Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-01-25
WAR AND ITS SONGS

| tdltOf honolulu Stdr-Builetin.
Sir: IL il. is not trespassing too
wu-h CI the expensive space in your
hler&l Periodical, you woula greatly
ehlige ne by publishing this commu-
nication with poem ATTACHED; but at
least give the light Of publication to
the poem. The refrain quoted there
in was published recently In the Ho-
noluiu Advertiser in letter dated
November 30. 1916, from Somewhere
in France. from Sgt. Jim Meek once
Of Honolulu, and now at the front
with the New Zealand eXpeditioaary
fierce. Tie wonder to me is how il
ever passed the censor--on whom the
writer said he had to keep a wary
eye as he wrote-indicating as II sure
| ~ does, the attitude of mind Of the
poor pawns ofshumanity. the soldiers,
in striking contrast with the lifting.
optimistic words and melody of Tip
erary," which they chanted so Saily
but few moons ago. And this l'oor.
sad little chant. laden with heartfelt
longing for home and peace is to me
prophetic of the beginning of the end
Of this insane carnival Of slaughter.
in this sad dirge of song see the
white dawn of peace, for the writer
says it is now the popular song in
| the trenches, and must it not have
sunk deeply into the hearts of the vast
majority Of the poor fighters for it to
| be received with such favor? The
| song to follow this-in natural order
will be one of rebellion, OF outraged
humanity, for already the poor fell
lows are beginning to see how they
are imposed upon by miserable illus
ions of Freedom, Glory and Honor"
Free! When they are the mere
slaves of the power in the bands of
| the wealthy, and cannot call their
lives even their own. Glory. Yes,
that of giving vent to and intensity
! ing their most savage instincts of de-
struction and murder, living the lives
| of madmen midst stenches and filth
and pain. And honor!-@that of saving
or adding to the property of their
lords and masters, How words are
twisted in meaning to serve the most
frightfur and selfish ends! Human
nature has surely been outraged
many times before. but never on such
scale as this, and be sure when the
war is over in all the nations now
fighting there will be talk and action
by the common masses of humanity
they who are as much gods in eni.
Fbryo as the scornful and arrogant
rich, as the emperors and kings, the
lords and the mobiles, with their over
awing-to the stupid and blind-em-
bellishments on their persons), and
from that a Encouragement of social
conditions little dreamed of by the
thoughtless masses. True, they are
not angels or saints, nor, in toto. gen.
erous or noble, but they-we-aTe
human, truly the Offspring of
the great cosmos, children of God as
religion teaches us, destined to evolve
to greater physical, mental and spir.
ituaI perfection, but held back in pro-
gression by those of the race who
should be their teachers and brothers
instead of oppressors. The central
teachings of Christ are still true. gar
bled though they are by the creeds,
and should and must ultimately be
followed, for all that is, has ever been
and must be again and again illimit-
ably what it has been. ~.
1t would take too much of your
space to dwell on this ponderous
thought at length, which cannot all
be grasped by reason alone; but the
present stern fact is, man must evolve
from his ignorance. and II is for man
to elevate man-those who are ad-
vanced to show their fellows the way,
and not enslaye them by their supe-
rior intelligence, as has been done
ioh fha =.
done. filling their minds with illus
ions in place of truths, till grown men
talk and reason like fools or children |
Conceitedness, on my part? Not a bit |
of 1t. ! am Just beginning to realize |
how ignorant | am, and in what mid
night Egyptian darkness most OF the !
people meet crawl around, thinking
they are awake, when they are but |
dreaming sleep walkers.
Man must be his own saviour: the |
teaching of Christ is true, indeed, true
that the kingdom of heaven is within |
him. though nine-tenths of US perhaps
put 1t somewhere just beyond the
stars, and we to be there smiling for |
ever, glorious beings, when if we
could but see ourselves truly we are
but one little step above canntbalism.
Chemistry proves to US that we can
destroy nothing, the form only
changes, so all that is-wonderous
mystery!-must ever have been, and
If man but knew he is as much God
as all else in the universe, a CLEAN of
light OF the Great All which always
was and ever will be.
So you can put that in your pipe
and smoke it and think It over. Yet,
it is not in a joking mood am. but
they will float in, because am Irish,
! suppose, no matter how troubled /
may be! Deep in my soul feel that
this great calamity of the nations
could not have been avoided. In fact
it has been so impressed upon me in