The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-07-22

not now strike us as very sensible. But
II Is very whit as rational as the ar
gument of the worthy people who a.
the present day say that preparedness
produces war.
Greece was not prepared for wal
when she went to war with Turkey q
score Of years ago. But this fact dc
not stop the war. 1t merely made the
war unsuccessful for Greece. China
was not prepared for war with japan
twenty odd years ago. nor for wal
with the allies who marched to Pekin
fifteen years ago. But in neither case
did the fact prevent her from going
to war or prevent her from wronging
foreigners. 1t merely insured that the
war should do her the mailman OF
damage.
France was not prepared for wal
against Germany in 1870. She was in
finitely better prepared in 1914. The
unpreparedness did not avert war N
the first case: It merely rendered IL
an overwhelming and shameful dis
aster. In the other case the prepared
ness did not bring on the war; 1t mere
~ stood as a barrier against such dis
grace and disaster.
China and Belgium.
But the clearest teaching is con-
veyed in the experience of China and
Of Belgium during the last year. As
regards Belgium the comparison
should be made between 1t and Swift
erland. The territory of Switzerland
like the territory of Belgium lay be-
tween the great combatants One Of
fered as advantageous a path OF en-
try to those combatants A. the other
,t,,rx .,rTg fI.T- ff,C yNfh p
Switzerland was utterly unprepared
for war. Napoleon's armies used it as
a highway in marching against the
! Austrians and South Germans. Ii Wa
actually the scene of a great battle
between fne French and the Russians;
and inasmuch as the Swiss of that day
had not prepared themselves they
were able to take almost not part in
the contests Of which their -countr,
was the theater. but were forced help
lessly to submit to practical annexa-
ton TO France,
Absolutely the same fate would
have been theirs now save for the
vital fact that in the century inter-
vening the Swiss people, having learn
ed the lesson, had prepared ia aG-
vance and were thoroughly competent
TO defend themselves They had q
first -class citizens army of about one
tenth the size of their whole popula-
ton. This army was instantly mohii-
lied and thrown on the frontiers and
lin consequence Switzerland's territorial
integrity was respected.
but Belgium, alas. had not learn
ed the lesson which Switzerland had
Learned. For eighty years Belgium haG
been at peace and had achieved an ex-
ttraordinary measure of industrial pros.
l. a
mentally what ours have done. They
have devoted themselves to commerce
to manufacturing. to agriculture. They
had built up a high Industrial civiliza-
ton of an absolutely n"a"ef"l type.
f. Warnings Laughed At.
For many years they declined tc
be prepared to defend themselves a
all. Unfortunately. Tie wealthy mer
were too busy making money and the
cultivated and literary men were toe
busy dreaming dreams to consider thu
need of self defense. When some far
sighted men proposed that Belgium
should prepare as Switzerland had pre-
pared they were denounced as alarm
lists and militarists and jeered at and
laughed at.
1T was confidently asserted that tbs
days OF great wars had passed. and
that anyhow Belgium was absoIutel.
inoffensive, so that nobody would In
wade her, and that IL Her territory wa.
threatened with invasion the opinion
of the civilized world would be suf
ficient to prevent the carrying out o
the threat: and besides, 1t was pointed
out that there were treaties absolutel.
guaranteeing Belgium against inva
! sion: and furthermore, 1t was explain
ed that The Hague convention ~hio1
. \ Il
Immediately treated as scraps ~ ma
PER- when the demand was made Il
show that our signatures meant some
thing, made the whole world sta
antors of Belgium territorial integrity
Cautiously enough II was the dis
, tinctly workingmen's party which fin
, ally became the most considerable fac
tor in insisting that beginning SHOULD
, be made in preparing for defense. TIL,
, beginning was made But II was onr
! beginning and war overwhelmed
poor Belgium before she had nor
than barely entered on the path tina
, Switzerland had so wisely trod.
Belgium has saved her self-respect
has won honor and glory because tNt
beginning was made, because she di.
, fight for her own defense. because SIN
/ scorned the ignoble doctrines oof tn,
pacifists who cried peace, peace. wslel
? there was no peace: because the rem
nant of her sons still vafiantiy con
time to battle for her rights.
but, thanks to her utter unpre
paredness. she was able to put on hel
: frontiers an army which. all told, wa
relatively 10 that Of Switzerland onl,
one-tenth Of the strength
4 Victim of Unprcparedness.
Tnpreparedness brought war upor
s,er. Preparedness would probabl,
have saved her from war, Had shs
been able to mobilize on her frontiers
a force relatively as strong as Switz
erland's force, there would have been
In all probability. no invasion OF Bel
GUM: and even IL there had been suci
an invasion. Brussels and Antwerp ans
the great mass OF Belgian territor,
would now be In Belgian hands, ex
actly as Paris and Marseilles and ths
! great mass of French territory are still
In the hands or the French people,
"A friend OF mine recently passed