Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-02-03
WARL|KE TRIBES
SOURCE OF TERROR
Harvey O'Higgins Writes of the
Many Good Features That
War Will Bring About.
DEsPIsE MILITARY VIRTUES
Whirl With Noted Traveller
Through China and
India.
ny HARVEY oJIIGGINs.

ny HARVEY O'JfJGG1SS.
| (From the Committee on Public 1nfor-
| mation.)
| $50 far" wrote William James. war
has been the only force that can dis
| cipline a whole community" And in
| your textbook on social psychology
you have read william McDougalrs
testimony:
''Ag one travels up any OF the larger
| rivers of Borneo one meets with tribes
that are SUCCESSFULLY more warlike. In
| the coast regions are peaceful COM
munities which never fight save in
self-defense, and then with but poor
| success. while in tho central regions.
where the rivers take their RISE are
a number Of extremely warlike tribes,
whose raids have been constant
source OF terror to the communities
| settled in the lower reaches OF the
rivers. And between those tribes at
the center and those in the coast re-
rions are others that serve as buffer
between them, being decidedly more
bellicoee than the latter. but less SO
than the former. 1t might be supposed
that the peaceful coastwise people
would be found to be superior in moral
qualities TO their warlikc neighbors
but the contrary is the case.
I'm Almost all respects the advan-
tagc lies with the warlike tribes.
Their homes ore better built, larger
| and cleaner; their domestic morality
is superior: they are physically strong
CT. are Drawer and physically and
mentally more active, and. in general,
are more trustworthy. But, above all,
their social organization is hrmer and
more efficient. because their respect
for and obedience to their chief and
their loyalty to their community are
much greater; each man Identifies
himself with the whole community
and accepts and Loyalty performs the
social duties laid upon him. And the
moderately warlike tribes occupying
the intermediate region stand midway
between them and the people of the
coast as regards these moral quail
ties"
CHINA AND INDIA HAVE
NO TASTE FOR WAR
| Similarly in China and India, Nc
Dousan goes on to say the people are
patient and long suffering. have no
| taste for war and despise the military
virtues. At tho same time they seem
TO be deficient in those social qualities
which may be summed up In the one
are the cement Of societies and essen
tial factors of their progressive inte-
grafton" In other words, war can be-
among savage peoples. powerful
civilizer. Among the most peaceful
races the absence of a warlike spirit
makes a fabby social system And
though we have been SO reluctant to
enter this conflict with Germany. and
though we seek no territory, no i'm
perial power and no commercial ad-
vantage, but aim only to defeat a mill
tary autocracy that is an old enemy
OF peace. still it Is already evident
from the new tono OF our public life
that such social psychologists as James
and McDougall have not been wrong
The war is bringing us a private gain
that we had not counted on.
In our recent struggle for the new
freedom Of which President Wilson
wrote, the great obstacle to political
and economic reform has been our lack
Of social conscientiousness. We were
apathetic We were self-seeking. We
felt no moral obligation Of patriotism
in doing our political duties, no sense
OF responsibility for the welfare OF our
fellow-citizens. 1t was said OF the ma
lions affairs. What is eyerybody,s
business is nobody's business" And it
was true. The country was hopelessly
divided into class antagonisms sec
tional quarrels, individual ambitions
exploiters and exploited, oppressors
and oppressed
MEN CALLED UPON TO
DIE FOR THEIR COUNTRY
Suddenly in a few months the war
has done what all the political preach
ing and reform crusading of a decade
had hardly begun to do. Men who
could not be bothered to vote for their
country find themselves called upon to
die for 1t. Warning classes that saw
In political power nothing but an OPP
portunity to pursue their enmities have
In moment realized that they must
ally their strengths in a common self
defense or both may perish. A nation
that scarcely seemed to exist as a ma
ton has come miraculously into being
What was nobody's business is now
everybody's business. and everybody is
attending to it. Tho war has acted to
harden the cement OF society. The ma
ton has integrated
MEN FIGHTING NOW WILL
NEVER BE INDIFFERENT
And it is uncomfortable that tho old
laxness and social irresponsibility can
ever return. The national isolation
that made these possible has passed
forever. The oceans no longer separate
US from Europe and Asia. The SUBJ
marine and the flying squad have be-
leaguered us as they have beleaeuered
England. Whether we wish it or not.
we are now a partner In affairs of the
whole world, compelled to help pre-
serve the peace OF civilization against
the backward and predatory and bar
barous races.
After the threat of war. the emuls.
ton of peace. The million men who g.,
now to repel that threat Will never
return to the indifference from which
they have been aroused. The citizen
who has been called upon to die for
his country will come back with a
proper sense that he must live for It
and live to make it worth dying for.
Continued on Seventh Page.l