The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1919-08-14
rs THE WAR OVERT
BY Professor Levant Dodge

war, so called, terminated last No
vember, when the armislice was
signed. Others that il is now end
ed, but that it did not come 10 a
conclusion until the terms Of peace
were agreed upon by the High
Commissioners Of the various pow
ers, at Versailles, France, in June
following. We may pause for a
moment to make the inquiry: Is the
war concluded yet?
Some one has made the state
ment in public that no less than p
wars are now in progress. Europe
still presents much the appearance
of an armed camp. Two strong
forces, with organized governments
behind them, are struggling for the
mastery in Russia. At least one of
these is hostile to the forces of the
Allies still remaining in that cOun-
try, and the shedding of blood be e
tween these is no rare occurrence.
Troops Of other so-called govern
ments. representing various locali-
ties in Russia, are striving to Sc
cure local independence. Buda-
pest the capital Of Hungary, which
the combined Allied forces fell
many miles short of reaching has
been taken by the Rumanians sim
gle-handed. Certainly the war is
not over with in that country.
Frequent collisions have taken
place between the soldiers .Of Italy
and those Of JugO-Slavia, the result
of their contention for possession
of the eastern coast of the Adriatic
Sea. Poland is really fighting for
lis independence, and to retain the
territory allotted to that nation by
the Council at Versailles. They
have occasion TO bear arms against
the Germans on the one side. and
the Ukranians upon their opposite
border. The cases just cited are
only samples, though especially
prominent ones, Of the unrest still
existing and % the hostiIities which
still are being waged.
In our most optimistic moments
we have been led to hope that the
settlement of the great war waged
during the last four or five years
would bring an assured and per-
manent peace to the whole world.
Having entertained such bright
hopes for the future, are we justi-
fled in expecting that the settle
ment of the national difficulties
above mentioned, and others of
similar nature, will bring such
peace as a permanent boon to man
kind? Some will answer in the af-
lirmative, providing only that the
proposed League of Nations be-
comes an established fact. OF
course such a League, according to
the thought of the trainers, will not
be a reality unless the draft form
ulated at Versailles be ratified by
all the Powers involved. Should il
be thus ratified, not nearly all the
people of the world would be
bound by its terms, and it more
properly would be styled a League
Of Nations than the League of Ma
tons. Until the world is so far
advanced, Intellectually and NOR
ally, as that all the nations of the
world are willing to unite in a COM
blnatiOn to secure permanent
peace, we cannot have full assur-
ance that the time has come when
it is safe to beat all our swords
into ploughshares and our spears
into pruning hooks
The very fact of the existence of
league Of nations indicates that
the parties so combined have either
an offensive or a defensive purpose
in view. Ii at once suggests the
idea of war. The leagues of the
past have been bellicOse in their
nature and design. The League of
Nations, as now proposed, has va
rious stV llatiOns which recognize
the pro- ability of wars to come. II
is no. presumptuous to predict that,
evcI in the case of its general rat
ifIcatiOn, there will be wars in the
future and even the league itself
may have to fight for its own ex-
istence. We are not justified in
hoping that no occasion will ever
arise when some parties TO the
League will feel so aggrieved by
conditions then existing as that
they will withdraw from it. When
Withdrawals begin only Omnis-
cience can say when and where
they will end The writer of this
article has no pessimistic tenden-
cies. He yields to none in believing
that what is right and for the
highest interests of all living in