WAR LECTURE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2588, 9 October 1915, Page 13

WAR LECTURE

HISTORICAL CAUSES.

. In the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall flast evening Mr. A. R. Atkinson delivered .the first of . a series of 'lee-, tures which has been airranged for by the Workers' Educational Association. Mr. H. Holland presided l , and there was a very good attendance. Mr. Atkinson .spoke very interestingly on "The Historical Causes of the War." He said that the historical causes of the war were not to be traced in; the last few days before the war, but in the preceding years and even generations. He described the war as a conflict of ideals. On the oner hand were ideals of democracy, pcace, and 'gobdwll ' . between nations ( \ on-. the y 'other 1 liaii(l;''jvfere itiho ideals of absolutism,, military'autocracy', and an aggressive tyraiiny which sought to impose its will by force upon other nations, and to crush their individuality as it had crushed tliat of its own people. :.! Ho considered that German 'development had been, methodically planned, and that the milestones of progress were military campaigns aiia great battles..- Wars were deliberately planned, and one of the maxims of Frederick the Great was to the effect , that every war was\a good,war that added! to the ■power.of the State. It could be imagined how pernicious it was for a nation to owe its first greatness to a man whose, own greatness. was' marred ' by qualities sucu as those. Twenty years after the death of Frederick the Great Napoleon crushed Prussia .and humiliated her. But iNapoleon, did Prussia 'the good service.-of. causing the consolidation of 30Q States into 38 States. Speaking of the present Emperor of Germany, Mr. Atkinson said that lio had done things which had'been taken to savourof madness, but it was futile to ridicule the Kaiser, for !he had capabilities, and there was obviously method in his madness. Tbe Kaiser, like Napoleonj appeared to reckon thai; the way to crush Britain was through Egypt. Hence his intentions regarding Constantinople. i.Thero had been various war scares in recent years, and when Germany vastly increased her • army ■ expenditure with the object of the extra effectives coming' into uso by the end of'lfiU particular I notice was taken by others nations. France increased her training period, [ but it was to have taken effect at the end of 1916. A writer had stated at the time that July, 1914, would be the critical time, and that prophecy, had hit the bull's-eye. Germany was' readiy in 1914, and the assassination of the Archduke was not a cause of the war, but an excuse.-: 1