WHY ARE WE FIGHTING, AND WHAT FOR?

NZ Truth, Issue 539, 16 October 1915, Page 8

WHY ARE WE FIGHTING, AND WHAT FOR?

Pear "Truth,"— A» you take a leas restricted and loan prejudiced view or current question* than mo»t paper*, and ts«ein to make every domain of thought your province «o long as Jt seems to contribute to the amelioration of noctul dltUcullicH, you will, no doubt, find room In your paper for a few Inner truths ooncernlnif the siorn bimiiicbs In \vhU;h th<* world ia now <,-njfitjr-c-d. Superflcially, this war i» generally belUsvod to httvu iuim unhUrt-sly forced upon us— an innocent, righteous, K«ul)' people In Yfhoao momhft buitcr would not mrtjl— by the cinliiHurhtH of ih<' duv'll himnvlf: but, m upltc of ftll the- fruit tie I'fforts of hirt'llntm to lull urn imo v Htat« of injured innoconc4E<, MomothinK »;<•*•{)« whlajw-rinK In our heart* that thi* iTtir»« h*t» coj»»t* Uf>on u» n» u»t' •»uuirnl c-onH^quence of our own uvt«, and thnl v.v will f«capt' only wli«n v.c have paid ai\ cx»ciln*t Justice back m full, liund-to-mouth ltot-beds of dwtructlon itnd ilcrtih, such an arc oor politics, prt>«H .aid puiplU, who call good tvil umt evil eooii. are at their wii«-cnd to know what noxt to »ay or do. Their stock-in-trade »»«tu!» to eonnliit of unyihine tint tondrt 10 dire confunlon and con. rtu-t, and they do not beatUlft to con. Coum onythlxif of ax> aaHeh'.«o«d and

elevating nature: they see nothing but a raging hell m front of them and they strive to sweep all and sundry m that direction, and just so long as the masses are willing to be seduced by rhis siren-cry of a glory that never can be realised, just so long will the present death-grip b© maintained. We lightly disregard or conjure up individual, | sectional and national misunderstand- i ings and animosities, and trust with a blind faith that moral questions will i somehow solve themselves. In a childish manner we condemn our adversaries and think that by so doing we are justifying ourselves. "We give affairs that are essentially and individual m their character into the hands of that which we vainly and boastfully call the State, to adjust, until that pa--1 ternal functionary, m desperation at its inability to accomplish the impossible, naively tells us that we must settle our, or their, differences with the sword. Now, the whole of the people are not blind, nor can they be fooled for ever. What are we to understand when we hear it said that the Empire is fighting for its existence. It cannot be territory that is meant, since the land is fixed: it cannot be taken away. Nor can it be the people's property, other I than land; since it is a contradiction of language to ask the people to save that which they have created by destroying it wholesale. Nor can It be the people's lives they seek to save, since they are called upon to sacrifice them without stint. What then? Carlyle's exposition of war fits m here. j Ho says: — We have here m England 100 stalwart artisans; they have the same m Germany. These are fully armed and brought face to face at the public charges; the word "fire" is given, and instead of 200 artisans we have 200 corpses to bury. Had these men any quarrel with each other; busy as the devil is;, none, ; what then? Their bosses fell out and were too cunning, too cowardly to fight themselves, so they made these poor blockheads fight Empire is simply another name for Government, and the drollery of the position is that wo are urged to maintain a system of government ;hat m Its nature can only lead to disruption and death. Our Radicals clamor for change: our Liberals dote on what they vainly call constitutional change; and our Conservatives cling tenaciously to things as they are, and the whole paraphernalia of politics is a seething mass of conflicting opinions, ideas and interests over whose bead war 'ls constantly hovering. No government that has yet been instituted has so far been satisfactory or safe," whether British, German, or any other sort, and if German arrogance and aggressiveness had not been fostered by British indifference and indolence we would not have to plough our way to international understandings through blood and fire. Those who have lightly taken the lives of nations into their keeping, whether arbitrarily, as m the case of Germany, or insidiously, as m Britain's case, have yet to receive from their peoplo the just reward of their deeds. Nature Is neither monarchic nor democratic, and just m as far as rolls of honor are strung out for valorous deeds on the battlefield, just so far will records of shame be the lot of those through whose instrumentality such deeds were made necessary. There is no escape; time will unfold what plaited cunning hides, as the scales have already fallen from many eyes. What of the benign Influence of Christianity? Do not both sides invoke the aid of the Deity? and the bloody carnage is carried on m hia name. Little use to bring a railine" accusation against the hapless Blayers of the people who seek to smother the accusing conscience that is already awakening within them. Verily, they will get their deserts. The day of visitation is near at hand. Christ, the plain, loving, just, strong' man, has been reduced to a mysterious abstraction; instead of living an a pulsating Examplar, Inspirer and Strengthener of men. In all likelihood one side or Jthe other In this shameful business will ere long sue. for an armistice m the hope of maintaining their power over the people, but such a condition, more Intolerable than war, can never be. Christ Is no myth, no abstraction, and this mortal strife will not cease Till the story of Judgment Is told And the mysteries of Heaven unfold; Till the Heralds of victory slug, And Christ la enthroned as our King. ) The strong delusion under which Britain labors — that a great blind forco can only be overcome by a greater blind force; that the devil only be cast out by a bigger devil, is an idea that tends only to utter annihilation. Armies and navies settle no grievances or misconceptions. How can thoy supply brains to our Imperial statesmen? Indeed, are they not an evidence of lack of wisdom m the heads of nations. Not more men, but better men is the world's urgent need, but these will not bo forthcoming until the people aro sick at heart of the present generation of tlrooservers. "Why aro wo fighting? Why do dogs fight; Perhaps of their own accord, perhaps on account of some inciting influence. The sooting process invariably appeals to tho lowest instincts In animal life; such attributes are expressed m whatever is destructive and brutish, and to call these by other names only tends to justify and confirm their existence and cannot alter their nature la the ulighteat degree. On tbe other hand, the. higher qualities m human nature, as represented In tho lowly Nazurine, who insisted on heart, not lip-aervlce, or© oh yot subordinated to the grrosaer, baser and more i temporal things of life. For what are |we fighting? To reelst Gorman aggression. Superficially, wo ore sacrlfloi log our lives for material possessions; essentially, as Is apparent to those who see tho lunar working of things, wo aro fighting for Individual liberty, a condition that can only be reached through individual character. And while we aro. m a spiritual souse, fighting to overcome the frailties of our own naturae, wo are at the some time fighting to free ouraelves from tho txmdtt and statutes that others have

unjustly imposed on us. Gorman, British patriot, shirker, coward and such like names, are mere terms m the mouths of different persons and should be regarded calmly. Empire, Justice, liberty, are terms often spoken of, little understood and less practised, and whimpering supplications for national safety from profane souls In time of danger avail nothing and are a national reproach. National greatness, as it is popularly spoken of is a myth, a delusion and a snare, as that height can only be reached by individual greatness taken m the aggregate. — Yours, eta. SEER.

Wellington