The Nome daily nugget., 1917-04-18

 the enemy and not he who forces the murder. He would be only too glad to spare the women and children if the enemy would submit.
 Today on both sides, on all sides, you have the murders apologizing.
 A few years ago every murderer was boaster. He was proud as he felt the hoofs of his horse sink into the faces of dead women and children.
 He was proud as he gave the order to spare no life, proud as he ordered the blows to pass over the place where the city stood, and salt to be scat tered that no grass might ever grow there.
 e do improve.
 We are nation of boodthirsty rioters.
 The most intelligent of us are car- ried away by the mob spirit. and be- come as brutal, as blind to right and justice, as the wolves that attack the enemy turn to eat their wounded fel- lows: As
 Brutal we are, bloody, murderous.
 What our spirit, tells us is right we do not do.
 What we know 10 be wrong is the task of nearly al the great nations
 Disgraceful to our race, disgraceful to the men of thougth and power, Is the rule of the brute, the thug, the murderer. whose ambition and brutal demand the submission of the superior to the inferior.
 But still it may be said the world does improve.
 Let the cynlc sheer and say that war will last forever. He is wrong
 Let the good man in despair bow his head and say that the world gets no better. He is wrong.
 We kill the women and children, but at least we do not delight in the killing.
 We destroy that which is most ancient and precious, but at least we are ashamed of our destruction.
 We know that brutality may tenn porarily rule Europe, or the whole world.
 But we know and are determined that brutal rule shall not endure.
 We are led away by the mob spirit. the ferocity of battle. but we recover from the drunkenness of crimes as we did not use to do.
 You hay read of the taking of cities in Europe, the kiIifng of men, women and children, destruction of works of art.
 But if you doubt that the world Is better. let your mind consider the thousands and hundreds of thousands at least left anve and permitted to seek safety. Consider the cities that stand. although they have been con- quered. and then consider conditions in the old days.
 You cannot doubt that, slow as pro- gress is, we have come many miles from the bottom of the chasm of horror. and are destined to reach the top. where war will be no more and civilization will commence.
 There are great powers and great cities that hate each other today, as Rome and Carthage hated each other. And one of the great forces at war will win. But the horrors of old will not be repeated.
 Not long ago the remains of the city walls of Carthage were dug up. They were covered with ashes five feet deep. Through the centuries the site of that great city had lain dead. a field of blood and forgotten horror.
 When that city was taken that was not the end, as when a city is taken today.
 For six days after the Romans en- tered the city they carried on their work of murder. singing and shouting as they cut down the half-starved, miserable inhabitants.
 At night they set fire to houses that they might see to kll,." When the work of killing was done the last of the resisting force gathered in the temple on the hill. dedicated to the god of healing, and destroyed themselves by fire.
 Then. for seventeen days, Carthage burned.
 "The blow was passed over the soil to put an end in legal form to the existence of the city. Houses might