Evening star., 1934-10-07

:.
EUROPE is already darkened by the
prospect of another great war, sim
ply and solely because there has been
pacifist reaction after the last great war.
In other words, simply because people
grew tired of discussing whether the
quarrel was just, or the settlement just.
and were content to say that all fight
ing was unjust, including their own. 1t
became questionable even to discuss
whether the cloud of war had originally
come out of Prussianized Germany; and
the cheerful consequence is that it is
now coming out of Prussianized Ger
many again. The only difference is that
the Germany is even more PrusSianized.
The Prussian,- naturally, likes this
game. 1t can be continued at the option
of the players, as the old text books said;
and there seems no reason why it should
ever stop He can attack anybody he
likes, Austria in 1884 or Belgium in 1914;
and when it is all finished people will
have forgotten how it began. If we have,
let us say, consistent and continuous
and clear headed dislike of militarism
we shall not have the smallest doubt
about which party in the European
quarrel steadily stands for militarism,
and is now even more militarist than
before But if we extend a looser con-
demnation-not to somebody who is
militarist, but to anybody who is mill
tant-we may find ourselves in the end
actually supporting what is illegitimately
militarist against what is legitimately
militant.
In other words, in times like these it
Is utterly hopeless to shift our criticism
here and there, according to whoever
was the last person who happened to
have fight, or to punish, or to assume
the old (and temporary dictatorship
Of the Romans. We shall never get out
Of the labyrinth until we follow the
thread backward to the beginning of the
story and judge it on theoretical prin-
ciples of justice. This is a long business;
but it will not be so long as the endless
succession of wars which will follow upon
a mere preference for peace.
I do not think it is necessary that there
should be a new war in Europe, though
great many English politicians and pub
icists do, who would call themselves
pacifist and call me anything from
romantic to murderous. 1t is a differ
ence of philosophy. I am not a fataliSt;
and all barbarians are fatalists; and
most fatalists are barbarians. believe
in freedom, and therefore in free will;
and I am sure that Christendom can
choose peace if it chooses But it can
not choose peace without Justice; it cam
not end a quarrel without asking how it
began. And, though many pacifst
philosophers seem to think So it is not
justice to say in sweeping manner that
everybody is equally unjust.
If Europe is settled it must be settled
upon some intelligent and Ineligible
principle of settlement; as, for example,
the American Civil War was settled on
the principle that the Union must be
preserved. There was great deal to be
said on the other side. myself am
among those who have occasionally said
it. But it could not be settled on vague
understanding that North and South
were equally right and equally wrong
and both utterly repulsive because they
had faced their foes in battle.
We are often told that there ought to
be United States of Europe, parallel to
the United States of America. We are
not always reminded how it came about
that there was not a Disunited States of
America. It came about because great
men like Lincoln and Lee at least agreed
that the States must be founded on one