The Vampire of War.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2280, 29 September 1899, Page 4

The Vampire of War.

Counting only the armies of the six great Powers on a peace footing, chey amount now to nearly three millions of men ; and if we add the men permanently attached to the Beveral fleets we shall have considerably more than three millions of men in the prime of life withdrawn from productive labour and devoted, nominally to defence, but really to attack and destruction. This, however, is only a portion of the loss. The expense of keeping these three millions of men in food and clothing, in weapons, ammunition, and all the paraphernalia of war ; of keeping in a state of readiness the ships, fortifications, and batteries ; of continually renewing the stores of all kinds ; of pensions to the retired officers and wounded men, and whatever other expenditure these vast military organisations entail, amounts to an annual sum of more than one hundred and eighty millions sterling. Now, as the average wages of a working man (or his annual expenditure), considering the low wages and the mode of living in Russia, Italy, Austria, and other Continental States, cannot be more than, say, twelve shillings a week, or thirty pounds a year, an expenditure of one hundred and eighty millions implies the constant labour of at least six million of other men in supporting this monstrous and utterly barbarous system of national armaments. If to this number we add those employed in making good the public or private property destroyed in every war, or in smaller military or naval operations in Europe, we shall have a grand total of about ten millions of men withdrawn from all useful or reproductive work, their lives devoted directly or indirectly to the Moloch of war, and who must therefore be supported by the remainder of the working community. And what a horrible mockery is all this when viewed in the light of either Christianity or civilisation ! All these nations, armed to the teeth, and watching stealthily for some occasion to use their vast armaments for their own aggrandisement, and for the injury of their neighbours, are Christian nations.