Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-04-08


icw charges Of dynamite" he said. aud
rent ready car. AS have always
hcti mat =" pi"w aud hoe. to reap .,nd
SOW aud he !. farmer boy" Is an uu-
cndurhbl" lot. and that artillery will
ana its true service in agriculture. as
II has already done in locomotior tfor
your mo,or-car cylinder IL a cannon.
SHAW SEE. THE
FASCINATION or wan
Eut how OF tho effect OF all this on
the men" Here there is noihiu;. r.a
Sonabic 10 be said: we arc face to face
With the fact that pucnacity is still
part Of human nature aud that civil
i%h'ion Is in iis infancy Men will play
at war when there are no battles 10
light: their cinema films and magazine
stories prove that war iS "A favoritc
f"od OF their imasination; they yolun-
teer for war without waiting to be
compelled. aud they go back TO it after
suffering It's worst hard.hips When
Garihald offered them starvation.
wounds aud death, they jumped at the
chance: when MaZzini offered them the
millennium, they took no interest in
him
Al the front you soc ,nen coming
from The trenches 50 tired that their
mouths hang open. ANA YOU have only
20 read the pages ~ MIR Patrick Mae
ELL TO learn that nothing bu; the fasci-
nation OF war could mako their lot
be"1able. Others. returning TO ihr
trenches after their respite arc more
serious ana concerned All OF them
would describe themselves as COM
pietely led up with war The are
not joking. nor singing songs nor
making the least prc,cusc Of enjoying
themselves. Eut the arc no more
hopcicssly wrctchcd thal
An officer with whom condoled on
the unutterablc boredom % war adj
niitled il Ia the fullest nut mentioned
a. a set-off, that there il always some
thing exciting. And this something
is nothing but Mar itself. Men torn
from civil life ~ tine mos, PROSPEROUS
and comfortable kind and engaged in
tho most pcrilous servic. under condi-
lions that would. one would suppose
make them envy polar explorer. say
without ancctation that they have
never been SO happy. They seek ter
rors and hardships more determinedly
than warm clothes, comfortable Are
sides and security
ne never dctIh OIL inc ClSllld
papers the apology for the war on the
ground that it is 10 end var. finds no
echo at the front. The soldier may pity
those who have been driven from their
wrecked homes TO wander on the face
Of the earth in helpless varabondaEe
and are the victims OF war without
having any par; in it, lie does no,
pity himself. Great correspondents like
MIR. Philip Gibbs. ruely sensitive 20 the
inis-ri-s Of the ;rocps ana with literary
power enough to convey heartbrcak-
ing sense OF il. nevertheless seek war
out and see 1t through. fascinated by
rhe spirit which drives men TO endure
ana deiy so much outra scous mischief
and danger
TIE soldier says that war is hell;
but he docs not say that is = crime.
We make many accusations against
Germany, some Of them ridiculous
enough in view % similar exploits OF
our own: but WHOM u man becomes
soldier n" ceases 10 blame her for
bringing war upou Europe though ;ha,
Is the rca 9T''"ance OF paciist
morality against h.. Therefore. the
morali@in= which represents the waste
and destruction. the fortunes and ter
rorF and sum"riHEs OF The ve~ as
quite unmiNed horrors. may be edify-
ing and human; hu, it is not true 10
nature at the front.
Tho strange satisfactions and faSci-
nations which men End in war may he
rooted i'll that part OF their nature
which is common to The palcfac". the
rcdskin brave and the Iulu warrior
They may be largely q reaction against
the dizziness % :: civil life that satisfies
mono OF their heroic inS;inctc do
not Justify them, and ! iinow ,ha,
;hey must finally he satisfied in roblcr
Ways on sternly rcprcsscd ana dis
ra-dcd: but / should he foolish and