Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-11-22
WHERE AMERICA MEETS
EUROPE.
BY DR.. Frank Crane

by Or. FRANK crane
President Harding, in a letter he wrote
to Miss Ella T. Freed, of Brooklyn, in reply
to her communication urging him to work
for complete disarmament, said that while
he was in favor of reasonable limitation of
ornaments" he feared that universal dis
armament is beyond the hope of realization
and even its desirability at this time might
well be questioned"
This is perfectly true.
That is to say, it is perfectly true that
with the conditions as they are, with the
world disorganized as it is at present, dis
armament is impossible.
But when the President adds that Chou
sands of years of history, recording the wars
and controversies of mankind, suggest that
human nature would have to undergo revo-
lutionary reorganization to make universal
disarmament possible he is, with all due
respect to his high office, emitting piffle.
AS it mas often been asserted the cause
Of wars is not human nature. 1t is not hui
L an nature for one population to go up and
slaughter neighboring population 1t is not
human nature for people to leave their fam
lilies and their business to go out and kill
each other.
If it be human nature, it is human nature
as assassination, theft and blasphemy are
human nature. That is to say, it is per-
verified and minor portion of human nature,
which it is the business of individuals and
of society to repress, to punish and correct
as much as possible, business the world has,
although imperfectly, succeeded 'measurably
in doing.
The cause of war is precisely the same as
the cause OF street fights. 1t is the lack of
police, which means the lack of government.
The reason why it is true that disarma-
ment is impracticable at the present time is
simply that the United States refused to join
the Allies at the close of the war in such
cooperative association of nations as would
render wars impossible.
So long as there are no courts in the city
to settle disputes between the citizens and
no policemen to enforce the judgments of
the court, just so Ions will the streets be full
J of brawling.
| And so long as there is no court in the
world to settle disputes between nations and
| no international constabulary to enforce the
DEGREES of that court, just so long will the
fields of earth be arenas. of carnage, and the
seas graves Of shattered fleets
| . So long as each citizen carries his own re-
volver sword bowie knife and wreaks his
private vengeance according to his own no
tons of justice, just long will the city be
a barbaric camp and not an ordered mart
| And just so long as each nation keeps up
| it's own army and navy ready to fight any
other nation; so long each individual ma
| ton refuses to acknowledge any canon OF
justice except it's own sense of honor; so long
4
gether and find some sort Of international
police, just so long will the insane rivalry
of national ornaments continue to play havoc
with the commerce of the world and pc
riodically to take its toll of humanity's first
born.
This is the plain, simple truth, the re-
morseless logic that some time or other we
shall have to acknowledge.
Scotsman was journeying on the top of a
London omnibus, when he was overjoyed at
seeing a shilling lying in the gutter below.
Of course, he Immediately alighted ran back
short distance, picked up the coin, and was
running to overtake the bus when he was &C
cidentaIly knocked down by another car. I'm
fortunately, he was killed, and at the inquest
which followed things looked very black for
the chauffeur of the car.
Then at length one witness mentioned that
the deceased was of Scottish nationality and
related the circumstances which led to the &C
cident. The proceedings then terminated
by generating the driver from all blame with
the verdict, death from natural causes"