New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-30

to remember in connection with the
war and mi,itarism in relation to moral
end social values" wrote Mr.. ROose-
welt, sis that if an INSCRIPTIONS, war
/ like and militaristic nation Is not held
in check by the warlike ability OF a
neighboring non-mllitaristic and well
behaved nation. then the latter will be
spared the necessity of dealing with
I moral and social values because VI
won't be allowed to deal with anything.
at seems to me positively comic to
fell 10 appreciate. with the example OF
Belgium before our eyes, that the real
question which modern peace-lovlng ma
tons have to face is not how the mill
taristic or warlike spirit within Their
own borders will affect these values,
but how failure on their part TO resist
the militarism of an unscrupulous
neighbor will affect them"
Mr.. Roosevelt referred TO medieval
Persia and Russia and to modern emma
Corea and Armenia to show what hap
pened to nations which applied prac-
tically the theories Of pacihsts.
Likens Ford to Ancient Persian.
"In the thirteenth century, said his
naper. Persia had become a highly
civilized nation, with the cultivated
class of literary men and philosophers,
with universities and great mercantile
interests. These literary men and mer-
chants took toward the realities of war
much the same attitude that is taken
in our own country by gentlemen OF
the stamp of Messrs. David Starr Jor-
dan and Henry Ford.
Unfortunately for these predeces-
sors of the modern pacifsts, they were
l. / Of
and his Mongols: and, as, of course, in
variablv happens in such a case, when
the onIush came the pacifists' theories
were worth just about what tissue
paper barrier would amount to against
g. tidal wave.
RUSSIA at the time was slowly strug-
Cling upward toward civilization. But
She had not developed military efiicien-
CIV: she had not developed efficiency IN
war. The Mongols overwhelmed her as
fire overwhelms stubble. The chief
difficulties against which Russia has
had to struggle ir modern times are
due ultimately to the one all-essentlal
fact that in the early part of the thlr-
teenth century she had not developed
the warlike strength TO enable her 20
hold her own against milltarlsuc
neighbor. -.
There are well meaning people, Ut
terly incapable Of learning any lesson
taught by history, utterly incapable OF
understanding Alright what has gone on
before their very eyes during the last
year or two, who, nevertheless, WISH 10
turn this country into an Occidental
China-the kind Of China which every
intelligent Chinaman Of the present
day is seeking TO abolish.
There are plenty of politicians, by
no means as well meaning, who find IT
TO their profit TO pander TO the desire
common to most men to live softly and
easily and avoid risks and effort. Timid
and law men. men absorbed in money
getting. men absorbed in ease and lux
ury and all soft and slothful poop! e
naturally hail with delight anybody
who viii give them high sounding
names behind which TO cloak their I'M
willingness to run risks or to toll and
endure. Emotional philanthropists TO
whom thinking is distasteful form OF
mental exercise enthusiastically cham
pion this attitude"