The Washington herald., 1921-07-19

only gain that in the least measure can be
held to compensate for its horrors andlosses,
is the changed attitude OF the people of all nations
toward war. This change has not yet reached gov
ernments, but it has grpped the people, and has
reached governments, far and to the degree
tbeIe is public opinion with freedom of express
,,siss
> But with all peoples everywhere, there is
deep-rooted resolve that 'the to end wars"
must indeed end them. There must be no more
wars" has come into the resolve of men and won-
zen much They shall not pass" possessed the
army of France at Nerdun. 1t is rooted beyond
destruction 1t will. take time to branch and bios
SOM and fruit. 1t is Of the greatest significance,
however, that all through Germany. the people,
just the plain folks, organizing strongly that
Germany will not again go to war There is no
question as to the sentiment in this country, in
Great Britain and also France, where public opin-
ion more quickly controls government.
: This same determination lessons only in the
degree of the effective organization OF the popular
will but the Wilt is there and in itself is forcing
more Of democracy into governments The least
amenable to this of all governments is that of
Japan, vet even there, where militarism has al
ways controlled where the army and navy depart
mcn,s are independent of and cannot be bound
by the department OF foreign affairs other gov
eminent divisions, public opinion is for the first
4 time becoming effective.
AS direct result is the trip of the Crown
Prince the first heir to the throne to go outside
Japan, and the first to take the hand OF other
than royalty. His mission is largely to absorb
into himself the spirit OF Western governments to
60 to school, to learn of liberalism, more OF
idemocracy Within the week the Emperor HIM
self, broke another precedent held almost sacred
He drove through the streets Of Toxic in an auto
mobile with no other guard than the police Hith-
crto, his going and coming had the nature of a
religious rite At the same tirue the people of ia
ipan are making their opinions heard and de-
manding, not timidly insinuating.
49, AL of this means just thing: That the
.peopsc Of this world for the first time in its his
HoFy ssare thinking and feeling in terms of peace
Heretofore from the very dawn OF history, they
have always thought only in terms Of war War,
as it were, was the natural state. Only as far
hack as the Middle Ages, every man was soldier
The fundamental obligation to the overload was
yfhat=of soldier. They all trained to war
War was the accepted condition, peace was rather
,the exception, the unexpected. Indeed up to 1914
1T was common to hear men, ministers OF the
Christian church, maintain that there must be war;
,that war was not only inevitable, but ennobling
that a people grew strong through war and the
world wa. better because OF This thesis has
mot survived. 1t has gone down in the mselstrom
1t has taken twenty centuries for the Chris
tian world to accept the basic teaching of Christ
that the natural State OF is peace that fear is
unnatural and hate un-Christian. But the roots
which are the very roots OF Christianity, have
finally sunk into the hearts OF men, and the rule OF
the people which is the rule of peace, is coming
il is coming because the great masses everywhere
are thinking peace believing peace; they will soon
know peace and "the war to end wars" will cease
to be but phrase.