The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1915-01-30
What Our Own
History Teaches.

Had Or. Jordan been IN the position o.
Captain John Smith in the Virginia colony.
when the Indians were on the war-path. he
would have advised the settlers TO disarm and
destroy their stOckAdes and forts.
The Indians at that time went on the war.
path and got drunk for war because they had
grievance. After the present war IL over and
international commerce is re-established we are
destined 70 give some other nation a grievance,
for the same reason that we then gave those
Indiana a grievance. and that other nation win
go on the war-path, just as those Indians did.
and that other nation. when Il .akes up the
torch and the sword and gets a taste OF blood.
Is going 20 be savage Just those Indians
were-is going 20 be savage like the savage
men engaged in the present European conflict.
There are two kinds OF true prophets: The
one kind. like Isaiah, who is directly inspired
OF God: the other kind who Judge OF the
future by the lessons OF the past. / am a true
prophet but am not one OF the inspired kind.
The way that / do my predicting Is the wsy
OF the scientist. Just as the astronomer uses
a base line the width OF the earth's orbI. In
order to triangulate the parallax OF a star. so
does the scientific prophet triangulate the
parallax OF future events from a base line
comprising all human history
There is no one Lesson winch history teaches
us more plainly than that the posse ysion Of
wealth by defenseless nation is a standing
casus bell TO other nations. and that always
there has been the nation standing ready TO
attack and plumber any other nation when
there was likely 10 be sufficient PROFIT IN the
enterprise to pay for the trouble
Never have we seen any treaty stand for
long IN the way OF such practices between
nations. Treaties have always been mere
scraps OF paper. which. like the cobweb, en-
snare the weak. while they let the strong
break through.
Il is strange that those persons who recon-
mend that this country try the experiment OF
disarmament 70 secure peace by setting other
nations a great moral example should not have
read history TO see whether or not the eK.
pertinent we're "A new one, and whether or not
judging by past experiments, It were likely
20 prove a success OF a failure
Should these men look back through history,
they would find that ancient Egypt tried the
experiment. and went down under the sword
and torch OF fierce invaders from over the
desert They would learn that the Greeks
tried the experiment and found II a failure
They would learn that India and China have
bled through the ages because OF their peace
abeness They would learn that the fall Of
Carthage was not due so much 70 the superior
military power Of Rome or 70 the reiterations
Of Cato that Carthage must be destroyed. as
% was 10 the peace talk OF Hanno. which held
up the necessary support Of Hannibal On Italy.
They would learn that when old Rome lost
her yirility and neglected her deiensos. she
vas hewu to pieces By fierce barldraus.
They would learn that the fathers OF our
own country. after the Revolution. tried the
same old experiment, with the result that
Washington was captured and burned by the
British IN the War % 1912. They would
furthermore learn that al prophets Who have
said that the nations viii war no more have
been false prophets.
-Four years before the Husso-IapaueEe var
wrote an article Tor o. Sew York magazine ln
which J prophesied that var, and predicted
Japanese victory. I also predicted 40 The same
time that there would be in the near future a
great European conflict in which ENGLAND
France. Germany, Austria and Russia would be
involved. Do has come