Present status and prospects of the Peace Movement — John Shaqi
Present status and prospects of the Peace MovementSuttner, Bertha von
Philosophy
Present status and prospects of the Peace Movement
Suttner, Bertha von
Peace movements
The contrast between war and culture is more definitely set forth than
could be done in volumes of essays and of peace literature in the
addresses and newspaper articles which accompany the sending forth of
the “Army of Humanity.” The emphasis placed upon the help of God, upon
the religion of love and of tenderness, and the synchronous emphasis
placed upon revenge and threats of horrors, have never been in so
glaring a contrast. A clinging to old ideals of force, reference to the
thought that, a thousand years _hence_, one member of the human family
shall tremble before another, as men did a thousand years _ago_ under
the lash of Attila; the recommendation on the part of various journals
of methods of retaliation savoring of the wildest of savagery, the
slaughter of masses of men, desecration of sanctuaries and graves, etc.,
and all these proposed as a means of spreading civilization; all this
must needs be recognized by the world at large as strident dissonance.
And what has brought the world to this recognition? The principles of
the peace movement. Denied as they are, they have sunk deep into the
conscience of the age. The community of interests in the world has also
had its share in effecting this result. This has reached such a degree
that a change from conditions of might to conditions of right has become
a positive necessity, an essential of life. What stands revealed in the
peace movement is not the dream of supramundane fancy, but a
manifestation of the instinct of self-preservation in civilization.
BERTHA VON SÜTTNER.
“_IN TERRA PAX._”
BY G. LEVESON GOWER.
War in men’s mouths, peace through the spring-clad land;
Hate in men’s hearts, and love in God’s high heaven;
Yet in the mass already works the leaven,
And in the nations some cry, “Hold your hand,
Ye Peoples! Turn not Earth into a hell!”
Already breaks the light when some can see
The change to come, the order new to be,
And, seeing evil, will not say, “’Tis well!”
O! for some high tribunal of the world
Where arms are stilled and equal law bears sway,
The strong aggressor from his vantage hurled,
The wronged upheld in the full light of day!
Then shall the Earth at rest yield glad increase,
And through all seas and every land be Peace!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
1. Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in
spelling.
2. Retained archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed.
3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account