Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-07-22
War Is Obsolete


WAR Is Obsolete" is irrefu-
table, and your statement of
the case the most forceful
that has come to my atten-
ton. The bombs have made
the theory of national secu-
rity through the possession of
the most efficacious weapons
absurd.
But where do we go from
here? Perhaps another edi-
torial reviewing the worlds
past efforts to avoid war?
You might tell how the Car
thaginian wars were pre-
coded by a treaty supposed
to provide for the coexistence
of Carthage. and Rome. 1t
did not long defer war be-
tween them. For 1900 years
Christians have followed"
their Master who taught
forgiveness of enemies and
turning the other cheek when
attacked, but some of the
most brutal wars Of history
have been waged beneath the
sign of the cross.
Following World War a
disarmament conference &C
tually did some disarming,
and a treaty to outlaw war
was signed by every nation
capable Of starting one. And
then the world was plunged
into the most universal war
of all.
Is there no possible way
for civilization to avoid sui
eide? Or is it that all these
past efforts to abolish war
have proceeded on a wrong.
or at best an inadequate.
premise?
Biologically all life is COM
petitive and that character
istic has been an essential
element in the evolution Of
animal life. War is a form
of competition. Is there, per-
haps, some not yet verified
law of nature that makes
such competition inevitable?
If go, one may be striving in
vain to do away with war by
means based solely on good
will. Can it be that the only
way to avoid war is to find
an effective substitute for it?
None of the preventives
for war thus far tried has
made provision for any ma
jor adjustments of national
boundaries to keep pace with
the vicissitudes of history.
What the cause of peace
needs is not a program for
preserving the status quo
indefinitely, but a mocha
nism that will allow civiza-
ton to grow without recourse
to war.
The Soviet's attempts to
unite other nations with
themselves through propa-
ganda and the tanning Of
class strife within their
boundaries and our own eff
forts to coax some Of the
awakening countries towards
forms of economic and po-
litical life like ours through
economic aid may be steps
towards a new form of in
ternational contest that will
make wars not only obsolete
but unnecessary.
II seems unlikely that
there is any one interna-
tional device that can take
the place Of war as a means
Of deciding who shall rule
what areas of the earth.
Rather 1t seems plausible to
suppose that an intelligence
which could unlock the nu-
clei Of atoms should be able
to put together a formula
that would adjust the boun-
diaries Of nations more ra-
tionally than war. Such a
formula must contain an ele-
ment of real competition, a
provision for moving popu-
lations, that is emigration, a
means for transferring SOW
ereignty honorably. and some
plan for adjusting popula-
tions to territory when a ma
ton loses in the competition
between peoples. Freer COM
mercial competition. less re-
stricted immigration. trans
fer Of sovereignty by pur-
chase. and an encouragement
OF family planning when
living standards are falling
might solve some OF the
problems.
Let us attack the problem
Of peace as we have attacked
the problem of defense. with
courage and eagerness to try
new devices since the old
ones have failed US.
r. Chaplin Breckenridge.
-
II civil defense is ever to
become an accepted part Of
American life. Il will be