Mount Vernon High School - Forum Yearbook (Mount Vernon, OH)

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THE FORUM 9 Armed F 'H' ' INCE the period of the Napol- eonic wars, which for a quar- ter of a century converted the whole of Europe into one vast battlefield, the acknowl- edged desire of nations has been for peace, and many theories have been advanced toward that end. Of these only two seem to get at the foundation of the problem. The first of these is, that in order to ob- tain a lasting peace all the armies, navies and machines of war must be abolished and destroyed, and as a matter of course when this is accomplished, universal peace will inevitably follow. This plan on the surface seems a very simple and easy way of remedying the matter, but on sec ond thought it proves, under existing con- ditions, to be highly impracticable, since, in case all but one or two nations should disarm, it would have the whole World at the mercy of th-e one or two who still main- tained their armies and navies. The second plan is that the nations en courage the invention and manufacture of annihilating ordnances of war and the re- cruiting and maintaining of formidable armies and navies, thus making even the idea of conflict so terrifying that none of the nations would even think of entering into war, save as a last resort. Such in short is the innovation which has been tacitly adopted by the civilized world. As a result of this policy we have been sub- jected to only five international wars in the last half century, all of which have been of short duration. The cost of war is appalling, both in the loss of human life and from a pecuni- ary standpoint. Our own Civil war of 1861 is a fiagrant example of this. One half a million lives were lost in that great 22 N 517 . uf - .1 -. ' - .T 12-S?-zwl Q 5 , 1 I Peace confiict. In the one battle of Gettysburg forty-three thousand men were either killed or Wounded, while the approximate expenditure of the whole was eight billions of dollars. Such an account was presented to our nation and we, lovers of peace, were in honor forced to pay it. However, in this day of public economy, one may easily find himself asking whether, even in the face of these awe-inspiring figures, war is not in the end cheaper than peace. This question can be easily and emphatically answered in the negative by referring to the yearly military expense report of the nations. The net cost of the British army and navy and their operations for the year 1908 was three hundred million dol- lars, for Germany, two hundred eighty- nine millions and for the United States, two hundred and seven millions. It is easily seen that the drain on the treasuries caused by the nations keeping well armed is almost nothing in comparison to what it would be during war, while in these ex- pense reports we see no glaring death col- umn, save that in which a few deaths are recorded each year, caused by some acci- dent. In putting war and peace upon the scales, we find that under no circum- stances can war be made so light as peace, even though that peace be armed. When a nation is at perfect harmony with its neighbors, then does that nation begin to live, for during peace is the only time a nation can turn its attention to the internal developments it is in duty bound to give its citizens, such as the perfecting of educational systems, the maintaining of good roads, the reclaiming of arid lands and, in short, all those things which we should have as civilized people. The commercial possibilities are greatly

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8 THE FORUM and culture, so has the newspaper grown, in popularity and refinement, and it stands as an indicator, showing how much farther up the ladder of civilization the world has climbed during the preceding twenty-four hours. Social, economic, and political problems are constantly being discussed in every newspaper in the universe, and needless to say, a variety of opinions is the inevitable outcome. In this respect, the newspaper is beneficial in that it places the subject be- fore the eye of the eager public without imfringing upon the opinions of the reader. Especially is this true in the po- litical world. It might be argued that all papers do not set forth a sufficiently high standard of elevation, and unfortunately, this is true. The intelligence of the reading pub- lic is appealed to, and no matter how ob- jectionable the character of a newspaper may be, it is sure to be just a little better than the patrons who support it. Probably the greatest interest mani- fested in journalism by the American people and that which is of vital import- ance to the nation at large, concernes the latest reports from the congresses at Washington and the various state capi- tals. Here it is that the untiring alert correspondent shows his ability. Nothing is transacted in our Nation's capital but that can within a few hours be read in the thousands of newspapers thru- out the land. The citizen, altho in a far Western state, has practically no difficulty in obtaining the approximate facts regard- ing the latest national affairs, While so detailed are the accounts, that he may know just how the representative from his own state voted upon the question at hand. In this day of competition in the busi- ness world, advertising has become a great factor. The merchant must advertise! But how? Bill-boards, hand-bills and many other ways present themselves but foremost is the newspaper. Bill-boards and hand-bills have proved themselves a nuisance, as well as a loss of money to those who invest in them. But when the newspaper holds the ad- vertisement the consumer, as he, or more often she, glances over the evening paper and sees in glowing head-lines, the an- nouncement of a closing out sale, the in- stinctive love for a bargain presents itself, and the advertisement is not forgotten. Advertising in the newspapers then pays the consumer, the retailer and the paper itself. Few of us have stopped to consider the manifold beneits derived from that inex pensive article that connects yesterday's causes with tomorroW's effects, that great machine with its continuous Work before it, known to us as the daily newspaper. The nation takes it as regularly as it does its meals. And when we hear that monot- onous cry of Paper, we hasten to read it, with seldom ever a thought of the real place the daily newspaper fills in our lives today, and with ours, the pulsing life of this great, wide, world. Walter Englehardt.

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10 THE FORUM broadened by peace. Merchant houses, both great and small, thrive and progress in a peaceful atmosphere. Great steam- ship lines are developed, whose vessels pen-etrate into every corner of the seas, car- rying back and forth, without fear of mo- lestation, those products which are neces- sary for each particular community. Un- der these conditions which are possible only when nations are in harmony with each other, prosperity, and from prosper- ity, world-wide happiness is developed. Hand in hand with this military peace goes arbitration, which is rendered pos- sible by the fact that it is backed by power. Several years ago the Hague con- ference was established at which each na- tion is represented. It has become the ac- knowledged custom that all international controversies shall be referred to this tribunal, which tries in every possible way to meet and settle each case with justice to all concerned, thus making war the last resort instead of the first as here-to- fore has been the case. Carrying out this same plan, a few months ago Andrew Carnegie gave ten millions of dollars toward the establish- ment of an international peace fund and many men of high financial standing are contemplating the addition of great sums to this already large fund. But what does all this signify? Simply, that the nations, together with the leading men who com- pose them, both in and out of political life, have come to the realization of the fact that the time for bloody controversies is past, that prosperity and happiness can only reach their height during an era of neighborly feeling and good will on the part of all nations, This sentiment has been adequately ex- pressed in a little poem, written by George Huntington in the same meter as our nat- ional hymn, America, and presented by him to Mr. Carnegie upon his establish- ment of the international peace fund. Two empires by the sea, Two nations great and free, One anthem raise. One race of ancient fame, One tongue, one faith, we claim, One God, whose glorious name We love and praise. What deeds our fathers wrought, What battles we have fought, Let fame record. Now, vengeful passions, cease. Come, victories of peace, Nor hate, nor pride 's caprice Unsheath the sword. Though deep the sea, and wide, 'Twixt realm and realm, its tide Binds strand to strand. So be the gulf between Gray coasts and islands green With bonds of pe-ace serene, And friendship spanned. Now, may the God above Guard the dear land we love, Both east and west. Let love more fervent glow, As peaceful ages go, And strength yet stronger grow, Blessing and blessed. John S. Gotshall.