The Mankato free press., 1915-11-26
Strong Peace Advocate
From ne-days DAILY.

From he"day's DAILY.
DIR. Lincoln Writ of Boston, who
recently returned from Europe. where
he travelled for some time 'in the
wake of the war;" and approached
very near the front on several occa-
sions. gave very interesting lecture
at the Presbyterian church last even
ing. before a union meeting OF the
Protestant churches OF the city. The
speaker stands firm advocate for
peace, and stated that he believed in
the song, scorned by Teddy Roose-
welt, II Didn't Raise My Boy TO Be a
Soldier" The worst thing about the
present war. he held, was that II was
destroying civilization. and reducing
the people to a lower level, morally
as well as physically. The lives OF
the future generations were being
war debt accumulating every day, and
the war was reversing the natural or
der of things and resulting i'm the
survival OF the most unfit" instead
of the survival OF the fittest. AS a
panacea for world strife DR.. Writ has
{ onceived Federation of the
World "A United States of the
World" he announced. First, a
United States of Europe. and on this
side of the world a United States of
America that shall include both South
and North America, and finally those
two great bodies on either side of the
world united into one great whole,
with federated government. execu-
tives. legislative and judicial powers,
international police and an interna-
tional navy-a combination that would
make universal peace possible, and
prevent any reversion to warfare"
From Mirth to Soiemnity.
Late I'm the month of April" said
DIR. Writ, i'm opening his address, II
planned to go to Europe on the Lusi-
tania. ! went independently as want
eo to see the war from a normal
view point. unprejudiced Owing to un-
foreseen circumstances I changed my
plans, and went on steamer of the
White Star line. the two pulling out
OF the harbor side by side. When the
news came to us of the sinking of the
Lusitania the manner of those on our
steamer changed from mirth and gay
ETY. to solemnity. To escape a SINH
lar fate we travelled out of our course
for two days, ship completely dark
ened. but at last arrived safely at our
Declaring War In Italy.
DR.. Writ was in Italy when that
country declaIe cd war. the people fore
ing the king and queen to comply
with their wishes. He described the
scene in detail, showing how modern
times had changed the old order. and
the king was forced to bow TO the
will OF the people. Crossing over into
France DIR. Writ found Paris, once
the gayest center, now the saddest city
on earth, and everywhere nothing but
talk and signs OF war. Motoring
across the beautiful country of West
ern France last June he came to a
field hospital. just as the ambulances
were arriving from the battle front,
bringing in a hundred wounded SOL
diers. Bitterly did he score the mod
ern horrible inventions of warfare. as
he described the awful condition of
the wounded soldiers. He told of the
poisonous gases, the cases of insani-
ty. tctanus, the electrified barb wire
There was some chivalry during
our Civil war;" he said. ".The officer
would stand out In front of his men,
and cry, Gene on boys,' when the
charge was made. In Europe II Is
different. Officers are too valuable.
The cheapest thing is q human life.
The men are put I'm the front, and told
to charge, going boldly and by thou
sands to the terrible death they can
see before them"
With vivid word pictures DR.. Writ
painted the scenes of desolation and
sadness which he had witnessed. A
ruined city, where there was no liv-
ing thing, the homes a mass OF ruins.
the people-where? He told OF an i'm
measurable cemetery stretching up
over the hills and out of sight, mile
ong rows of little wooden crosses,
)ften made of couple of pieces of
board. torn from an ammunition box,
each cross marking the grave OF a
foung man, every one some mothers
son. These men had been sacrificed
Why? To carry on the quarrel of those
niles away. and who were not sac
-ificing themselves like this. He told
II waiting at a station while a fu-
leral-like train pulled silently In. or
he coaches grimly labelled Dead and
and of the women who
waited for the coming of their trag-
dies" He pictured the sorrowful
as the corpses and mangled
emains were taken from the coaches.
md the women passed around search
ng for their men, or what was left
Il them.
The Innocent Suffered.
DR.. Writ showed that I'm war the
innocent suffered and many times tile
,uilty escaped. and that the war fell
most heavily on the women and chill /,
Iron. or the twenty-four and half
million soldiers sent TO battle. two
nd a half million were made prs J
ners; FIVE million were killed out
light. and six and n half million