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Southland Times, Issue 10056, 5 January 1889, Page 2

Is the project of a general disarmament oniy a dream ? It haa been often talked of by the advocates of peace as at least a possibility. "Let us lay aside our weapons," tbey nay, "and settle our disputes by arbitration, and not by trying which of u» can kill most of tho others." There is nothing mora absurd than war ; and yet some hold tbat it ia the natural condition of mankind. It looks ratbofiike it too ; its universality at least wonld seem to say so. Everywhere there is strife, amongst the lower creatures as well au amongst men. Life itself is called a bittle : wo have to fight in order to -live. Most of Os however wish for peace, see something of the beauty and feel some-, thing of the blessedness of it. We can indeed wieh nothing better either for ourselves or for others ; and there ia a goneral conviction tbat our wishes will some day be fulfilled, that those belli, which have so often jangled over a " glorious victoiy " will ; yet Hag in the thousand years of peace. What then is tbe meaning of ali these huge armies? After Waterloo there was a long mil. Europe was on a peace establishment. The standing armies were comparatively small. Tbere were some quarrels and a little fighting, but no great war for near forty year*. It waß Napoleon 111 that began the game of big armies, a game which led, by a kind of poetical justice, to his own downfall. The Crimean war inaugurated the new order of things. Not that tbe numbers engaged in that tremendous conflict were ever very large, compared, that is, with the numbers engaged in subsequent wars. But the period of. peace then came to an end. Every successive war bas led to an increase in tbe armaments of tbe Great Powers, until En -ope may now be said to be one ?reat military camp. There are somo twelve millions of man, or more, trained to arras amongst the Continental natives. What does all this training and aiming mean ? 'Is it for thi) great battle of Armageddon, about which the prophecy mongers are so greatly exercised ? Or is that battle already fought, and are the great overgrown armies simply intended to reduce thegam^ of war to an absurdity ? Are they there only to be disbanded? A telegram whish was published on Tuesday stated that Mr Gladstone had wiitten a letter to an Italian nobleman in which he expressed tbe opinion that tbe present junctnre was a fitting one for a grand appeal in favour of arbitration. The Great Powe's certainly look somewhat foolish. They have got their armiea together, and apparently know not ffha. to do with tbem. None of them seems to bave aoy definite object in view ; but they are all watching one another and waiting as it were to see what will turn up. If Mr Gladntone could only persnade them to disband and betake themselves to peaceful occupation* !