Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1917-11-25
(BY BOOTH TARKINGTON)

one vital point upon which he always
insisted whenever he was threatened
with discipline for getting into fight:
"He began TT"
Boys realize that justice rests upon
the question, Who was the assailant?
And almost every boy has more than
once suffered under the sting of an
adult injustice which, declining to in
vestisate, punished him for fighting
when he had been merely defending
himself. or course, self-defense does
not consist entirely of warding ges-
lures, for If 1t did it could not defend.
A person attacked must either be
beaten or take his choice of running
away or of striking back; and if the
assailant is the speedier, running away
is a mere postponement of being beat
en-. But spectators of a conflict
ESPECIALLY if they have not noted or
comprehended its beginning) almost
always take superior position of dis
gusted impartiality. "Brutesl" they
say. Fighting, They ought to be
ashamed of themselvesi"
remember such a case. A boy
friend OF mine, an awkward but spir-
tied 10-year-old, was returning alone
from an afternoons skating when a
sturdier, shorter boy the same age
opposed his progress, and addressed
TO him the provocation formula who
you lookin' at, you dern fool you?"
My friend replied placatively that he
wasn't looking at anything. whereupon
the stranger demanded holly: You
call ne nothin', do your" and, striking
him suddenly upon the mouth, snatch
ed his skates and turned to make away
with them.
Called Him Beast.
My friend managed to trip the little
thief, however, and the latter, rising,
struck out fiercely, whereupon fight
OF some duration took place. was
interrupted by an elderly pedestrian,
shocked and indignant You scoun-
drels," he said. "Fightingi Stop it,"
Then for emphasis he struck my friend
a sharp blow across the face with an
umbrella, and forced his way between
the. combatants But he's got my
skatesi" my friend cried. "Shame,"
was the response. 'f l knew your
fathers and mothers I'd see that you
were both whipped for fighting
Shamei"
My friend tried desperately to dodge
round the peacemaker. hoping to re-
cover his skates from the other boy,
but he failed, for the elderly man
seized him by the collar. You would,
would you? Trying to get at him
again, you little beasti No. you don't,
I'll teach you to stop fighting when
tell you to-" Thereupon my friend
got the shaking of his life and, though
he tried throughout this martyrdom 20
convince his shaker that he didn't
begin it." and that the other boy had
his skates, and was now running away
with them, ne was unsuccessful in re-
moving the impression that all bellig-
erents are wicked. "Therei" said the
elderly man, releasing him at last;
"let me catch you fighting again and
I'll give you worse onei Go on home!
Get out of this neighborhood! l don't
want to listen to you!"
Only One Guilty.
So, bloody and dizzy, my friend went
on his way. and the elderly man pro.
ceeded, convinced that he had con-
Quoted himself in a manner beneficial
to public morals.
Now, as any boy understands that
the most important question about any
fight is "Who started it?" so any boy
also understands that the question next
in order and next in Importance is
'fWhy did he start it?" ANY boy
understands that just peace can not
be made unless it takes these two
disciplinary measures not founded
upon them are arbitrary and unjust
and vicious. Any boy understands
that a peacemaker, or disciplinarian
vino places both belligerents upon the
same plane is not only unjust but, in
effect, stupidity partial to the cause
OF the guilty belligerent-for one bel
ligerent is guilty.
Boys Understand.
People who do not understand these
fundamental matters are not so wise
as boys; and every man has but to
turn back in memory TO his boyhood
to know that the important questions
in regard to any fight are "Who
started it?" and "Why?"
When the war begun in August.
1914, all those neutrals who wished 10
understand the right and wrong Of
the matter. that their opinions might
not be unjust, began to seek every
source of information which might
help them to learn who started it and
why. At first-as the sources of infor-
nation were not Immediately at hand
there seemed room for argument,
though on the face of things it was
apparent that Austria first declared
a war upon Serbia and Germany then
declared war upon Russia and France.
We saw plainly that Serbia had been
begging and squirming to avoid war