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Show NO CHILD'S PLAY. H If Russia had much regard for the lives of her H soldiers, she would hesitate before engaging in H war with Japan, for in the event of such a war, H many a Russian ship would go down, many a H Russian army corps would be annihilated. The H war between China and Japan showed what ma- J terial the Japanese are composed of. They are as H swift and fierce fighters as the modern world has, H and they are as accurate as they are swift. Then jH ! every child In Japan has been taught to hate Rus sia. Three or four years ago, an American vls- h ited a Japanese school. He ask&d one little brown R chap of ton years what he was going to do when H ! he grew to be a man; the answer came quick as B j j a flash, "Going to fight Russia." Maybe the Rus- m ( " slans can wear such a people out under the abra- K sions of a great war, but botore it is over, Rus- v ' sian motheis will be like Rachel, "weeping for K their children that are not," from the Baltic W i to the Crimea, fiom the Ural to the Don. Then r ' Russia will be taking other serious chances. K 1 Great Britain has most valuable possessions in m v Asia; her land-lust is quite as strong as is that of Hi"- Russia. Moreover, it is her habit to profit by the B 1 quarrels of other Powers. When Russian guns M ' were thundering their triumphs amid the Balkans J in the Russo-Turkish war, and the tenure of the ! Turk in Europe hung but by a thread, Great Brit ain aroused herself and joined with the western - (. powers In Europe to meet and dictate on what Bi jerms peace should be made. The Cossack was m- i turned back to his mountains; the Muscovite to Mi I his steppes; Constantinople was saved to the R 1 Turk and grateful Turkey gave Cyprus to Eng- B land, for turning back the toe that had almost H broken down the gates that bar a free way for M Russian ships through the Bosphorus. She is m, just the same England yet and is better prepared Mv tor war than she has been before since Waterloo. m & To wrest South Africa from the Boers, she was H I forced to put under skilled training a quarter of H a million of soldieis. Tncn she doesn't feel kind- H ly towards Russia; that power is building a H I branch road south and will not stop until It H reaches the Persian Gult. With that completed H i and with her practically in possesison of the east- H i cm shore of China, India and the Straights Set- H.- tlements would be in danger. A war just now H' i s acainst Japan would put Russia in great danger of H bfing driven back again upon ner Steppes, to remain re-main there until another generation could grow up to be slaughtered. But we do not believe the Russian Government means war. To inaugurate such a war would, on Uubsia's part, be to outrage the public opinion of all the world and that even Russia could hardly af-toid af-toid to do. Suppose Japan, Great Britain and the United States were to send Russia a joint note, setting out the promises Russia made three years ago, stating briefly the understanding of all the powers, and then propose to the Czar the submitting of the whole question to The Hague Congress for a decision, what kind of a fix would 11 e Czar be in? It was he whose appeal resulted in the creation of that tribunal, for his part in the matter he has given to his name, immortality. Had he died last year, it woull have been an im-moitality im-moitality of glory, were tnis war to be precipitated, precipitat-ed, it would change to an immortality of infamy. Can the great White Czar of R.issia afford to obtain ob-tain territory at such a cost? He is not only Emperor of all the Russians, but he is the head of the Greek Church, which claims to be the very Church of Christ on earth. Can the Czar, over his broken promises, set his fleets and armies in array to steal more territory terri-tory trom weak nations? Ii Mr. Carnegie's Temple Tem-ple ot Peace is built, will the inscription embossed em-bossed on marble or brass above the door, read, "To the Reign of Peace Invoked by the Great White Czar, accepted by the Nations: Honor and Glory to Him?" or shall it be "All Honor to Peace, all Dishonor to "The Bear That Walks Like a Man." Russia's dream of conquest is not over, but her Ministers should wait until her present Ruler shall have passed away. |