Salt Lake Telegram | 1928-12-17 | Page 6 | The War Hysteria

1 I 1 The War Hysteria I IQ F Q the blindness of the human race race makes you wonder if it really realty deserves ever to have peace prosperity and co content content- tent tent- r ment 1 l j In La Paz capital city of the republic of oft t Bolivia the public was was stirred to a fever heat i of of of excitement ment Diplomatic Diplomatic- relations with f k Paraguay g lY had haq been broken and the war r.-r r. Clouds Clouds' were gathering Crowds massed in iii cr before the thep presidential c id palace De- De D J of cavalry cavalrY- clattered grandly and and down the Torches up ly lp pavements lared re b bands played flags were waved War V v S' S imminent IJ V-N V V No w in such a situation when a peace- peace 1 Pe people Plc is suddenly brought to th the edge edger d e f r one might i imagine that they would 3 b. b be being t jy ing together like Ikc that to tell their pr sl- sl q ift Cant you OU find us a peaceable solution Q that we we wont won't have to go out and be e lt d tI 7 l one Q might t imagine it but on one d be dead wrong These se Bolivian cr crowds I tj jammed the se streets ts kept shouting f We want war var Mr President We want W-arIH W I Ii O 1 i At fir first t glance one is S tempted to ascribe al an al of this to the excitable le Latin American 2 temperament nt But ut then one is forced to re remember re- re member how our own level-headed level matter- matter 1 of fact of-fact f cr country has acted in similar crises Every time we have gone to war w WG ha haci haute hac c i- i greeted tie te declaration of hostilities with K cheers We h have ve rung bells belts blown whistles chanted songs and formed parades Like the crowds we haveS have demanded L war ar The little group gup of wilful men re men re remember mein member er that phrase phrase phrase-in in in the United Sta States Stas senate that voted against war with Germany found themselves enormously unpopular for months afterward War is a miser miserable business Brave young men nen go and get killed horribly or come home without legs or eyes or arms Wives and mothers at home see the pleasant peaceful lives es they had built up wrecked overnight Debts that will last for decades are saddled on a nation Rascals talk loudly about pat patriotism patriotism pa pa- t and make big fortunes Why in in- inthe the name of if common sense does a a people that l knows all of this ev ever ever greet a new war w with th shouts and songs Well WeIr in the first place people forg forget t easily casil And in the second place war place war s s a deceiving thing It U begins by appealing to the deepest most imperative need a man has the the need to bind himself to some cause th that t I will make him shed his blood for something that will vill not give him any personal gain Selfish as we are that is one one of our greatest c characteristics It ft cons constitutes the chi chief f hope of The he ie race race but but it gets us into manifold troubles s. s It is our noblest impulse but w we donot do donot not know how to control it Probably we wont won't change much for a i time It will will always be rather easy to sweep veep us off our feet by offering us a chance to tp give up p our lives Jives for an ai al abstract ideal of patriotism The time to work york for peace is is' is when no war clouds are threatening Once h they Y co come e it is t too late t f L a