| Show THE VALUE OF reace PEACE nineteen hundred years have passed away since the announcement first was made that he who was called the prince of peace had come to dwell among men for nearly nineteen centuries the message of peace has haa been rehearsed on earth nations have bowed la in reverent adoration while listening to the story yet the practical results seem to be almost nil there to la today not a continent where militarism does not hold sway away and the whole earth seems to be trembling with the heavy tread of marching armies the hound bound of cannon and the agony of human beings wounded and dying on sanguinary battle fields felds besides preparations orations seem to be going on for wars which in the interests involved may outdo any on record in the annals of mankind the era of peace predicted at the advent of the son of man to is apparently patently ly as far away as ever we say apparently for in tact fact the friends of peace have made steady and marked progress in the world all the time and the close of this century finds a vast army ready to battle for the establishment of permanent peace on earth it has been possible in later years for the war lords of europe to n the nations to the burdens imposed posed upon them by the standing armies only on the pretext that their maintenance was needed for the continuation of peace this to is significant it marks a long step forward from the when ahen the warrior was recognized 68 s the only member of society worthy af f honor and glory and when wholesale manslaughter and robbery were considered as aa necessary an occupation as an hunting and ana fish fishing ing the cause of peace Is gaining and when the time comes a change in the affairs of the wrid world will take place suddenly the question of war or peace to Is not bhe on of sentimentality merely it to is one which our practical age can readily grasp graap the cost of a war and of keeping an army ready for wax war is something enormous even when the sacrifice of life to is not taken into account A contributor to the review of reviews estimates that the wars of europe during the present century have eo cot stover over one hundred billion dollars says the author that the nineteen american republics should during the coming century expend that sum on public improvements what would be accomplished that money would build the nicaragua canal the intercontinental railway uniting the republics of north central and south america the florida ship canal improve the mississippi river and its principal tributaries tributa ries and protect the valley from destructive floods improve the amazon and its tributaries tributa ries the Ort orinoco noeo la plata and other rivers in the various republics improve all the great harbors of the atlantic gulf and pacific coasts irrigate the arid lands of the great west and thereby quadruple the value of the acres of public lands still owned by the general government erect much needed new public buildings in the capitals of the nineteen republics and in their great commercial cities build lighthouses and lifesaving life saving stations and inaugurate and complete hundreds of other public improvements that would give employment to labor and add to the prosperity and wealth of the republics A matter that involves such an enormous sum is of public interest the figures presented are a weighty arg ment for international peace and arbitration bit ration |
