Pueblo chieftain., 1921-12-14
By FREDERIC ]. HASKIN

Washington. d. c., Dec. 1.-THE rea-
son we have war is that there are
certain arrangements OF cells in the
brains of most men which cause them
to become excited and to want to fight
when bands play and bugles call and
patriotic speeches are made.
Peace will be possible only when, by
education the mind II the race has
been changed so that war. and all its
attendant sights and sounds. cause
different reaction in men and women:
This is the opinion Of George w.
Grille, a celebrated American surgeon
who took advantage of his service in
France during the war. to make
special study OF the effect OF war
upon human beings, and who publish
ed his conclusions in book called
"A Mechanistic View of War and
Peace"
Crilc's views arc o> special interest
just now. because the armament con-
ference. II 1t is doing nothing else. is
proving once more that whether wo
arc to have war or peace Is a ques-
ton which depends upon the average
man and not upon the governments
Governments arc war-making bodies
in the nature OF the case. The dis
armament conference was called. not
because the governments wanted peace
or believed 1t was possible. but because
public opinion demanded It. Now that
It Is gathered. the diplomats are husily
jockeying around for advantages In the
way of armament. Meanwhile the COM
mon man is fed his daily dose o,
platitudes about universal brotherhood
and the like.
MAN MUST FIGHT.
AS Grille points out. universal broth
crhood IL largely dream. Man Is a
fighting animal.
Grille is celebrated for his discovery
that emotions in man produce abso-
4. -. L.. l. IT, hi nd
the blood docs not return to normal
until those emotions have been dis
charged in action. wnensyou become
angry you feel pressing need for
action. II you cannot fight you VIII
stamp your foot. wave your arms. Kick
the cat. or do sometning else to re-
licve your feelings as you say. This
action which you crave is really
physical necessity. RI you were re-
pcatedly made angry and kept from all
action and expression OF your msoo
YOU would die OF acid in the blood.
for anger produces a definite dis
charge OF acid substances from your
liver, and other internal organs. All
OF this Grille and others have proved
beyond question.
What remains somewhat mysterious
Is why a given stimulus produces one
emotion in one man and another emo
tion in another man. Why does danger
make ono man want 20 fight ana an
other want to run? Why does n band
playing a patriotic air make most men
want to fight?
Grille assumes that there are certain
arrangements OF brain cells in cach
Individual which determine his reac-
tion to given stimulus. and that
these arrangements are dependent up
on both heredity and education. In a
word. your reaction to given stmu-
lus is partly determined when You are
L. 49,. 4. ,1.N sr..1 60
tent In tho course OF your life.
All men tend to react to many
stimuli with desire to fight and Dc
stroy. This Is inevitable because man.
throughout his history, has been fight-
ing FOR his very life. lie has fought
the forces OF nature. Tribes of mon
have fought with eacn other for sur
vivsl. and so have individual men.
Those who would not or could not fight
have perishcd and have left no off
spring. The best fighters have won
The most mates and left the most
descendants. Hence man is pre-
cminently n fighting animal and to
proceed on any other assumption Is
futile.
But man can fight In many diff
ferent ways. For example. individuals
used TO fight with each other physical
iy and destructively. Now there lis
comparatively little OF that In civilized
countries. individuals fight each other
in business and trade and in the arts
All of tho games they play. from
dominoes to football. are mock bat
ties. These things satisfy the fight
ing impulse without detroying the
race.
As men have progressed. larger
units of orya anization have given up
destructive fighting for competition
First families banded together, then
tribes, 'hcn email nations, and 'hon
large ones. II IL only among the
nations themselves that destructive
physical combat still persists. And it
becomes more destructive all the
time. As Grille points out. the worst
result of international war is that II Is
destroying the race. The World War,
with its ten millions of tho best
Young men slain. WAS the worst blow
that ever befcll the human race. And
vet we are now busi,y getting ready
eor another world war. which will he
'ar more destructive than the last.
nd which viii not spare America ns
he last one did. because America viii
the very center OF II.
Why does this maNdees go ore Why