The Washington times., 1915-08-05
Delegate to Hague Confer.
ence: of Women Declares
State of Mind For Peace Is
Already Seething and
Working.
Fighting, Famine, Nor Fever
Can Effect No End to
Great Conflict of Nations,
She Believes.
BY FLORENCE E. YODER.
INV ylrH a greater force than
M can be Gauged in mere
" words. the moral hat

M can be Gauged In mere
w words. the moral hat
red Of war which has
forth again. Is bringing about the
state Of individual mind which will
at last stop the carnage"
This is the answer made by Mrs.
Louis Post, Of this city, one Of the
American delegates to The Hague
peace congress. and wife Of Assist
ant Secretary OF Labor Post. In an
swer to the query. How long will
the war last?"
Mrs. Post has founded her belief on
viewpoint gained from her expe-
ricnces In Europe with Jane
Addams. where she visited In foreign
capitals. everywhere sounding tho
pulse Of the nation by making in
auirtes and getting down as near az
possible to the general attitude Of
the people. She carried on research
work Of the highest order, and her
answer is founded not on mere con-
lecture. nor yet backed by causes
which have for their bases either
famine. money. or pestiience.
Since 1t Is almost impossible for
any one human being to be In pos-
session OF the complete liabilities and
assets of each OF the warning ma
tions. and since manifestly none but
le bon dieu knows what is going to
happen. even In view Of those facts.
the indirect answer which Mrs. Post
makes would seem to be Infinitely
supposable.
That 1t is indirect from deliberate
choice. and not from any wish to
escape the responsibilities Of tho
question. Is SELF evident.
The final result Of her observa-
tions. the discovery everywhere that
war was no longer a thing desired
Ds Dsonfe the Ss. Swsng mIInorty Of tho
prophesy of the coming Of q new
view Of life. a new vision where men
will be able to see all things in a
larger more international sense.
Fear began the great war;" she
Fighting cannot end It; the vast
armies are deadlocked. Famine can
not end it-not this year. the
Fever cannot end it-not for the
present; sanitary science Is accom-
plishing the incredible.
But a greater force than any OF
these is at work for peace In all
countries. It is the moral hatred
Of war which properly belongs to
civilization. and which In the mad
ness Of the fear Of last August had
been overshadowed. In the face Of
the worst. fear has subsided-except.
perhaps. In the United States, which
has not been In the direct current.
Why ever fear anything any more
except doing the unbrotherly thing?
Tho Womans Congress at The
Hague in April registered their moral
protest against war. and sent en-
voys with their message to the gov
ernments of Europe and the Presi-
dent Of the United States. In every
country visited the women of the
congress found that government and
people wanted peace. In every coun-
try they learned Of the mutual good
feeling Of the men in the trenches.
Of the growing adherence Of the nor.
rible slaughter, of convalescents who
committed suicide rather than return
to the trenches to kill fellowmen:
they talked with men who had never
shot to kill
More Impressive still Is It to hear
that individual mothers in every bel
liEerent country said to The Ha que
women: 1T was hard to see that bow
go. He did not believe In war. He
was not Of that generation To hear
that the young men Of every coun-
try are saying, This is an old mans
war; they are bounding us TO do
their fighting They say that they