The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1915-01-08
INTERESTING WAR
TALK DELIVERED
DR. STEPHEN S. WISE. OF NEW
YORK TALKS ON as WAR
CURElESSg"
spoke Before Large Audience az Eor
Street Temple last Evening
Causes Considered.

q lecture on the subject. lis War
Cureless?' delivered last evening in
the Eon street Temple. by DIR. stephen
>. Wise, Rabbi Of the Free Synagogue.
New York City. was well delivered be-
lore a large audience that filed the
Temple to its full capacity. DIR. Wise
spoke. In part. as follows:
Whatever else may hereafter he
aid war. IL will never more be
needful to prove how disastrous and
tragic and cureless are wars effects:
that In wars there are no victories.
only defeats. that defeat perches upon
the banners OF all the combatants.
mat victory may seem to come for an
hour TO n OF the contestants. but
that defeat Inc loss are the perma.
nent portion OF all warning peoples for
generations.
The belief that man was born a
nghung animal and must foreye, re-
main one is not the least of he ulti.
mate causes OF war.-the belief that
because man has been a fighting ami
NAL. therefore he must remain one is
a perpetuator OF the most immoral of
all moral heresies. For this unfaith
In man and God alike views mans orr
GIN but not his destiny. consults that
winch man was without regarding that
"nlch man aspires to be. Centuries
centuries man was a crawling
thing. shall he therefore never stand
erect and lift his eyes in prayer from
earth whence he came to the heaven of
heavens which are his destiny
~Anothe OF the ultimate causes not
only OF the present war but virtually
OF all wars for centuries has been a
romance upon the hidden ways of di-
plomacy. = reliance which has
brought about the soralled balance OF
power. than which nothing could have
been les balanced. The present war
might have been averted II. instead of
international groups looking to bal
ance or power we had had a little
more moral poise as between the ma.
lions Diplomacy too often means. as
LORD Morley recently pointed out in
the very words OF Bismarck. the pass.
ing OF bad money. the substitution of
political attitudes for moral attitudes.
secret diplomacy has too long mutter.
ed,-What is such a little thing as the
Decalogue as between nations: Is the
moral law to come between
and the result is the hell into which
diplomacy with its foul lies and hid.
eous falsities or speech and action
aIke a flung us. IL a few months
ago the millions of Europeans. later
oesuned to be flung into war had
known from day TO day and from
hour TO hour what was happening in
D Chancellories. or Europe, the war
could hot have taken place.
Mighty Armsments.
The deepest cause of the war has
been the faith thai mighty armament
alone could avert war. that the biz
lions. not millions. which the military
powers OF Europe have spent in tn
last thirty a were the premium
which these nations we're paying for
the insurance against war. Arma,
ments, II Is now seen. are the guar.
antee OF wars ~inevitableness at any
moment AS long as ornaments arr,
men VIII resort to arms. We of this
western democracy together with on:
sister Republics OF the Central and
south America must dare become tn.
pioneers in the interest OF world
peace. Is no nation ever to make a
great adventure in behalf of world
peace as many nations seem 10 be
ready TO hazard the adventure OF
world-war? Our opposition to wa
must become real and final and in,
flexible. The time must come When
men Will have to choose between kin
ing and being killed. No government
could constrain me TO slay my child
IL my country bids mo slay my broth
or beyond the national frontier.
should say Nay. though the govern
ment slay me. The time has come
when men must choose that they p,
slain for refusing to slay another ratb
or than 40 forth to slay their b-othe,
at the behest of any government. The
time TO strike against war is not when
war is but when war has ceased. Wa
cannot cease until the power OF any
man or group Of men TO make or IN,
make war has ceased. When democ
racy comes to It's own. the vicarious
damnation. which Is war In autocratie
empires. will cease.
Our thought today Is not OF war.
but OF peace. Religion or rather r..
ligions. have failed.-witness this war
Is religion to fail again Over the terms
OF peace? n the church has failed "a
avert war. dare II fail again to secure
a lasting and honorable peace2
Whatever the causes Of tho, war,
and irrespective Of the apportionmeni
Of moral blame. there can be no peace
which a for the supreme domi.
nance Of any M nation or the over.
whelminE defeat and crushing Of am
other. Whatever the causes OF tho
war may have been. there can and