Klamath Union High School - El Rodeo Yearbook (Klamath Falls, OR)

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n QMMuiy Mummy: MdWMnmh WWJHI: inactivity: Mmuhmr Man! lii? n fem wand? u- mach ??? um! hi :2. nzwi p.11! 91.323005 y a W'medy g: KLAMATH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL BOOMER. 15 begin to realize that it is possible for one man to live in peace with his neighbor, provided that both are controlled by a Strong temporal power and by an even handed justice, and for this purpose governments are iirst established. Thus certain organized communities of men learn to live in comparative peace among themselves, but they have not yet learned the great lesson of . international peace, and thence arises the condition of war among the nations. Thus, for thousands of years after the state of anarchy has ceased to exist, nations continue to carry out the same barbarous principle; every nation for' itself and every people turned against every other people. It is the age of conquest, the day of Egypt, Assyria, Macedonia and Rome, When the greatness of a nation is measured by the strength of her legions and by the number. of her crushed and bleeding athralls. Now, as before, the strong devour the weak and the conqueror takes toll from the conquered. As time passes by, and as the Christian principle begins to permeate the nations, the civilized powers begin to realize that war is not always necessary and that it is even possible to'settle seme international disputes by arbitration, but still the old dream 'of conquest and the terror of the blood lust hangs over the nations like an awful thunder cloud, ready to burst at any moment and give .vent to its devastating fury. They are forced to provide against the terrible contingency by the maintenance of powerful and costly armies and navies. It is the close of the nineteenth century. The densely populated I and closely crowded nations of Europe are struggling for the mastery, when on the twenty-fifth day of May, 1899, for the first time in history, the Czar of Russia, the most autocratic monarch in Europe, calls for a peace conference. The great powers meet at The Hague for the avowed purpose of considering the disarma- ment of the nations. Here it is decided to establish an interna- tional board of arbitration, and strong recommendations are made against hasty declarations of war. Now, these provisions, though a step in the right direction, have proven inadequate; for since that time two of the greatest powers, both of them parties to that agreement, have transgressed its ordinances and engaged in costly and unnecessary wars. It cost

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14 KLAMATH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL BOOMER. 67m Parliament of Man. IZBY ROY APPLEGATE, t07.1 A certain immortal document, with which we are all more or less familiar, begins with these words: HWhen, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of natureis God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes Which impel them to the separation. Now it is not entirely unreasonable to assume that the time Will come, and in truth is now near at hand, when a new declaration, not of independence, but of mutual dependence, shall be brought forth, which may be introduced by' some such words as these: Since, in the course of human events, it has become necessary for all peoples to unite the political organizations which have heretofore distinguished them from each other; and to work. together for the common peace, well being, and upbuilding of mankind, we, the powers of the earth, do hereby organize and establish this common parliament for the attainment! of these great ends and for the government of all nations. Let us glance back over the pages of history and follow the movement which has led to this prediction and see if it is not merely a possibility, but the most imminent of probabilities, because it is the natural culmination of a slow development along the lines of a natural evolution. Looking back over the history of the race we first see man but little betterithan a beast. He lives by the right of might. Every man is pitted against his neighbor and is obliged to fight for his very existence. Selfishness, greed, and injustice rule the human heart, and the hand of man reeks in the blood of his'brother. The earth knows no peace and all disputes are settled by appeal to the. tribunal of violence. Gradually men, as they become more human and less bestial,

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16 KLAMATH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL BOOMER. Great Britain four hundred million pounds and thousands of lives to conquer little Transvaal, and Russia untold treasure in money, property, prestige and human lives to oppose the natural growth of J apan. Besides these expenses, both these powers, as well as ' all the other European powers, are spending so much money on . their military establishments that internal improvements, and even the well being and happiness of citizens, are sadly neglected, if not well nigh forgotten. , But, since the terrible Russo-Japanese war and the bloody and unjust annexation of the Transvaal by England, the thinking and peace loving people of the world are roused as they never were before against this unbrotherly and unchristian institution of war. They are beginning to ask themselves: Why the continuation, even into the twentieth century, of this insane and barbarous custom? Why this intolerable condition of wealth-sapping preparation against a contingency which should not exist? Why. not abolish war? . . And so, as a result of this revulsion of feeling, which is making itself felt throughout the breadth of the earth and among all peo- ples and races, the first pariliament of the nations will meet at The. Hague next month for the further consideration of these great questions. Yes, the first parliament of the nations, because prac- tically every independent nation on the face of the earth will. be represented; and for this reason this meeting will assume far greater proportions and exert much greater influence than did The Hague peace conference. It will be the firstlparliarnent in which all races and conditions of civilized men will be assembled to solve their common problems, and to consider this gravest of all ques- tions, that of limiting armaments. It has been said that perhaps some one or two powers might possibly refuse to enter the conference if the troublesome question of disarmament is brought up, but in this case as' well as in all ordinary conventions, the majority should rule, and no one nation or alliance ought to be allowed to prevent the consideration of this question, and without such consideration the whole proceeding becomes a farce. Most of the great military powers of Europe 7 are in favor of limiting armaments, While the two powers that will take the most prominent part in the movement are those great h. $1413 2: am. 1 ma n, WI: PHHHVvI . 4 '3! 1f 8- I'YYIHWL: 335th! 3m! gm; 1313' hi liming; 'h t 31' l rm ., .. kw thaw : pm. umm m: Am 9 .