Evening star., 1925-09-20
BY DAVID STARR JORDAN,
Chancellor Emeritus of Leland Stan
ford University.


ford University.
Jacques Novicow, the distinguished
professor of history in the University
of Odessa, used to maintain that one
of the chief causes of war was to be
found in Saint Routine" Routine de-
cIares at all times that 'it has always
been so and so 1t must always re-
main." We must have a big navy
for protection to our commerce. we
must have a big army to keep on
our jealous neighbors. We must
always maintain the tradition or
wicked neighbors We must teach
our children to hate them, and Rou-
tine demands that some particular
neighbor must be at all times kept
to the front for the people to hate.
We must keep our young men under
martial discipline for two or three
years at least. lest they have time to
think about what Routine Is demand
ing of their lives. Then, in turn.
having, Routine fashion, peopled land
and sea with enemies. Routine de-
mands that we fight some of them
from time to time, lest our martial
spirit fade away, even as our great
ships and great cannon soon rust II
not used They are made for killing,
and they will not willingly continue to
shoot at mark unless it wiggles
when it is hit"
Saint Routine, who dominates the
countries of Europe and has her
grasp on America, asks no questions
as to the need of what she calls de
fense" and security" The true
meaning of both is expenditure
Neither does she count the cost,
which, as stated in "Johnsons Law of
National Waste" "in every expanding
nation consumes all the fruits Of
progress"
Always With Us.
The enemy is always with us.
whether existing or not, and to be
victorious over somebody is the only
avowed object of Routine The
enemy has some time or other Offend
ed the national honor. This may be
accomplished by an impudent state
paper. or by an unpaid debt, or a
grievance of some ill-treated exploiter,
or a failure to salute our nag. with
"a chip on our shoulder" and our
hat in the ring" we may trust Saint
Routine for the rest. Wherever we
NAV raise our flag-and we are not
oyerparticular on whose premises 1t
Is eieyated-Saint Routine demands
that we shall never haul down.
The rockets red glare will show 1t
still there, whatever the complaints
of those whose flag Is dispossessed.
Saint Routine presided over the
treaty. of Versailles as over the other
which came out OF Paris.
II presided in like fashion, in earlier
wears. over the treaties of Berlin,
Vienna. Frankfort, London and Brest-
I,ttoysk, 1t is the regular way. The
greatest crime a nation can commit Is
to be beaten in war, and to wran-
cling coalition Routine assigns the
spoils. And every crime Of victor or
vanouished is pardoned IL 'they are
ALI doing it''-that Is. II prescribed
by Saint Routine.
It is natural that half-scared ma
tions should wish to be ready for
emergencies, even II the emergencies
are Of their own creating. To demand
AN army and navy Is natural, and
once established these are the choice
preserves of Saint Routine. Whatever
their expansion, they cannot be re-
duced. II they are well organized,
Routine demands that they remain SO.
Whatever it's status, every organiza-
tion strives to extend it's influence,
its power and, alas, its expenses.
Hence half the income OF solvent ma
tfons, and sometimes twice the income
of others, goes through Routine to
army and navy. In our greatest of
nations' out of every hundred dollars
exacted from the people $3.50 goes
today for current military expenses,
$5074 for past expenses, interest, PEN