Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-06-30
SACRIFICE, VICTORY, PEACE

OF all those who in August, 1914. ventured to
prophesy concerning the length of the war then breaking
out, Lord Kitchener was the only one who hit the head
of the nail, for he said that the war would last five years;
as things turned out, he was correct if we reckon that
the actual beginning of the war dates from June 20. that
year, when the Austrian crown prince was murdered.
While it may have been comparatively easy for a
man who had the specialized military and diplomatic
knowledge of Kitchener of Khartoum to indulge safely
in guessing, no one is. in a position to calculate the SUI
fering and the sacrifice necessitated by the world war.
You can compile statistics-hgure out exactly how many
men were killed, how many wounded and MANNED. and
no one can estimate or perceive exactly what the anguish
and the mental suffering amount to. This will forever
remain an unwritten chapter in the greatest tragedy of
the world. and even at the time when victory and peace
are accomplished facts, thousands Of Borrowing survivors
will find it impossible to enter wholeheartedly into the
spirit of the world celebration. Their hearts have been
wounded, have, indeed been lacerated. and however
comforting the words of consolation and pride are, the
torture cannot be forgotten.
In this country, and in all the countries which fought
under the victorious banners the predominant feeling
today is joy because that which was intended as the
ultimate goal of the most intensified efforts, has been
successfully accomplished. Victory has been won-and
what that means is even now difficult to realize COM
pleLely. MOI only nave naCIOnS gone QOWn IN the heaps
of ashes, but great principles which hindered the prog
ress Of mankind have been destroyed efectually. No
more will autocracy rear its monster head among nations;
no more will the principle that might is right be asserted
and no more will the rapacity of selfish governments be
permitted to plunge the world into catastrophes which
ruin the happiness of generations. Victory has been
won, and the victory is complete. Nothing is lacking, and
we shall see in the future more clearly than perhaps
now how sweeping the triumph is.
But although we rejoice for the sake Of the victory
we helped win, the deeper gratitude is due to the fact
have not known what peace was. Its blessings had al
most been forgotten. and now when it comes back Joy
surges unrestrainedly through our veins. Humanity's de-.
sire is that peace reign--war is an unnatural condition
and the present generation is now for the first time in a
position to truly appreciate the inestimable worth OF
peace. Prior to 1914 we had peace and did not fully
perceive how blissful it was. Only when the war clouds
broke upon the world, we understood, and the day wal
came to America, we realized completely that whatever
else may be said about it. it was our duty to respond
to the call because Of the manner in which it had come
In the moment Of triumph and enthusiastic JOY we
must not forget that peace while it is still young places
dous Importance. They have to be solved. and they viii
be solved il for no other reason, then for the mere sake
Of self maintenance. Danger, are still lurking, for a pc
Rod Of transition is always a peculiarly dincult one t.
pass through. -
But when we stop to reflect how successfully ".
emerged from the crucial test Of the war, we need no
fear that our solution of the problem Of peace sha1lA1
less satisfactory.