Fighting For Peace Part 13

But would the organization of such a league of nations to defend peace make war henceforward impossible?

No sane man, who knows the ignorance, the imperfection, the pa.s.sionate frailty of human nature entertains such a wild dream or makes such an extravagant claim.

All that the league can hope to do is to make an aggressive war, such as Germany thrust upon the world in 1914, more difficult and more dangerous. All that it purposes is to set up a new safeguard of peace, based upon justice, and supported by the common faith, the collective force, and the mutual trust of democratic peoples.

That is one of the things--yes, I think it is the most important thing--for which we are now fighting with the Allies against Germany and her a.s.sistants:

PEACE WITH POWER.

These pages have been written as a voluntary contribution to the cause of our country in this righteous war against war. I should have been happier if my active service at the front could have been accepted. But since my age made that impossible I have tried, and shall go on trying, to do what I can in other ways to help our fight for real peace.

I close this bit of work with the n.o.ble lines of Tennyson:

"I would that wars should cease, I would the globe from end to end Might sow and reap in peace, And some new Spirit o'erbear the old, Or Trade refrain the Powers From war with kindly links of gold, Or Love with wreaths of flowers.

Slav, Teuton, Kelt, I count them all My friends and brother souls, With all the peoples, great and small, That wheel between the poles.

But since our mortal shadow, Ill, To waste this earth began-- Perchance from some abuse of Will In worlds before the man Involving ours--he needs must fight To make true peace his own, He needs must combat might with might, Or Might would rule alone."