The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1928-08-31
TO END WAR
BY DR.. Fridtjof hansen

(The following is from the con-
Guiding part of the address. war
and Its Aftermath" delivered at the
celebration Of the One-hundredth
Anniversary of the American Peace
Society, on May 2, 1928. at Cleye-
land, Ohio. DIR. hansen, Norwegian
biologist and Artic explorer, author
of Farthest North, has been engaged
in relieving the sufferings Of mil
lions of war victims in Russia, Siber-
ia, and the Near East. He is usual
ly Norwegian representative in the
Assembly of the League Of Nations.)
We talk of the next war as
quite likely possibility. DO we
think of what it would really mean?
Even if the next war were like the
last, it might certainly wipe US out.
But. of course, the next war will not
be like the last. 1t will be incom-
parably worse. On that point every
expert is agreed. Vet in sipte Of
their warnings most of us, think,
fail to comprehend the real meaning
of their words. S.
We say, for example, that bonn
bardment of great cities from the
air is to be the chief weapon OF a
future war, but have you ever
thought what such bombardment
means? / will not try to describe
to you what would happen in city
like this or any Of the great cities OF
Europe il a thousand aeroplanes
dropped the bombs, the high explo-
sives, the incendiary and gas bombs
which they would carry for an aerial
attack. will only quote to you the
words of one OF the prominent gen.
erals, General Groves, who was at
the head of the British air forces in
1918, when air warfare was at its
height.
This is what he says: I'm the
first phase of the next war there is
little doubt that the belligerents will
resort to gas-bombs attack on a vast
scale. This form of attack upon
great cities, such as London and
Paris, might entail the loss OF mill
lions of lives in the course OF few
hours. All experts are agreed" he
adds, THAT it would be impossible
to devise means to protect the civil
population from this form OF = at
tack"
How, then, is it possible that
every man and women in every ma
ton do not stand up like one man in
passionate protest against this
shameful traffic in war possibilities?
For certainly we have the means
we need to remove the danger. We
need have no war unless we wish to-
It depends on~our own free will, ii
only we will think for ourselves.
Indeed as politics go it is compar-
atively easy to get rid of war. May
I suggest the policy by which 1t
could be done? Our governments
must throw themselves whole-heart-
eddy and without any reserve into
the policy of international coopera-
ton, into what may call for short
the policy of the League OF Nations,
into the policy for peace which has
been so well inaugurated by the
Government of this great country.
AS regards the League of Nations.
make no mistake. The League is
not an abstract idea in the clouds;
it is living thing; its institutions
are now an asessential part of the
machinery of the government of the
world.
If we can put behind the policy
for peace, behind the policy
for disarmament, behind all the pol
icies for which the League Of Ma
lions stands, the full weight of our
government power, we shall make
an end of war.
Mr.. Kellog's proposal for the out
lawry of war is most important
step in the right direction and gives
great hope for the future. I do
hope it will be accepted by all Euro
pean States and without reservation.
When accepted, this proposal will
mark an important milestone in the
history of mankind, the beginning OF
a new era in our work for peace.