FOR OCTOBER 1914
Charles Vale
In each of the nations now engaged in the European conflict, a largenumber of people of all classes—the vast majority of people of allclasses—did not want war, and would have done all in their power toavert it: for they knew, more or less completely, the price of war;and they knew also, more or less completely, in spite of theinadequacy of all the churches through all the centuries, that warcannot possibly be reconciled with Christianity, with civilization,with humanity, decency, and the most rudimentary common sense. Butwhen hostilities had actually been commenced, each of the nations waspractically a unit with regard to the prosecution of the war to itsfinal and terrible conclusion. With the exception of a fewprofessional agitators or eccentric fanatics, who have gleaned scantsympathy for their antics, every citizen or subject of each countryhas placed implicit faith in the justice of the nation’s cause and hasbeen prepared to give, ungrudgingly, the last full measure ofdevotion. Canada, Australia, South Africa, India, and all the greatand small oversea commonwealths, colonies and dominions of GreatBritain have come forward in the time of stress to offer new strengthto the United Kingdom and new pledges of a United Empire. In theFatherland, every man and woman has accepted the issue as inevitable,has held the cause of Kaiser and country as sacred and supreme, andhas shrunk from no sacrifice to ensure the fulfilment of thelong-cherished dream of victory, security and expansion. In France,where the ghosts of the dead that von Moltke required have not yetceased to walk o’ nights, (they willhave new companionship now), thereis no doubt in the mind of man, woman or child that la Patrie iswaging a holy war for liberty and honor against the ruthlessaggression of an arrogant and pitiless foe. In Russia, Austria,Servia, and whatever countries may have been dragged into the vortexweek by week, there is a similar spirit, a similar belief in thejustice of the national cause and the calculated injustice of theenemy’s plans. And in Belgium, always the victim of her unneighborlyneighbors’ feuds, a people dedicated to peace has been flung into thehell of butchery and flames. Verily, Macbeth hath murther’d sleep!
In these United States, there has been little attempt to transcendrace-limitations, so far as concerns the aliens within our borders,and those hyphenated-Americans who have rushed with virulence into awordy warfare, intent, not on establishing the truth, but on givingpublicity, ad nauseam, to their own special, and speciallyobnoxious, prejudices. The American nation, and every individual init, has a clear right to hold and express a definite opinion: but itmust be an opinion formed in conformity with the American characterand the American freedom from entanglements of inherited andunreasoned bias. No other opinion is worth, here and now, a moment’sconsideration; and no other opinion should dare to voice itself inthis country, which has ties with almost all the peoples of theworld—ties of blood and friendship, but not of bloodshed andhysteria.
America alone, of the great Powers of the world, is in a position toexercise free and calm reflection and to form a free and justjudgment. The value of her decision has already been made manifest,through the efforts of every country involved in the war to influenceAmerican sentiment and gain American good will. A peculiarresponsibility therefore rests upon us to avoid the banalities of thevarious special pleaders, and to form our judgment soberly and in goodfaith, no