The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1918-02-14
VERY ordinary man can remem-
Der that during his boyhood there
NUM- mn Mini nnInA MON ArEAnh

- was pht 'ibul luihb ul''u Nhl'ii
he always insisted whenever he
was threatened with discipline for get
ting into Il fight lie began itl'
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 10 in
vestigute, punished him for lighting"
when he had been merely defending
himself. or course, sclf.dcfense does
not consist entirely of warding ges-
lures, for II it did IL could not defend.
A person attacked must either be
beaten or take his choice of running
away or of striking back and II the
assallant is the speedler, running away
is a mere pOstponement of being
beaten. But spectators OF q conflict
ESPECIALLY II they have not noted or
comprehended Its beginning) almost
always take u superior position of dis
gusted impartlality. "Brutes !" they
say. Fighting! They ought to be
ashamed of themselves I"
remember such a case. A boy
AtsNhu "a hhabNt ma pbh cbhA
tied ten-year-old, was returning alone
from an afternoons skating when q
sturdier, shorter boy the same age,
opposed his progress, and addressed
TO him the provocative formula, "Who
you lookin' at, you dern fool your"
My friend replied placatively that he
wasn't looking at anything, whereupon
the stranger demanded hotly: You
call me nothin', do your and, striking
him suddenly upon the mouth. snatched
his skates and turned to make away
with them.
Enter the Peseemaker.
My friend managed to trip the little
thief, however, and the latter, risin.,
struck out fiercely, whereupon n fight
OF some duration took place. II was
interrupted by al elderly pedestrian,
shocked and indignant. You scoun-
drels |" he said. "Fighting! 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
skatesl |" my friend cried. "Shame!'
was tuc EtsDbhSCs IL hbtN youA
fathers and mothers I'd see that you
were both whipped for fighting.
Shame"
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,
--avtl xAu T,-x.tn. 20 rat NJ him
again. you little beast! No, you don't
I'll teach you to stop fighting when I
tell you 10 I" Thereupon my friend
got the shaking Of his life, and, though
he tried throughout this martyrdom to
convince his shaker that he didn't
begin II" and that the other boy had
his SKATES, and was o running away
with them, he 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 a worse onel Go on home!
Get out Of this nelghborhoodl ] don't
want TO listen TO you'll"
So, bloody and dizzy, my friend went
oh llb "uss Nv NHt fldtlls ilhh Dlo-
ceeded, convinced that he had con
Quoted himself in a ann beneficial
TO public morals.
What Every Boy Understands
Now, as any boy understands that
the most important question about any
fight is "Who started III" so any boy
also understands that the question
next In order and next in Importance
is "Why did he start IT." Any 10y
understands that a just peace cannot
be made unless II takes these two
questions into vital accounts, and that
disciplinary measures not founded
upon them are arbitrary and unjust
and vicious. Amy boy understands
that a p~eacemaker or dlsciplinurian
who places both belligerents upon the
same plane IL not only unjust but, In
effect, stupidity partial TO the cause
Of the guilty belllgerent-for n bel
ligerent Is guilty.
When the war began in August,
1914. all those neutrals who wished 20
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 II and
why. At frst-as the sources Of infor-
nation were not Immediately at hand
there seemed room for argument,
though on the face OF things II 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
and that Russia had been working for
peace. Austria ed Germany were the
countries ihut declared war, and, of
course. until somebody did actually de
clare wal or actually make war there
was a chance Of peace.
What Documents Disclosed.
As soon as the diplomatic documents
were published we all saw-any per
son who could read was able to see
that Austria had been bent upon wal
with Serbia and hat Germany had
wanted Austria to make such a war
and, under a rather careless pretext o,
.wsshtnu IN nrosarva tho paaca ha<