I believe that before it is likely to happen the common folk of all
countries will revolt from such a method of argument and demand some
other means of settlement. The memory of the last war endures among
those who realised its agony. Its futility is understood even by those
who directed its forces. In Great Britain the generals—or many of
them—are most convinced of the need of peace. In France Marshal Foch
and many of those who led France to a victory at frightful cost wish to
avoid another conflict beyond any other consideration. Some of them may
believe in a supreme army as the only defence of peace, but it is peace
and security which dominate their minds, not military adventures for
ambition’s sake. In Canada, Australia, and New Zealand the Generals of
the Dominion forces are peace propagandists. In the United States the
commanding officers who went to France are most in favour of generosity
to Germany, within the limits of justice.
“What have we gained by the world war?” asked _The America Legion
Weekly_ ten years after that war began. The answers came from many
great people and with few exceptions they saw more loss than gain, and
in most cases all loss and no gain. I was most struck by the answer
of General Sir Arthur Currie who commanded the Canadians many times
in great battles. I met him often and prophesied his military genius.
His strength of character, his stubborn will power, his clear-cut
judgment, marked him out as a man of great generalship and his record
proved it I think. He was not popular with his men. They thought him
ruthless. He was ruthless, while the war went on, but this was his
message to the American Legion, founded to perpetuate the memories of
the war, and rather prone, it was thought, for a time, to perpetuate
the memories of hate and the use of force.
“By the world war we gained a truer appreciation and a better
realisation of war’s unspeakable waste, its dreadful hardships, its
cruel slaughter, and its aftermath of loneliness, sorrow and broken
hearts. We now know that as a means of solving the world’s problems and
removing international discord, war is a delusion and a lie. We know
that no matter how much a nation may desire to hold itself aloof and to
keep apart from the struggle it cannot escape war’s terrible effects.
“An appreciation of even these two things should influence nations to
leave nothing undone that would help in even the slightest degree to
lessen the possibility of international strife.
“We know that there is no glory in war, either in its methods or in its
results, and that its only glory is the glory of a sacrifice for the
ideals which are involved.”
When views like that are put before the minds of great bodies of men by
such as General Currie there is a hope that reason will prevail over
unreason, and that we may exorcise that infernal spectre of another
world war which lurks in our bad dreams.