OCR Text |
Show THE PLAY THINGS OF KINGS. This Is a war of kings, says the New York American, as the conflict was brought on by the assassination of a king's nephew, who Is of no more actual Importance to modern society than the nephew of any other Individ-ual, Individ-ual, citizen or subject, In all Europe. "Born of mediaeval misconception of the importance of royalty," says the American, "this war has speedily become a war of Inherited mediaeval traditions of Imperial greed and glory. But the glory of war is fading fast. Tho people of the world are no longer children, who delight In destruction and exalt the destroyers In the histories his-tories df more enlightened ages, the rulers responsible for this war will not be described as heroes, but as homicidal maniacs, as traitors to the sacred trust solemnly imposed upon them to promote the happiness and protect the lives of their people. There Is no lory In robbery, and war is but organized, authorized piracy and manslaughter No country points with pride to a citizen who shoots down another in the heat of hatred or in the passion of jealousy. No country-exalts country-exalts aa a hero a man who holds up another at the muzzle of a gun and takes his watch and pocketbook from him as 'indemnity.' No country applauds and approves the man who hides in the night and from mean motives of revenge destroys a tenement tene-ment with a bomb, killing and maiming maim-ing innocent women and children. In modern society such as these are regarded re-garded as criminals and punished for their crimes by imprisonment or execution. exe-cution. A crime is not modified by Its magnitude. If a man who shoots another Is a murderer, the rulers who cause the shooting of a million men are a million times more guilty murderers mur-derers If a man who robs another of a f,ew dollars by force of arms is a thief, the rulera who rob cities and nations of millions in money by force ot arms are exactly that much greater thieves." nn |