New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-11-08
A Hades for Pacihsts
How Many Lives Has the Fatal
Delusion Costp


devised for the sins OF those pscihsts who
we're partly responsible for the prec'pi's-
ton Of the present war?
There is worldly saying that every man
has hi. price," which Is merely way OF cx-
pressing the thought that when the allure
ments Of temptation rise too high they hnai-
Iv overtop mans power OF resistance. Tho
"a. gentleman who possessed n gold watch
and diemond scarfpin, and who, when
thief snatched his watch, chased him as Tar
az he could and then asked the aid OF ana
confded his trouble to a second stranger
with the admission that he could run no
further. yhereupon the latter said, III you
arc sure you can run no further, then here
zoe. for YOUR scarfpin," merely reached and
passed the price of the second stranger
There are few Of US who could resist inc
lure Of a winded and helpless fat man WIN
a sparkling PIN il would be against Fesso"
to expect US to hold back under such condi-
tions.
Il is almost law Of nature that mans
wealth should not rise above his power 20
defend K; that weak child should not
brszenly faunt candy in the face OF ms
stronger fellows; that a corporation should
not strain the honesty Of its employees oy
leaving it's money unchecked and unaudited'
that political class should not permit it'
wealth to outstrip its political power.
Just as bank or a railroad company owes
IL 20 its employees not TO such lax sys-
tens of handling money that premium =
placed en- dishonesty, just az fat men owe a
duty 70 the morals Of the rest OF US either
10 hide or TO safely guard their jewslry. so
does one nation owe il TO its fellows under
L.
rial wealth rise while its powers Of self-pro-
lection fall. 1t never knows at what point
it may reach the price or overcome tho
scruples of its fellow nations
The Balance OF Pain
Water runs down hill, and men for tow
ara easy pleasures. The thought Of CRU
sadcrs assembled to seek the Lords tomb
being DETECTED to the sackng of CONSTANT
nopla sounds fantastic, and yet in one view
of humanity it was sin against the Cru
saders for the inhabitants OF Constantinople
to accumulate half the treasures Of the
world. and then 10 let their city walls decay.
Fat and rich cities, like fat and rich mon,
arc disturbing elements in the world. They
upset the equilibrium OF better men than
Crusaders and worse men than Germans.
And SO We come TO the duty OF men and
nations. All pleasures should have their
balance wheels of pain; all forms of prop
erty their safeguards; all types Of liberty
their duty of self protection; all nations
their guarantees Of safety, either in mutual
armament or mutual disarmament. Il should
be regarded as politically immoral for any
nation 70 let us value rise above its price,
its treasures outstrip it's defensive guaran-
tees; 20 let the pleasure TO be derived by
Other nations in overrunning it exceed the
pain they would have TO endure in making
the effort.
Andrew Carnegie and the other early
pacifists overlooked the law OF equality Of
pain and pleasure in their idealistic preach.
ings. Instead of going into those nations
which were consumed with militarism and
trying 10 convert them TO equality with
their more peaceful neighbors, they went
into the democracies Of the world and ex-
hortod them 10 lay OFF their armor
In a world Of ndividualism each nation
supports and is supported by its fellow ma
tons. As soon as a nations powers Of re-
sistauce fall below the pressures upon it, its
fellow nations crush it in as the ocean
crushes the walls of a submarine that has
Owed too deeply.
The pacifists who undermined the strength
Of the French army a few years before the
great war invited disaster. They lowered
the defensive guarantees of France without
lowering her treasure and value. They were
false to the system OF national individual
ism under which they existed. They were
responsible for a conviction in Germany
that it was possible for the German army
to enter Paris in few weeks.
Can Paciists Escape Blame
How many lives has that fatal delusion
cost? What should God do TO the yisionless
men who fostered such belief on the part
OF IN unscrupulous neighbor?
There are men who argue that the war
was precipitated by heavy armaments in
the opposing countries. Is IT not more tue
that il was caused by the belief in Germany
that there were unequal ornaments? II the
Germans had known that their opponents
matched them gun for gun would they have
attacked? They courted no long and equal
war. They counted on a quick and sure
victory over a weaker foe.
II Germany has lost her soul, can the paci-
fists of the world escape their share Of the
blame? They stretched out before the gaze
Of barbaric mind beautiful world, 10 be
gained apparently, at cheap price. They
said, Here are all our treasures represent
ing the pleasure OF world dominion at tho
price of few months war; God must put
on them the negative blame of exhorting
peaceful men to disarm in the face Of the
growing armament Of unfriendly ncighbors
Is IL unreasonable to assume that II the
paciists had left France, England and tho
United States alone and had concentrated
their wealth and wies on Germany n sus-
pension ~ miltarsm there would have net
With an equal suspension in less wsr-mcd
nations? Or, failing a conversion of Ger
many, would not an equal preparation for
wer on the part of her prospective oppc-
nents have deferred Germany from attack
ing for fear of ultimate defeat and have
produced In time a condition Of peaceful
bu. armed stalemste that would finally have
become so painful to the opposing nations
that il would ultimately have bred in them
all willingness mutually TO limit srma-
ments7 ". II. CREIGHTON CLARKE