The Gavelyte, February 1912

• I (111 t,\ II II • ll " ]. I \Ill fl 1 I I I \ , ,111 id,·1 the \\l>1ld 1111111 •n t, d,I\. \\' c that it has irlv,111 1·d in v ry r J lt..l. l,n ,ti p111g1' 111 1111 de, 11 s ie11 l', Ill< r ·• ·eel f,u iii ti s (or inter 11m– n11111i .1tiP11, 11 i11111ph nf ,, ri,,J ,rn,! 11bm,n111 navig,,tion, h,,vc ,1ccompli hed ,,h,1t 1\,1 · ,111L(' th,,11ght impn ·,hit, Sl·lt1sl111c sh, shad it h,111t f11l df · 'l on the 1m,1 i11,1tio11 ,,[ the multit11dc, th' c,dl 111 i11spi1,1Liun, and the thrill of nr.1t,.ny. Although in t!,e !., t h,q1ter f polit1c,tl e ·ol11tim1, wt ,, re only un h threshold uf m 11, cl,,us d •vcl •pllll lH. Ili ·tor· h,1s been dehnt'd ,1 the b,lth of him id. The Ili,1d i the re ital uf how men kill tllL'tl. This st01 · tll)odcd th· l,rcek mind, \\ho. e hi-.tory i. a pan,irama of 11ng.,ism ,ind imperi,ili m, w;ir merely for th e sake o( war. \\ hen reece "''~ conquered hy R,imc, her soldiers were given for reward the king– dom llf l.p1rn.. On the C\'e nf Philippi, Brutus offered his ol<lier 'parta and Thc,s,do111c.1 if they Wl>ll the ti rht. Such were the nation' tramer-. to cohesivenc The horror l)f w.ir mak • it f.1 cinating, and it irrationality i not consirler~d \\"e inherit thi. ,,ar-like pirit, and for mo t of the heroi m po e ed we thank this cruel h' ·tuq. The popular imagination i fattened on the tlH1ught of war. No ruler can with tand public opinion when it once reaches a certain fight– ing pitch. In the Boer war both government started with bluff, but their mili, tary ten ion o,·erpowered them. In the past few year· innumerable writer has been . hewing the be tial side of military ervice. Authorities in the army and navy of the United tate and England have repeated without ce-i ing, ''Arm olely for peace." ''Peace" in the n111itary mouth· today i the synonym for "war expected."' General Lee tated that 'readrne s for war is t he e sence of nationality, and a bility in it i · the upreme mea ure of the health of nation ." What an ab– su rdity it i that nation who \'i it and fellow hip together hould for any cau ·e seek each ther' blood. It ought not tu · e, and I belie\'e the twentieth century will nut tolerate it. Let u for one moment turn rmr attention to the enormou cost of war. Them iney -pePt on militarism hy this republic amount to $16,56,,677,135, which exceed b} .,3, 00,UUO,ODU the entire gold production of the whole w< rid ince the disco\·ery of America. Yeti l:nited Stated the only country that bas o unwi el} and extravagantly conducted h erself? , ·o. Look at Europe. In the r,a. t thirty· even year armed peace alone in Europe ha cost $l ll,OUO,UU,\:1un, approximately the ,·alue of all the resource of the nited tate . ·r he,:;e h;;ure are _o large that m ,rtal minds cannot conceive of them. Put t 1 1i.. um in twenty dollar bills :--ide b) side in book form an<l we hne a continul)u · l;n~ ti{ty-twu mile· in length. ,