World Affairs Institute

FALSE VALUATION OF THINGS A CAUSE OF WARAuthor(s): W. G. HUBBARDSource: Advocate of Peace (1847-1884), New Series, Vol. 2, No. 22 (OCTOBER 15, 1870), p. 293Published by: World Affairs InstituteStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27904810 .

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01?? 1870. THE ADVOCATE OF PEACE. 293

FALSE VALUATION" OPTH[NGr3 ACAUSE OF WAR. BY G. HUBBABD.

The distant roar of the cannon, and the wheels of the wir chariot rolling deep in human gore, even in the afternoon of the nineteenth century, is a matter which none but the dead will contemplate save with horror and regret. The air is mide vo cal with the cries of suffering flesh, with the groans of mangled men on

bloody fields, with the waiU of widows and orphans ; the earth is watered with the life current from human hearts ; men's hands are stained with human blood ; and yet the occa sion of this is communicated by telegraph, printed by steam, and in a few hours announced to a hundred millions of people as a "brilliant engagement between the French and Prussians." Brilliant engagement indeed ! ! The devil thinks so, no doubt. But for enlightened men and women, with hearts to feel and minds to think, to talk thus flippantly and foolishly, is enough to shame a very Nero fiddling while Rome is in flames.

But from whence come wars and fightings? The apostle an swers,

" from the lusts that war in your members." The con

templative take it up and moralize and philosophize and theologize, and give a variety of answers, all containing some truth, and, doubtless, some error. But we can give no answer to the question more purely true than to say, war arises from a

false valuation of things?especially a false valuation of life and government. Men underrate the one and over-estimate the other.

There are several elements of valuation. The principal ones are three, viz. : Association, utility and necessity. For instance, the raiment of camel's hair and the leathern girdle which John the Baptist wore in the wilderness, would sell for a thousand dollars or more, if they were in existence, though thev would be too old to be used by the purchaser. George Washington's pocket Bible would bring its weight in gold, though its truths are the same as those of a shilling copy. The value is that of association.

Again, there is intrinsic worth which things have. One thing is valuable because we can eat it ; another, because we can drink it ; another, because we can wear it ; and still others be cause we can turn them to some practical use. This is real value. In this sense iron is more valuable than gold, because more useful. It is susceptible of the highest polish and temper, and when drawn into a fine hair spring, brings twice its weight in gold. The value of a useful article is enhanced by its scarc ity. A penny loaf of bread would be worth more to a starving man than a mine of silver. A traveller on the desert was per ishing with thirst, when he saw in the distance what he hoped would prove to be a canteen of water, dropped by a preceding caravan. He hurried on, but such was his disappointment when he found that the object was only a bag of gold that he threw it away in disgust. He could not drink it. Now can we apply these principles to the war question ? The value of association or love of country seems to be the only one that enters into it.

Men adopt the motto, " our country, right or wrong," and go forth to do the devil's work more

effectually than he could do it himself. They wrongly estimate. Government is good, but there is no scarcity of governments, and if one fails another rises. A being from another sphere would think we were idol aters indeed, if he should descend to some convenient spot and see nations sacrificing their strongest men, and offering their costliest oblations upon the shrine of Moloch at the mention of the word country. Government worship and hero worship is worse than the worship of Juggernaut. With " our country

" as a god, and bloody heroes as apostles, men go out to the work of human slaughter. They undervalue human life. Life is man's chief earthly boon. Without life man can neither do, nor be, nor enjoy anything. It is his seed-time for two worlds. ** All that a man hath will he give for his life." What will the airy nothing called "

national honor " profit a man who is slain in battle ? What will it profit the poor widow, if all Germany becomes France, or all France becomes Germany ? She suffers

in her poverty, while the world moves on just the same. Or if the soldier be

amon^ the scarcely more fortunate who become famed, if he is not kdled in battle he must soon die, and "

what will it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? " Is not this thing of war the worst phantom, the most arrant heathenism, the completest work of the devil that ever cursed the world ?

TREATMENT OF BRITISH SOLDIERS. [The following jottings of observations of military life were

forwarded to the Herald by an intelligent and reliable corre spondent who resides in the immediate vicinity of a large garri son. He says they are merely a few examples of almost daily occurrence.]

A private soldier was running towards the barracks one dark evening, in order to be in time for roll-call, and when within a few feet of the barraek-gate he stumbled over something, and fell against a corporal standing close by. Although perfectly sober, the corporal charged him with drunkenness; he was taken before a court-martial, and sentenced to six months' im prisonment. The President of the court-martial was intoxica* ted when he passed the sentence; indeed, he was an habitual drunkard, and only the day preceding had to be taken to his quarters by two men.

A respectable and well-educated young man enlisted with rose-colored notions of the army, and soon enough had them blackened. He objected to continual debauchery, to the custom of spending all the allowance on drink and harlots. He was a standing rebuke, and in consequence gained the hatred of many, and amongst them a

lance-corporal. One day he wanted to do a very usual thing for an unusual purpose

? to go a short dis tance from quarters to fetch a book to read ; but the lanee-cor* poral refused permission. Had he wanted to "

liquor "

there would, probably, have been no objection. Knowing how un just the refusal was he ventured without leave ; and was imme diately, arrested, tried ( ?) and sent to a military prison. There he was made to do shot

drill?carrying heavy shots to a marked place and then taking them back again ; a useless, cruel

'

employment, and better fitted for a strong navvy than for a deli cate young man. He was soon reduced to a skeleton by this labor of idleness, but no relief. He tried to comm?t suicide, but was thwarted. Then he died ; shot drill had killed him.

In some of these prisons, at least, if not m all, prisoners even in winter sleep upon the bare boards, and many a man has died of cold.

A private soldier said to a friend, ** I am treated worse than

an officer's dog." A military chaplain said to me yesterday, his voice full of indignation at the remembrance of the wrongs he had witnessed in the army,

* ' the officers generally are vile reptiles, not fit to command a set of dogs." See how the words of the two fit into each other ! These, then, are illustrations? which might be multiplied longer than any one would care to read them ? of the ordinary habits which prevail amongst the "defenders" of a Christian people.

? Paul Standish in the London Herald of Peace.

This is War. ? The army landed in July, and then began the Peninsular war, as far as the British troops were concerned. Sir Arthur, after several battles and skirmishes, returned to England, and the command devolved on Sir John Moore, than whom, as a soldier, a nobler man never lived. But his cam paign proved unfortunate; and to save his little army from de struction or defeat, he retreated upon Corunna, where he lost his life. During this retreat,

** whole regiments, defying the

orders and efforts of their officers, abandoned the ranks, rushed into towns and villages, plundered the cellars and farm houses, outraged the families, and drank to such an excess that their minds and bodies became equally powerless." General Stewart also states, that "the cry of plunder and vengeance was more attended to than the word of command. Villages and houses were seen burning in all directions."?And these deeds of horror were perpetrated by men in the British pay ! ? by men, moreover, who had been despatched to aid and be friend the very people whom they robbed and outraged! Afflicted humanity indignantly inquires, how long shall a Chris tian land like ours continue to support and pamper this common curse of the world??From "British War History," by William Stokes, Manchester, pp. 64, 65.

John Howe says, " Very plain it is, that war is a mark of

the apostasy, and stigmatizes man as fallen from God, in a de generated, revolted state. It is the horrid issue of men's having forsaken God, and of their being abandoned by Him to the folly of their own furious lusts and passions."

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