Is the soldier thinking about war? Of course--but only to stop it as quickly as possible if it comes--only to prevent its coming to us by being strong. He’s hired by this nation to study war as the doctor studies disease, as the fireman studies fire, as the federal agent studies crime. Does a fireman want fire? Does the federal agent want crime? No more does the soldier want war, but he wouldn’t be a true American, if he didn’t want to do a good job, if war comes. Does the doctor know when an epidemic will break out? Does the fireman know when a fire will start? Do federal agents and policemen know when a crime will be committed? No more does the soldier know when war may start. For it always has started with us suddenly--when people scoffed at our getting into it. Does the surgeon scoff at the possible outbreak of an epidemic, the fireman at the possible outbreak of a fire, the federal agent at the possible outbreak of crime? He’d be silly to do so. Yet fire, disease, crime are easier to lessen than war. For the cause of war is not a thing. It’s a frenzy of emotions. Education and experiment help prevent fire, crime and disease. But they value little with emotions. The office manager is as likely to lose his temper as the janitor. If you don’t believe it, try it out. But when a nation loses its temper, it’s a boiling pot. Nothing can stop its mass hatred. It’s like a plague of grasshoppers, Japanese beetles or white ants. We rush to force whether we are weak or strong. And how we sacrifice our young men when we are weak.