The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-02-04
IF WOMEN HATE WAR
THEY CAN PREVENT IT
nv IDA TARBELL

Is it true that women hate wary
Or is that one of those human fic-
tons that are accepted because so
often repeated?
She should hate it. War destroys
the very reason for her being-her
child. 1t breaks down the center
which she creates for the care of this
child But through all the ages
women have sacrificed sons and
homes to the god of war--and they
have called their sacrifices glorious
When the god OF war came they re-
joiced in his trappings. his music, his
uniform. And after he had passed on
they have done more to keep alive
the hatreds that brought him into
the field than man himself.
II the avowed hatred of women
for war is to be more than barren
emotion, her attack must take on
new and more practical forms. She
cannot end war by passing resolu-
tons organizing peace societies, put
ting up posters-she must get down
to cases. No war without its cause.
Disputes, misunderstandings con-
flicting interests, world old preju-
dices, fanaticism, jealousy, greed
these are the seeds of war.
II woman means it when she says
that she hates war, she has first
? imperative duty, and that is, to see
to it that these things are watched
and uprooted as they raise their ugly
heads. She must do her part in find
ing way to effectively reach them
as she would reach the same kind
of thing in the group where she pre-
nfdaa Te Garinnq AnnlIRh IN
her campaign against war to make
the sacrifice of partisanship, OF
dogma, of her national prejudices
and traditions. and help build up an
international machinery which is al
ways-not internationally but always
ON the job of watching the sprout-
ing of the seeds that make for war
between nations-a machinery which
cried aloud when dispute arises and
runs to its settlement as one would
run to extinguish a blaze that shows
itself in a house or block.
What this means is the realization
of a dream as old as mana union
of nations to handle their inter-
related affairs-a league. an assCcia-
ton of nations, call it what you Will.
But that is not enough. No ma
chinery functions unless 1t has the
will to function. And it Is the crea-
a prime concern of women. How are
men and women in this world to be
so disciplined that they will desire
the peaceful rather than the warlike
settlement? Can we build up COM
mon sense, patience, good will in hui
man beings to the point where they
will instinctively insist that the in
ternational machinery which they
have created can and must function
for peace? Can we build UP faith suf-
ficient in this international machin-
cry to prevent the people of ma
ton which believes 1t has complaint
against another nation taking pun
ishment or vengeance into its own
hands? There is the crux of your
problem-to bring nations to- a point
where they will not, and. will not de-
sire to play the white cap"
Faith in the ability of man to rule
himself. real not an emotional pref
erence for peace to war, and an inter-
national machinery through which
this faith and preference may Cper-
ate-these alone will make effective
that hate of war which in times of
peace woman loudly asserts. Her con-
tribution to these are the touchstones
by which it will be proved whether
she means it or not when she cried,
Down with war"
Copyright. 1929, wCmen's News
Service, Inc. Released exclusively
through the North American News
paper Alliance for The Age-Herald.)