New Britain herald., 1915-02-27
NEUTRAL NATIONS
 SILENT TOO LONG Edwin D. Mead Declares 1t National
 Peace Conte:eICt. OPENED AT CHICAGO TODAY
Dr. stephen $. Wise Says That the Absence of Women From the Coun- cils of state Partially is Responsible for Plague of War Upon Earth.

conference was opened here today for the purpose of adopting a plan by which the sympathy, influence and aid of the American people may be rendered nations involved in the Eu- ropean war and the cause of early peace promoted.
 The conference, which was attended by peace advocates from all parts of the nation, was held under the aus pices of emergency federation of peace forces Miss Jane Addams of Chi cago was the chairman. The con- ference will close tomorrow night.
 Silent Too Long.
 Edwin D. Mead of Boston, in an address, said that in the present Eu- ropean crisis the neutral nations had been silent too long.
 Their representatives should meet in conference upon the common wei fare and our own government should take the lead" Mr Mead said We should take a strong part in the ere ation of a League of Peace. Our people must give definite and per sistent thought to. their opportunity and duty.'' ...s. .'r-. ..-.
 'Is War Curcless?'
 The absence of women from the councils of state partially, if not large ly, is responsible for the. continuance of the plague of war upon earth" said Dr. Stephen s. Wise, rabbi of the Free Synagogue of New York. "Is war cureless?" was the question he dis cussed.
 The belief that man was born a fighting animal and must forever re- main one, Dr. Wise called the most immoral of all moral heresies," and he viewed diplomacy's hidden ways as one of the ultimate causes not only of the present war, but virtually of all wars.
 "A substitute for war must and can be found" pr. Wise said. There must be some outlet for the passion Of men to serve and strive together. some opportunity for the play of so- cial instinct which burns within men and is ready 10 merge the interest of the citizens in the interest of the coun- try o..
 Deepest Cause of War.
 The deepest cause of the war" he continued, has been the faith that mighty armamcnts alone could avert war, that the billions, not millions. which the military powers of Europe have spent in the last thirty years were the premium which these nations were paying for the insurance against war. Is no nation ever to make a great adventure in behalf of 'Eorld-peace as many nations seem to pe ready to hazard the adventure of world-war? Our opposition to war must become real and final and in- flexible. The time must come when men will have to choose between kilI- ing and being killed. No government could constrain me to clay my child Ii my country bids me slay my brother beyond the national frontier. l should say nay, though the govern ment slay me. The time has come when men must choose that they be slain for refusing to slay another rather than go forth to slay their brother at the behest of any govern ment.
 "A substitute for war must be found | and can be found, some outlet for the i passion of men to serve and strive | together, some opportunity for the | play of the social instinct which burns i within men and is ready to merge the l interest of the citizens in the in- i terest of the country. Men must | he given some great and re- sistless call to service that will i merge the individual in the com nunity. If you will not let men march and stand and serve together they will stand and dis-serve and battle against one another. The new emphasis of the peace movement must be constructive, providing for public and commonwealth service on the part of. the youth of the nation. to whom Professor James plan must be offered-a year of service for the youth of the land.
 Partially Responsible.
 "I hold that the absence of women from the councils of state is partially, it not largely, responsible for the con- tinuance of the plague of war upon earth. Is it Jess than incredible that eight nine nations are engaged in The greatest wars that the world has ever known and not a woman in all these lands has been consulted as to whether war or peace should be, though tens of thousands of men of women born have died and the last great terrible cost of war in life-long sorrow and suffering will be by women borne. ..r. {
 ''rhe last thing to be dreamed of in connection with this war is revenge. Only one thing could be madder than tue present warfare and that were d dctermination to infict crushing punishment upon any one of the con testing nations. Out of this terrible
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