Evening star., 1915-03-07
CENTENNIAL OF FENEL0N'S DEATH

does not fall into ignorance OF wars
let us send the flower of our youth
to make war beyond the border-thoso
Will suffice to keep the entire nation
In the school Of the soldier. the emuia-
ton of tie love- of arms. the dtsdain
of the fatigues of military service.
and even of death. and finally In tho
experience and practice of the mil.
tary art.
The lesson taught by Mentor-that
is. by Fenelon-is one that has been
so often uttered these recent years
by the patriotism France, for exam
ple-that 1t merits repetition here. it
only to show that the idea is not new
but old.
Mentor followed this exhortation by
visiting the arsenals and storehouses
to learn il the arms
Principle OF and other things
pr....l. necessary for war
1iepaieohess. were in proper order,
for 1t was necessary. he declared. to be
always ready to make war in order not
to be forced to make 1t. He found
the laborers to work with fire. with
steel and brass
In the Examination of Conscience"
the Duke de Bourgogne he develops
his lessons contained In Telemachus.
When 1t is a question of war, have
you." he asks his pupil. examined and
caused your rights to be examined bv
the most intelligent and the least fiat
tering for you? Have YOU avoided the
counsels of certain ministers who have
interest in plunging YOU in war, or a t
least who seek to fiatter your passions
"a oh
is1y their own aspirations? There has
been no war. even those happily ter
minated, which has not done mors
harm than good to the state There
can he but one case only which not
w1thstanding all its evils war Is neces-,
sary. 1t is when one may not avoid
war except in giving too much advan-
tage to an unjust, artful and too DOW
erful enemy. Thus in wishing through
weakness to avoid war one may fall
INTO 1t still more dangerously: one may
thus make peace which may not be
peace, and which will have the decep-
tive appearance of peace onlv Then IL
is necessary in spite of ones self to
make war vigorously by the sincere de-
sire OF good and constant peace
Before accepting these adventures
always doubtful. a just king tries ali
ways of amiahle arrangement He may,
Tor example. being already powerfully
armed. offer to accept certain neighbors
as neutrals and dsinterested The
because of haughtiness. by finesse. by
avidity. by precipitation"
NJ. Renault, in his recent speech at
the Institute of France gave a learned
disquisition on international law But
who among his auditors recalled that
what the eloquent jurisconsult said was
only another form of what Fenelon has
expressed in his "Examination"o
Fenelon wrote: There are laws Of
war which should be no less religiously
respected than laws
Fenel0n on of peace. When ono
Laws of War. is at war there re-
of nations which is the basis of human-
ity, even: it is a sacred and inviolable
tie between peoples that no war can
break: otherwise. war would be an in
human brigandaee. n perpetual series
of betrayals, assassinations, of abomi-
nations and of barbarities. There are
violences and ruses in war which are
reciprocal and to be expected. For the
rest it is necessary to have good faith
and absolute humanity. 1t is not per.
mitted to render fraud for fraud.
Have you not caused useless suffer.
ings to your enemy? These enemies are
always men, always your brothers "
you are a true man yourself You
should not do them any more injury
than such as you cannot help doing to
guarantee those which may reduce
them to a just peace. Have you not
invented and introduced uselessly new
kinds of hostilities? Have you not
authorized ravages, incendiarfsm. sacri-
Ieges. massacres, which have decided
nothing. without which you could
have defended your cause, and not
withstanding which your enemies have
all the same continued their efforts
against you. You must render an ac-
count to God and repair to the extent
of your powers all the evils which you
have authorized. and which have been
done without necessity"
There is opportunity today more than
ever in citing Fenelon's views on i'm
perialism ION the necessity of fcrm-
ing alliances. offensive and defensive.
against foreign power that aspires to
universal monarchy. The neighborinC
states one and the other should form"
said Fenelon. for their particular
surety as much for their common in
terest a kind Of society and a general
republic" In effect, he adds, it IS
necessary to know that in the long
run the greatest power will prevail
and overthrow the others. If the others
do not unite to form a counterbalance.
Each nation. said Fenelon. is thus
obliged to watch without ceasing to
prevent the excessive
Watch Your ACKNOWLEDGMENT ~
N.:LL. each neighbor. To
Nelghbors. prevent the neighbor
from being too powerful is not to do
i'll; 1t is to guarantee from servttude
and a guarantee for the other neigh
bors; in a word. it is to work for lib
erty. tranquility and the public safe
ty; for the aggrandizement of a nation
beyond a certain point changes the
which are in contact with the nation
which has become unduly enlarged.
Thus after the defeat at Pavia, all
Europe feared the universal monarchy
of Charles-Quint. each power. even OF
those which had nothing to do directly
with Spain, had the right and the obli-
cation to prevent an augmentation
which would have thrown many peo-
Piles in the near danger of servitude
without resource.
Fenelon, writing in 1712 philosophi-
cal essay on civil government, said:
when we examine the history of em-
pires and republics we find that all the
that have occurred come
from two principal causes; the love OF
authority without restriction on the
part of princes. and that of the desire
tor independence on the part of the
people. The sovereigns jealous of their
power desire always to extend their
power, the subjects desirous of their
yioh oIyr-a fn