Evening star., 1915-12-29

: large enough to command the seas and
dictate terms to commerce to nations
many finds preparedness in a nation at
arms, and thus can disregard the
rights of neutral nations. How far
preparedness for national defense
leads to preparedness for national ag
gression is question. National de-
fense undoubtedly is all right, but
must be wisely administered SO as not
to be a temptation to war.
Calls Europe Misguided.
s9nH defensive wAras Justifable." said
Prof Hayes of the University of Illinois.
"It is always justfiable to repel the
b1ackhander, but never is it justifiable to
be blackhander." He agreed with Col.
Roosevelt up to certain point. however.
but said that while European lessons are
valuable it must be remembered that
Europe is now barbarous and misguided
because of its miseducation at the hands
of military autocracy.
"Roosevelt's citations from history he
said, have overlooked the great element
of change. All great steps in advance
have been called impracticable up to the
moment of accomplishment"
He said that a hundred years ago il
would have been called impractical BILE
to wipe bullying from English schools.
and said that as the ideal Tom Brown
had put an end to bullying at Rugby.
so must some nation become a Torn
Brown to the rest of the world and put
an end to barbaric ideals of prepared
ness.
Prof. Dealey of Brown University
said: Preparedness is all right, but we
don't know where it will end"
Read by Prof. E. A. Ross.
The paper by Theodore Roosevelt.
read by Prof. Edward A. Ross of the
University of Wisconsin, disposed of
the theories of pacificists and peace
at-any-price idealfsts, with the follow
ing sweep:
when the onrush came, the pacifl-
cists' theories were worth just about
what ; a tissue paper barrier would
amount to against tidal wave" Col.
Roosevelt was referring to the pa
cificists of the old Asiatic. world who
were walked over by the hordes of
Mongols. David Starr Jordan and
Henry Ford received a slap from the
colonel, whose paper contained the
following:
Infinitely the most important fact
to remember in connection with the
war and militarism in relation to
moral and social values is that if an
unscrupulous, warlike and militaristic
nation is not held in check by the war
like ability of neighboring non-mil-
itaristic and well behaved nation, then
the latter will be spared the necessity
of dealing with moral and social
values because it won't be allowed to
deal with anything.
The Example of Belgium.
.1t seems to me positively comic to
fail to appreciate, with the example of
Belgium before our eyes. that the real
question which modern peace-loving
nations have to face is not how the
militaristic or warlike spirit within
values but how failure on their part
to resist the militarism of an un-
scrupulous neighbor will affect them"
Mr., Roosevelt referred to medieval
Persia and Russia and TO modern
China, Chosen and Armenia to show
what happened to nations which ap-
plied practically the theories of pa
cificists.
paper, Persia had become nightly civ
iIized nation with the cultivated class Of
literary men and philosophers. with uni
versities and great mercantile interests
These literary men and merchants took
toward the realities Of war much the
same attitude that Is taken in our own
country by gentlemen of the stamp of
Messrs. David Starr Jordan and Henry
Ford. Unfortunately for these predeces-
sors of the modern pacificists. they were
in striking distance Of Genghis Kahn and
his Mongols, and, of course, as invaria-
bly happens in such case. when the on
rush came the pacificists' theories were
worth Just about what a tissue paper bar
rier would amount to against a tidal
wave. Russia at the time was slowly
struggling upward toward civilization.
But She had not developed military ef-
ficiency; she had not developed efficiency
in war. The Mongols overwhelmed her as
fire oyerwhelms stubble. The chief diff
culties against which Russia has had to
struggle in modern times are due ulti-
mateiy to the one all-essential fact that
in the early part of the thirteenth CEN
tury she had not developed the warlike
strength to enable her to hold her own
against a militaristic neighbor.
Motives of the Pacificists.
"There are well-meaning people. utterly |
incapable of learning any lesson taught |
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