Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-02-05

In the case of Japan the possibility
! of war if America acts honorably is
! equally remote Armed conflict be.
tween these two .neighbors can only
come as the result of some great
moral lapse in our own country and
patriotism forbids lis to believe this
a likelihood, unless the disease of pre-
paredness should get a firm grip upon
our people. That disease is in itseh
a symptom of moral failure. To aban-
don our historic policy of faith in
peace and substitute therefor conf.
dence in arms would be prima facie
evidence of loss of moral fiber. Amer.
lea has no cause to fear war as long
as she remains true to the prinCiple2
so thoroughly tested out during the
past century. When she adopts il
whole or in part Germany's policy OF
preparedness, that fear will no Longer
be merely justifable. it will become
inevitable and will issue not in the
peace of the fully armed. but in dis.
rope is experiencing.
In this connection it is suggestive
to recall the theory of war advanced
by that able British essayist Mr. L
P. Jacks in the September Atlantic
Monthly. He claims that the Europe
an breakdown demonstrates that econ
omic development has outstripped
moral development Nations have
grown rich without increasing in the
wisdom and Justice necessary to en-
sable them to use their, wealth wisely
Hence fear of being despoiled of thei;
property leads them to, arm. This en-
courages militarism, which, once in
the saddle, pushes its interests until
they eliminate in war, If this theory
be true, and there is much in its ia
vor, we are seeing in America the de-
velopment of this insane fear of los
ing our wealth which if not counter
acted will lead to armament and thus
to inevitable warfare. The question
is, has America wisdom and justice
enough to enable her to- use her wealth
Alright, or is her lack of development
of these high qualities sure to lead her
to arm and then fight? The advocates
of the robber theory are appealing to
the elemental dread which Mr.. Jacks
shows is due to lack of moral power
Our Loss.
We in America then have nothing
to fear except our own moral coward
ice. There is no foe anywhere in
sight nor any reasonable possibility
of hostile nation lowering within the
unseen realms of our fears. We have
nothing to gain by arming, but much
to lose our own selves, and untold
evil to entail upon others. First OF
all we shall forfeit the good opinion oil
the world. We have been widely &C
cused of materialism and love of gold,
but instinctiyely all peoples have
known, as. some keen visioned for
eign critics have discerned and frank
1y confessed, that America is human
ity's ideal land. We have loved what
our poets and prophets have held to
be true and have tried to realize it.
Because of this and not for mere dol
lars sake millions of earth's noblest,
though often poorest folk have sought
America and made herstheir country.
Lord Rosebury echoed the feeling of
all non-American mankind when re-
Gently he uttered his cry of despair
in view of the evidence that our ma
ton was becoming inoculated with the
dread disease of militarism couched
under the euphemism of prepared
ness. To forfeit the instructive love
that goes out to our country from all
other lands, instructive because such
has the love of ideals under the influ-
ence of Jesus become on earth, would
be so great calamity that it is diff
cult to see how the American people
can after full consideration contem-
plate with equanimity this mad rush
to descend from the height, upon
which they have been nurtured and
have for over century lived, down
to the level of universal military serv-
ice as practised in Germany and Swift
Zerland or even to the low plain or
costly preparedness urged by the pres
ent administration at Washington
since its unfortunate change of face.
Our nation has moral leadership be-
cause of it's essentially peaceful char
acter. That is our strongest inter
national asset Let US not squander it.
The Worlds Hope.
The hope of the myriads Of men
and women in all lands lies in such
a state of peace as our country has
evolved. 1t represents the acme Of
actual historic development. There
is nothing so good elsewhere on earth
as our system. Europe wants it and
is fighting to get it. That is the mean
ing of this war. 1t promises to be the
last stand of militarism. America can
fulfil that promise if she does not lose
her head. At the close of this war
we shall have a moral influence mar
velously augmented is we maintain
our traditional principles OF peaceful