Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-12

EFT US assume that a great number of
people in the world want peace--perma.
nent world peace. We have to assume
- this because there is no way of proving
it. and it is open to very considerable doubt
But it is prevalent habit to assert as much
If it is true, then there is amazingly little
effort to realize this aspiration. Those people
who want permanent world peace carry their
TO- aggressiveness too far. Nowhere in the world
do l find any evidence of a real strenuous
effort to establish the peace of the world on
sure foundations. Nowhere do 1 find really
clear-hcaded resolute efforts, on a scale COM
mensurate to the task, to restrain the processes
that will inevitably develop into warfare in the
not very far remote future.
Many readers will no doubt rebel against this
statement. They will point to the League of
Nations, League of Nations unions and So
ceties innumerable declarations by prominent
people, No More War organizations and so
forth and
admit a prevalent sentmentality in the
matter. even believe that if the peace
of the world could be secured forever by
show of hands there would be a considerable
majority in its favor. / am convinced too that
wars in the future. even at the outset will not
be undertaken with the gusto with which we
all set about the great war, But if a man has
an idiot incendiary in his house it is no good
for him to go about saying mo more fire"
unless he has the matches locked up the fires
guarded and the idiot watched
Since 1914, in spite of vast volumes of pious
intention, hardly anything OF practical value
mas been done to prevent future wars.
Peace talk bores many people. And it is
interesting to note that it bores them. Among
the hundreds Of thousands who will glance over
TINS article there are thousands, especially
among the younger contingent, who will prob.
ably be killed or MANNED in war. The present
reader has fairly good chance of having some
of his face blown out at the back of his head
c1on6 10 AJt,>N@
dispersed rather painfully, some such sur.
prising experience-t always seems to surprise
tnem-by one Of the missiles that will be 1vinp
about in great abundance when the next febt
ing Is under way.
1t is touching manifestation of. the care
less bravery Of our race that this probability
does not seem to move them to any appre.
ciable effort to prevent wars. Until 1t happens.
they seem rather to enjoy the prospect Of COM
mand; after it has appeared their opinion loses
all weight in the matter
Still more Of my readers will be abused or i'm.
poverished and wasted by the coming war, but
they never seem to think they will draw blank
numbers until they get them, and after they
have got them, like the fox that lost its tail,
the common reaction seems to be a more
less conscious desire to the experience
spread to those still intact.
And for most women and girls war is as good
richly sentimental film that moves them
to tears. While it converts great multitudes
OF men into a muddy mixture Of rags of filth
and uniform, it greatly enhances the economic
Importance of women and their value as nurses,
war wives and the inspirers of heroic sacrifice.
The main disapproval of war is outward
and visible gentleness that is entirely COM
patible with very considerable readiness to