The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-02-25

tIioughIlul attention throughout the
address. The uteer usclessnes of wars.
their huge waste, the horrors that trail
in their wake and the advantages of
arbitration as q means of settling dis
putes were brought out graphically
and forcefully.
Wars Great Sacrifice.
DR.. Green recently returned from a
trip Of IS months in various countries
of the world studying the problems
which were menacing civilization, and
his address was the result Of his person
al Investigations and was not the edited
expressions of other men s opinions
In 1913, the last year for which the
complete figures are available. the civ
ihZed nations spent 65 per cent of the
incomes Of their governments. he said,
IN maintaining ornaments. In addition
to the countless billions of dollars in
gold, fifteen billions of men have been
sacrificed in the wars of which records
exist, and after making that statement
DR.. Green proceeded in a graphic way
to give his audience some conception
of the magnitude of that number. Since
the birth of the Saviour only about one
billion minutes have elapsed.
! The speaker maintained that with
few exceptions war never settled any
great question. 1t is the one vestiCe
of barbarism that remains. 1t simply
exbausts the belligerents, and then FIVE
or six men sit down together and very
calmly and judiciously frame terms of
peace and really settle the quarrel.
How much wiser it would be to do this
beforehand
| Again, war always permanently
weakens a nation by killing its strong
est and ablest men, leaving only the
weaker and the diseased or degenerate
males to perpetuate the race. 1t is
true that our Civil war emancipated
the slaves, but its cost would have
bought and educated and transported
out of the country, if desired, every
negro that was freed, p times over
Every nation that has fought has de-
Perforated from the standpoint of ply
steal vigor and mental virilitv. in pro
portion to the fereeness of the strug-
gle. No statesman has for years thought
of advocating war from any economic
point Of view Yet in recent wears
countless millions have been expended
in preparations for war. Even Emperor
William, on the 25th anniversary OF
his coronation a few months ago
thanked God that he had been able tc
maintain the peace of Europe, and to
day he doubtless believes himself the
greatest peacemaker in the world
But still we find that some diabolica
, agency forces the nations into war
: and the greatest and most apparent
factor is the preparation for war which
they constantly make. What other re
. suit can be expected so long as the ma
J tions spend the greater part of theil
yearly income in preparing for wa
down to the minutest detail2 Wher
England proposed to Germany a year I
cessation in all naval armament, Ger
/ many's answer was to Immediately Ia,
down the keels Of three new battle
| ships, two of which are now at the bot
tom of the North sea.
Results at The Hague
| If any one of the nations now a
war had waited 30 days to count TIL
cost and consider calmly and iudiciousl.
| the whole situation the war would hav
been averted. 1t came Just as tn
| Car had prepared the call for tn
| third Hague conference. The speake
/ then vigorously defended the Hagu
L conference, stating that of the IA grea
i questions which had been referred t
Il it - had been decided and that O
II those 12 no party on either side ha
II ever appealed or raised any obiectio