world, but it seems that
from his son, Cain, chip of the old
block, we are indebted for our war
like spirit-for it was Cain who inn
brued his hands in his brothers blood |
and set pace by showing us what ,
murder was, that has found express !
sion throughout the world.
War has not only apparently been
the delight of every nation under the
sun, but those who remained at home
seem to have been filled, always, with
a warlike spirit, and nations have
builded higher monuments to their
human butchers than they have build
ed to any other of their distinguished
sons. In every capital Of the world
you see the bronze and granite reach
ing high to heaven-and it is there
to commemorate the deeds of daring
the human butchers, which are at
once the pride and glory of the state
or nation which erected them.
Proud and opulent nations whose
inhabitants possess every luxury that
modern invention can suggest; ma
tions preaching the Christian relig-
ion; nations looking with amazement
on the black pages of history where
are recorded the horrible and afro
cious deeds of the Carthaginians, the
Greeks, the Romans-the undoubted
history that billions of men have fer
tilted the world because of the greed
and savagery of mankind-forget
that they are of the same clay-and
stoop to the same ends which were
the glory and renown of Hamiclar
of Hannibal and Xerxes.
In our own time we have had many
wars in the world-in our own coun.
try we have marshaled armies which
for sublime courage and dauntless
daring were unapproached since his
tory has been written-and always
in the calmer light, after the bitter.
ness that was engendered for the
nonce had melted away, those who
participated saw the folly of what
had been done-but we learned moth
ing.
The thoughtful man who will read
the bloody chapters of the worlds
sad history; who will walk through
the graveyards of slaughtered ma
tions; who will look upon the rivers
OF blood that have dyed the earth to
a crimson hue, and who will listen to
the means and groans of the dead
and dying-who will look upon the
faces of those who mourn, and hear
the shrieks and cries of the orphaned
children and widowed women-nat-
urally will pause and ask himself:
Must these human butcheries be con-
tinued--does civilization demand that
We continue the practices OF savagery
and Is 1t Christ-like-aye, or is II
businesslike. that we should call the
flower and manhood OF our country
before these terrible instruments o.
war and shoot 1t down to dust!
death?
IL Il business? Waive for the none,
the cry OF righteousness which is los
upon ears deaf to all sounds, saw
the clink OF gold; waive for the none
the picture OF despair which eye
turned upon the counting-house ledg
er do not see-and answer: II
business? And he must, perforc'
say No.
Ask If it is right, II it is justic,
IL it is charity, II it is decency-an
no matter what pride or greed ma
say to him-he must there, also, al
swer No.
And yet knowing this-compr
hending to its fullest extent II
whole responsibility, nations, throug
their proper officers, declare war r
gardless of cost-regardless of ever
thing but the hope of victory.
Just now Europe is starting a WI
that may be world-wide-and the
was no more real excuse for 1t thi
there would have been for senat,