The Soul of the War by Philip Gibbs
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Philip Gibbs >> The Soul of the War
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Germany thrust this thing upon Europe deliberately and after careful
preparation. Upon the heads of her diplomats and princes are the
blood and the guilt of it, and they stand before the world as murderers
with red hands and bloodshot eyes, and souls as black as hell. In this
war of self-defence we are justified and need no special pleading to
proclaim our cause. We did not want this war, and we went to the
extreme limit of patience to avoid it. But if there is to be any hope for
humanity we must go deeper into the truth than the mere analysis of
White Papers and Yellow Papers with diplomatic correspondence.
We must ask ourselves whether in England, France, or Russia, "the
defenders of modern civilization," there was any sincerity of belief in
the ideals and faith for which civilization stands. Did the leaders of
modern thought do anything with their genius or their knowledge to
break down old frontiers of hatred, to enlighten the ignorance
between one nation and another, or to put such power into the hands
of peoples that they might have strength to resist the tyranny of
military castes and of military ideals? Have not our politicians and our
teachers, with few exceptions, used all their influence to foster dark
old superstitions which lurk in such good words as those of patriotism
and honour, to keep the people blind so that they might not see the
shining light of liberty, and to adulterate the doctrine of Christ which
most of them profess, by a gospel of international jealousy based
upon trade interests and commercial greed?
The military castes have been supported in Europe by putting the
spell of old traditions upon simple peoples. The Christian Churches
have bolstered them up and failed utterly to preach the words of
peace because in the heart of the priest there is the patriot, so that
every Christian nation claims God as a national asset leading its
battalions. There will be no hope of peace until the peoples of the
world recognize their brotherhood and refuse to be led to the
shambles for mutual massacre. If there is no hope of that, if, as some
students of life hold, war will always happen because life itself is a
continual warfare, and one man lives only at the expense of another,
then there is no hope, and all the ideals of men striving for the
progress of mankind, all the dreams of poets and the sacrifice of
scientists, are utterly vain and foolish, and pious men should pray
God to touch this planet with a star and end the folly of it all.
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