Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1917-02-08
CIVILIZATION WILL DIE
CONTINUED From Page one)

man Chancellor. Bethmann Hollveg,
declared: Europe, for the sake OF its
peace-loying population, must be a
Europe of peaceful endeayor. The
peace that Is TO come after the war
must be durable peace. 1t must not
contain the seed of new war. but
the seed Cor 4 definite and final peace
full settlement of European affairs"
April 10, 1916, Mr.. Asquith, the Brit.
ish Premier. replied: Great Britain
and France have gone to war not TO
crush Germany. not to wipe II off the
may of Europe. nor to ruin its national
existence, surely not in order to inter
fere with what the chancellor terms its
national endeayor for independence.
The allies object in the war is to pave
the way for an international system
which will insure the establishment Of
equal rights for all civilized nations"
At the present moment both parties
are making vague proposals. But if
both parties are sincere. however, an
understanding is possible.
One of the most desperate phases of
present war, however Is the way in
which the leaders in belligerent coun-
tries, men of science and culture, IN
hesitatingly AMI under deafening APP
plause, yield to the prcjudicies of their
own country. They are blind and I'M
able TO lool; truth in the face. Each
one defends his country's holy cause
and falsifies history. All write the
same way. 1t is only necessary to re.
place the word German by English,
or Russian by Hungarian, and The ar
ticles in the newspapers of those coun-
tries read exactly alike.
or course they are victims of al
state of mind in which blind patriot.
ism has devoureG the love of truth.
So!taire on War
1t was not like that before. Once
upon time thinkers and philosophers
honorcd truth. Erasmus wrote:
There is nothing as ridiculous, as
baneful, as destructive as war; moth.
ing less worthy OF mankind (not to
mention the Christian) War
is worse than bestial; no wild beast is
as frightful as man is to man. Wild
animals fight with natural weapons
while We prepare for general slaughter |
with weapons which nature never |
knew. What tragedies are
enacted on the battlefield for the most
miserable pretc&ts! For the sake Of
one or another antiquated prejudice,
for a doubtful lust of land. .
Purely fiendish destruction is called
holy war. What is war but
murder and theft perpetrated by mass
es attacking other masses!"
Pierre Bayle in his Dictionnaire
considers Erasmus essay on war one
of the most beautiful ever written.
| Few rcalists have hated war as Vol
taire. Few have proved its absurditg
as he. He was probably the first to
point out that after a few years the
victor suffered as much as the van.
pushed.
Noltaire attacks preventative wars
whose motive is: You must take by
surprise and crush a neighbor who
has not attacked you but might have
done so. In other words, jeopardizc
your own land on the chance of ruin,
| ing another's."
| Noltaire has described the madness
and wildncss Of war, has painted its
horrors. pointed to the irony Of priests
blessing flags and banners. which al
ways implies killing a neighbor whom
according TO the gospel, one SHOULD
love. He asks: What has the churcl
done to stop such crimes? "Bourdc
loue preached against unchasity. bu
has he ever delivered a serman agains
the murder, robbery and universe
madness which is running the world
You pitiful guardians of souls" h,
cries, you argue about a pinprick an,
lift not your voices against the ours,
that Is tearing us into a thousanC
pieces"
In M!CromcEas he scourges man
desire to hurt his nCighbor by war IL
says: do you know that hundrc,
thousand creatures like myself witt
hats on their heads at the prcscn
moment are killing hundred thous
and other such animals because the,
wear turbans? Or are killed by them
(hllusian to Russia's war agains
Turkey in 1870.
How About JustIce7
What would he say today when
patriot like Roman ROLAND Is stamp