The Washington herald., 1914-09-13

lives are lost as there would be II the
nSnuns were done by hand and hand
| 10 hand, In close order The German
siege guns smashed the forts Of Liexe and
Namur from distance Of twelve miles.
As nations are bound to fight, Il Is far
more merciful that they should be armed
to the teeth. but It Is vastly more ex-
penstve However. can We not AFFORD 10
sacrifice SIS to kill a man, which vye are
now doing. rather than to sacrifce afteen
men TO do 81 worth OF fighting, which
we would have to do II We fought with
the old-fashioned war tools?
Therefore, even according to the facts
and figures Of those two eminent peace
1 men. I. S. Bloch and DR.. David starr
Jordan. the economic loss today is a con-
cern fifteen times more serious to the
economic welfare OF nation than the
loss in HYcs-
II is a very strange paradox indeed
that men like David Starr Jordan and
other peace propagandists who claim to
be actuated mainly by considerations Of
I humanity. should advocate disarmament
and more deadly arms and methods Of
warfare. on account Of the greater ex-
pensiveness Of warfare connected with
modern scientific arms and methods.
By doing away with our present highly
scientific and very expensive way engin-
cry and fighting methods. the nations
would be able. in a war like the present.
10 kill one another at very much less
cost. They would then be able to kill
ten times as many Of each other in a
given time. while the cost would be only
a small fraction Of the present cost
II Is a matter OF solemn certainty that
! the quick-hring gun Is the most bene-
ncient implement Of mercy that has
eve been invented and every peace ad-
vocate in the world and every lover OF
his kind should appreciate this fact ana
use his influence in favor Of armaments
which serve to make wars expensive ana
tend both to prevent and to hold up war.
ana also 10 save life when war comes.
Let us. for a moment. suppose that
the great European powers had disarmed
, nfteen years ago when the Gar Of Rus
| sia oroached the subject to them. What
would have been the result?
This. war would have come Just the
same. and probably much sooner, and
II would have been tenfold more bloody,
even had the nations flung themselves
upon one another armed with scythes,
carving knives. wood-axes and common
tools Of trade: or even had they fought
as the simple cave man did. with clubs
and stones
Love OF home and country-patriot-
ism-On the one hand and race hatred
potent
the human heart than any lately Gre
ated sentiments of international
brotherhood and humanity. Before
this war came. II was a common
preachment of the peace men and a
common belief Of the multitude that
many capitalists. members Of brother
hoods OF labor and other opponents OF
war would refuse TO fight and il
drafted would shoot down their officers
~
kind has happened. When this war
broke cut. Socialist labor unionist and
preacher OF international broth erhood
Joined with their militant fellow couu-
trymen in singing the 'Marseillaiss.
"Wach am Rhein." and "Brittania
Rules the Waves" and rushed to arms
and to war. and are fighting like de-
mons. shoulder to shoulder with the
imperiaIist and the war lord.
The Future Peace of the World.
The future peace Of the world Is
bound to be amictsd with the in
termittent fever Of war. just as has
the peace OF the past.
None OF the remedies prescribed by
either militarists and anti-militarists
will prove specific No soothing balm
Of international arbitration or law.
and no limitation or even abolition Of
armaments can cure the war fever
when the germs of the disease once
heat the blood of a nation: while any
Limitations. much less abandonment
of armaments, would render the war
fever much more deadly.
II was only little while ago that
the principal business Of mankind was
war. and man served an apprentice
ship Of a thousand centuries to quail
ify himself for that business. Conse-
quently. the best OF us are at heart
barbarians under a thin veneer 4
civilization II is as natural for Us
to revert to barbarous war as IL Is
for the hog TO return TO his waIlow.