Evening star., 1927-07-13

, of progress is not necessary. That.
| | repeat. is the very essence of
civilization.
Is it not possible that our sub
stitution and Increasingly delicate
mechanism of civilization are grad
ually not only making war unneces-
sary. but inefficient for purposes of
progress.
l can not say that time has come.
Such changes come about gradually.
1t is clear. however. at some time in
the future wars will he vestiges of
useful phenomena-just as are the
appendices and extraordinary acquis-
i'iveness and vengeance Of primeval
man.
There is no space in this article for
a long discussion. So let us cut cor
ners and let us reduce to the absurd"
by going back to the primeval unit of
the human race, the first family
group. and compare it with the race
of today. The primeval unit was en-
trely self-sustaining and affection did
not extend beyond the family unit.
Between units the rule was implacable
vengeance. ambush and combat.
Changes Have Come.
The ages have effected great
changes. The units have formed big.
ger and bigger combinations until
finally nations have been formed The
rule now is peace and combat Is the
exception. Friendship is the rule,
hatred the exception. Friendship has
spread from nation to nation.
The primeval unit being entirely
self.sustaining could be entirely wiped
out without affecting a nearby unit.
In fact, it meant something beneficial,
Oh IN
to feed on the hunting grounds. There
were no specialists within the unit.
The tribes in prehistoric France did
not even know of the existence of the
tribes in America.
Today not only are nations made up
of specialists, farmers, lawyers and
doctors who depend on each other,
but nations have become specialists
among nations, depending somewhat
one upon the other.
War Affected All.
There were few homes in America
not affected somehow by the last war
and hardly home in France or Eng.
land which did not suffer. Even the
non-combatant nations were affected
one way or another. When Hannibal
waged war against Rome, Egypt did
not suffer. but during our civil war
there were bread riots in England.
More and more delicate and inter.
woven and interdependent have be-
come the mechanism of civilization,
and it will become more and more so
in the future. The time will come
when a great war would entirely jar
to pieces this mechanism.
There was poor transportation in
primeval days. no friendship, no inter
dependence, no communication be-
tween primeval man. Today trans.
portation is getting quicker, inter
course is getting easier day by day,
and friendship is getting closer and
closer.
A scientific analysis OF the effect on
progress Of war and peace will show
that man can eventually make a sub
stitution for war; that the time is ripe
for the nations of the world to make
combinations for peace rather than
combinations for war.
Small things, pin pricks, do not
count when compared with the deeper
currents of good WILL I am not a
sentimentalist about this thing. Good
will happens simply to he more eff.
cient for the progress of the race than
enmity.
Copyright. 1927. in the United States
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