The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1915-10-05
5000 HEAR BRyAN'S
GREAT PEACE PLEA

mands.
No wonder every neutral nation is
increasingly anxious for the war to
end; but Of all the neutral nations
ours has the most. reason to pray for
the return Of peace-most reason to
set it's face resolutely against partici-
patton In this war, This nation, the
head of the neutral group and the sin
cere friend Of all the belligerents, is
in duty bound to set an example in pa
thence and self,restraint.
TN all history no such opportunity
has ever come to any other nation as
that which is destined to come to the
United States. In all history no other
peacemaker has ever been in position
to claim SO rich a blessing as that
which will be pronounced upon our
President when the time comes-as
come it must.
Cause Of Wer.
THE conflict now raging in Europe
has been described as "The Causeless
War but since no one would be bold
enough to lay the blame for such an
unholy situation upon an overruling
Providence, it must find its origin in
acts for which man, and man alone, is
responsible.
IF l have correctly analysed the
situation, the war is the natural result
of false philosophy. Theories of life
are invisible, but they control for good
or for evil. They enter our very be-
ing and may be as deadly to the moral
man as germs of disease, taken into
the body. are deadly to the physical
man. The fundamental precept of this
false philosophy is that might makes
right 1t is not proclaimed now as
loudly as it once was, but it is often
acted upon as 1t once was, but it is
often acted upon in particular by
those who would be unwilling to en-
dorse It as general principle.
War is occasionally altruistic in
purpose and the soldier always exhib-
its unselfishness OF high order, but,
as a rule, conflicts are waged for
selfish ends.
THE individual finds that Jehovah's
Justice cannot be evaded; for wrong
doing works its own punishment on
the wrong-doer in the form of pervert-
ed character, even when he escapes
the penalties of human law. The ma
ton is as powerless to repeal or to
ignore with impunity the laws of God.
Though hand Join in hand they shall
not be unpublished
III have made it clear that the doc
trine that might makes right is the
most common cause of war, we may
pass to the consideration of a maxim
quite sure to be applied in war-name-
ly, that like cures like'-the theory
upon which retaliation rests.
1.-THE two are so closely allied that
1t is almost inevitable that those who
endorse the former will resort to the
latter; one represents the spirit of
evil. the other its most familiar man.
Hesitation. Retaliation is rivalry in
wrong-doing-a neck and neck race
toward the bottomless pit. And yet
there are many believers in the Cos
pei of force who have brought them
selves to think that cruelty can be
cured by greater cruelty-that the
only way to win an antagonist away
from inhuman acts is to surpass him
in inhumanities. Absurdity Of absurd
tiles!
But might must find a pretext for
arming ITSELF. and what is the pre-
text? There was a time when men
openly. advocated war as thing to
be desired; commended it to each gen.
Grafton as a. sort Of tonic to tone up
the moral system and prevent degene-
racy, but we have passed that day.
Preparedness No Prevention.
Instead of preventing war, prepar-
edness provokes war, because it is i'm
possible to coerce the people into
bearing the burdens incident to con-
tinuous and increasing preparation
without cultivating hatred as If 1t
were a national virtue. There must
be some one to fear, some other pre-
pairing nation that must be represent
ed as plotting for war.
Hate sets up sham standards of
honor and converts every wound into
\ fostering sore; hate misunderstands;
hate misinterprets; hate maligns Its
supposed adversely, while every. con-
.ractor, battleship builder and manu-
acturer Of munitions of war applauds.
"How can preparedness prevent war
Z all prepare? Each step taken by
me nation toward more complete pre-
,aredness excites the other nations to
additional purchases and new levies,