The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-02-04
Civilization Will Die
II War Is Fought to
Bitter End -Brandes

| Of those countries read exactly alike
! OF course they are victims Of q
state of mind in which blind patrio.-
ism has devoured the love OF truth.
Noitairc on War.
II was not like that before once
upon n time thinkers and philoso-
pliers honored truth. Erasmus wrote d:
There is nothing as ridiculous. az
hancful as destructive as war; moth
ing less worthy Of mankind tnot to
mention the Christian) War IS
worse than bestjal. no wild beast Is
as frjEhtful as man is to man. Wild
animals fight with natural weapons
only, while We prepare for general
slaughter with weapons which nature
never knew What tragedies are
enacted on the battlefield for the most
miserable pveteXts' For the snke Of
one or another Anticipated prejudice
for "a doubtful lust OF land
Purely icudish destruction is called a
holy war. s"s What Is war but muir
der and theft perpetrated by masses
attacking other masses"
Pierre Bayle in his dictionnaire con-
sidcrs Erasmus essay on war one OF
the most beautiful ever written.
Few resliSts have hated war as
Foltaire. Few have proved Its alb
surdity as he He was probably the
frs 70 point out that after a few
years the victor suffered as much as
the ranquishe1
Neltatre attacks preventative wars
whose motive IS "NDg must take ny
surprise aud crush q nc.ehhor who
has not attacked Vow but who might
have done so. In other words,
5eors-dizn your own land on the
chance Of running another's"
Eeitalre has described the madness
ami witness Of war, has painted SIS
horrors pointed to the irony OF
priests blessing flags and banners,
which always implies Killing neigh
pne should love. He asks; What has
the church done to stop such crimes?
"pa#rdaloue preached against TN
chastity. but has he ever delivered a
sermon against the murder robbery
and universal madness which Is ruin
INT TIDE world? YOU pi;!fai guardians
81, souls ne cries, YOU argue ahu4t
"a - rpEtck and M not your voices
against the curse tina, IS tearing as
ato thousand pieces
In Hlcromega& he scourFes mans
5esire to hurt his ne.ghbor - wa.
He says Do you know that q har-
3rej thousand creatures Ike rGyse4s
with hats on their heads ar the pres
ent moment are killing a hundred
thousand other such animals because
they wear furnanz2 Or are KILLED v
them p" sAluAon 10 Russia var
agaias- Turkey in 1879
How About Justioe?
what would he say today whs~ a
patriot Ike Roman Roland
stamped as q traitor 70 lis country
because Re admitted he st3.f hss
friends among the GeEU4an people
know very we'll what you 3ea- bel
Iigerent authors VII reply 10 the QUO
fat]ors from Erasmus Bay.e and T5,-
taira on var in general
You say. But Justice What caa
humanity gain by allowing i 70 BE-
trod upon Is life worth living with
out it9'' Alas dear writers, justice =
a heavenly goddess But sire wears
AZ you know. hand across her eres
Among the eminent English critics
william archer. who has most at
tackled me. understands oar language
He Is, therefore. doub'lessly IA
rniliar with cur famous poet Vessels
clever little satire. The smith and
the Baker" which corresponds to
The Poltsh-Jewtsh story Of the Shoe
maker from Klikow Il steals with
E young able bodied blacksmith Cine
only ous 81 the village. who In 81
~ pass m committed murder and
zta. according 70 THE law as con
sge1 ~ ncr'als. fhoal6 ne hun
,E.@ts.ar -Four or Eve - h.s tellos-
e'.ze1s 1seyr@8e !r his behalf how
eEas TIE Judge obsec-s
<1oas3eer desr str1. that = 'i.e
has aeen taken. Il must be redeer7e
~ a-a*her i.fe"
Tne spokesrlan for ire group o. fei-
LIENS replies:
We have In our Village a feeh
eaze~ y 10 Will al al events b. dea;
sy1c D. carried off May we no. nan
th@ c5a baker instead Of ta4 yo4H.
-sef- ea.!'a2 justice: would lear
ar~ eysrr, since a life wouid pa.
~ 80 3et.e afe that has been taken
IRE Judge rejects and then hnaUy
agrees
T~% e gays n the Boo eye Tor
e5@--ssf@ tnr TIE. 4 life haa been