writing on the wall and he
very soundly deprecated war and pictured its horrors. But he could not
forget that he was appealing to a large class that held the German
viewpoint. He therefore found it necessary to soften his phrase with
some hyphenated sophistry. He dared not say that Germany was the culprit
and would be the principal sufferer. His article was:

"Sooner or later the nations engaged in war will find themselves
spent and weary. There will be victory for some, defeat for others,
and profit for none. There can hardly be any lasting laurels for
any of the contending parties. To change the map of Europe is not
worth the price of a single human life. Patriotism should never
rise above humanity.

"The history of war is merely a succession of blunders. Each treaty
of peace sows the seed of future strife.

"War offends our intelligence and outrages our sympathies. We can
but stand aside and murmur 'The pity of it all. The pity of it
all.'

"War breeds socialism. At night the opposing hosts rest on their
arms, searching the heavens for the riddle of life and death, and
wondering what their tomorrow will bring forth. Around a thousand
camp fires the steady conviction is being driven home that this
sacrifice of life might all be avoided. It seems difficult to
realize that millions of men, skilled by years of constant
application, have left the factory, the mill, or the desk to waste
not only their time but their very lives and possibly the lives of
those dependent on them to wage war, brother against brother.

"The more reasonable it appears that peace must quickly come, the
more hopeless does it seem. I am convinced that an overwhelming
majority of the populations of Germany, England and France are
opposed to this war. The Governments of these states do not want
war.

"War deals in human life as recklessly as the gambler in money.

"Imagine the point of view of a commanding general who is
confronted with the task of taking a fortress; 'That position will
cost me five thousand lives; it will be cheap at the price, for it
must be taken.'

"He discounts five thousand human lives as easily as the
manufacturer marks off five thousand dollars for depreciation. And
so five thousand homes are saddened that another flag may fly over
a few feet of for