The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1917-04-05
COST OF The GREAT EUROPEAN
WAR PLACED AT 66 BILLIONS
Almost the Equal of OneThd the Entire Wealth of the n,.
States Is Swallowed Up-May Reach oOo 600 bv
Next Year-Aong With This Loss of Substance
Goes FrghtfuI Loss of Life sE"t~-

opportunity, with redistribution of
Its land and wealth, which vested the
average French family with a power
or productiveness quite beyond any,
| thlng That had been dreamed of or
had Deen possible under the old regime
OF Dourbonism and feudalism.
III England gained in substance,
France improved in spirit. If England
was able to go about paying Off its
debts, France was able to increase
Its producing capacity so greatly that
the burden of It's debt was borne with
out difficulty and without Interfering
with vast and continuous enhance
ment Of the national wealth.
Is 1T possible that this experience
or Europe following the Napolconic
wars may be repeated after the pres
ent European struggle? For answer
to this question men with visions of
the failure have little difficulty finding
an Affirmative; and they Justify their
confidence by pointing out that this
war Is as truly war of emancipation
as were the struggles that began with
the French Revolution.
If the revolution wrenched France
and the continent generally away from
the institutions of political feudaIism
and spiritual repression, the present
war will, If its event be fortunate, lib
crate the world from the institutions
of political militarism and Industrial
/, feudnlism.
If the land Of France was democra-
tiZcd as to its ownership as Il result
of the revolution the Instruments Of
factory production, of transportation,
of finance, developed since the revo.
luton, will he socialized as a result
of the present struggle.
If the revolution brought not only
to France but to the rest of Europe Il
justcr distribution of political power,
the war of today will bring faircr
distribution of the products of the
worlds industry, n wider recognition
of mans rights in the pursuit CT lib
crty and happiness, great sharpen
ing of intelligence and widening of
educational opportunities.
Following the NnpGcOnic wars the
1. big dominating fact in the economic
development of the nineteenth century
was the rise of the factory system of
production and the development of
modern means Of transportation. Fol
lowing the present war 1t may conf
IDENTIFY be expected that there will he
! further and no less significant ad-
/ vnnCcs in the methods of production,
carrying to all the world the benefits
! of those big, highly organized and in
tenscly efficient units whose growth
has particularly marked the more re-
conf ipIuS & RI nl IN ha IIpitad
States and Germany.
American Republic Is Model.
In the direction Of nation building,
! of peopling and utilizing for the COM
mon benefit of men the unused places
OF the world, the master achievement
of the nineteenth century, was the
building of the American republic.
To the twentieth century's aspira-
tions in this same direction is re-
served the privilege Of making truly
great and modern nation out of the
tceming, essentially democratic mill
lions of Russia; of developing Africa
and South America ns the eighteenth
and nineteenth century developed
America; of building great European
communities In Australia, in South If
rica, in East Africa, in the Niger and
Congo basins and in North Africa OF
directing the Decentralization OF
China, with It's vast and capable pOpu-
lation and almost limtlcSs resources :;
of building group of great, power
full, efficient demncracicS on the
foundations that are already firmly
laid In the republics of South America.
L.,
mcnt will go an Industrial advance
whose measure and results must be
Judged by projecting into the future
p the gains of the last century. Your
industrial democratic thinkers point
out always that the rate of this ad-
vance Is constantly being accelerated.
Science is more and more coming to
the reinforcement Of invention. Pro.
ductive capacity is growing at pace
that moves with the expansion of in
tciligcncc, the Improvement of educa.
tional methods, and everywhere there
! Is inSlStcncc that educational systems
must, in the new era, be so improved
that the intellectual pOtentiality of
mankind shall be brought To bear upon
the problems of the race as never be.
fore.
Europe Bears Strain Well.
One of the marvclS of these times Ia
the fact that Europe is able to bear
the strain so wei. But tor Khaki
everywhere and girl bus drivers Lon.
don would look not particularly DIFF
fercnt from the London of normal
times. Everywhere one hears people
inQuiring with wODdcrmpnt and almost
awe, "Iiow does this people carry the
load with SO little evidence of
| strain?
Doubtless the answer will be found
In the fact that an appraisal of prop
erty accumulatiOns does not include
the value of the new days works"
that every "a hours brings to the
world.
The war Is being paid for In great
part day by day, month. by month.