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

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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 .

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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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udmmwm; mdlbnlimrmg '11- Mamas! Mdmww immhmolllrcml um um wWIM KLAMATH' COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL BOOMER. 17 Anglo-Saxon nations, England and the United States of America, wholrepresent one-third of the civilized peoples of the world. It may be that the world has not yet reached that stage in its development When war can be dispensed With, or when a total disarmament is feasible, but this international parliament is a long stride in the right direction and, if we may judge the events of the future by those of the past, if we trace out this evolutionary development to its logical conclusion, the belief forces itself upon us with resistless certainty that the world is rapidly approaching that much to be desired condition. As men are brought closer to eachother by the common ties of human interest and brotherhood, and as their lust for carnal glory and their primitive thirst for blood are succeeded by a cool and rational conception of the true purposes of life, this parliament of man will assume more and more'power and will acquire greater prestige till it shall ultimately be looked upon as the high and inviolate tribunal of all nations. And it is reasonable to conclude that if the peoples of one empire can live in peace with each other that the peoples of all empires can ultimately live in peace with each other, and that as time passes on national lines will disappear and that some time all peoples, regardless of race or nationality, will be directed by a great central parliament. And when this unity has been achieved there will be no need of war. And, finally, as the barbarous and semi-civilized peoples of today take on the civilization of the Christian world, they will naturally fall into line, and in time all men will live as brothers. This is not an idle dream, but the natural and logical outcome of a process which has been going on since the beginning of history. We live in an age of comparative barbarism. The terrible alternative of war is resorted to for the settlement of international questions. The powers are obliged to build up great armies and navies at the expense of their hard-working and peace-loving citizens Who are bowed down and crushed by the gruelling cost of maintenance. A great part of the mental and physical energy of our inventors and artisans, as well as an immense share of natural wealth, is expended'in devising engines of war for the preserva- tion of peace. Under such conditions we may look with hope upon this interna-