The Wanganui Chronicle. SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 1940. THE DEBITS OF WAR

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 84, Issue 86, 13 April 1940, Page 6

The Wanganui Chronicle. SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 1940. THE DEBITS OF WAR

JT has been claimed by militarist apologists that war has a beneficent influence on the human race, because it brings out the cardinal virtues of courage and endurance and that it also keeps alive the spirit of adventure in the race. It is true that such virtues find room for exercise in time of war. that the aggressive spirit necessary for the maiWenance of manliness in a people is developed, so that invasion may be resisted. and it is equally true that a spirit of comradeship is born amongst those who serve in the same regiments which is very deep and long lasting. There can be no doubt that heroism is developed in wartime, and that incidents which are thus presented to the nation provide an inspiration for a long time afterwards. There is every reason for being thankful to the warrior. There is, nevertheless, another side of war which it is well to bear in mind. Jt has its debits as well as its credits, and as a good businessman watches his liabilities and his property deterioration, so must a nation which is wisely governed pay constant heed to the liabilities and deteriorations caused by any period of excessive stress. War arises from a multitude of causes, and they are not always the same causes. Those who think that they can find a short, simple answer to the cause of every war are simply beating the air. Wars are caused by various factors, many of which go a long way back. It is natural for some people, however, to seek to excuse, their own inactivity by finding fault with the war. This is an activity of which the community will to-day not be free. When war breaks out. however, the situation must be faced. Then there is the monetary cost of the war. Ibis is looked upon by some people as easting a tremendous burden on future generations. Perhaps it does, but it must be remembered that 'lie future generations will—it is io be hoped—be the beneficiaries of those who carry the present war to a successful conclusion. It is not unreasonable to suggest that those who benefit in the years to come shall carry some of the cost ot those benefits. This is the basic .justification for the raising of war loans, which loans shall be repayable in the future. Further, it must be, remembered that with each succeeding year there is an improvement in the methods of industrial technique and. consequently. every such advance makes the community richer. New Zealand will, as far as can lie seen, be immeasurably more wealthy in a hundred years time than she is to-day, and conse- . quently any part of the debt-burden which may be then existing will be very much lighter in its weight than it would be to-day. But these debits of war are not the most serious with which the nation has to contend. AV ar is dysgenic in its influence, foi it eliminates the fit, and leaves the unfit to reproduce and carry on the race. A few generations engaged in warfare, therefore, arc likely to impair the efficiency of the racial stock to a very serious degree. This debit on the heading of the health bill is something in addition to the damage caused by actual wartime casualties. It has been claimed that Ofc French nation lost some three inches in average height as a result of the Napoleonic Wars. This dysgenic influence of war is one of the most serious of racial problems. More serious st ill, however, is the moral deteriorat ion winch is involved in a war. War is of itself a breakdown in human relationships. Law is laid aside to a great extent, the objective is mainly destructive, property and individual rights must, by reason of military necessity, be overridden. Family associations are destroyed, social conventions cease to have their restraining influence, the fear of a short life encourages the conduct of thoughtlessness and indulgence, and under the impact of these circumstances the general fabric of society is put to a severe strain. The greater the moral reserves of a nation the more resistance will it offer to any given anti-social pressure, but it can be taken for granted that crime will increase, that respect for the rights of others will weaken, and that generally a serious decline in wellbeing and in conduct will take place as a direct result of any war. The result of this general deterioration in the character of the mass will be a loss of leaders. Germany could not have come under the spel] of Hitler she has not been so barren of national leaders. Her industrialists sought to gain a respite from their troubled conditions by subsidising Hitler, not caring how he went about smashing the trades unions; they could not see that the, Frankestein Monster of their own money’s creation would be likely to turn upon themselves. In a higher society, that is, one in which moral conceptions had greater force, such conduct would not have been indulged in by the, industrialists, and they would have been saved from the present plight of their counterparts in Germany to-day. The problem which confronts New Zealand to-day is how can this moral deterioration, which is a concomitant of war, be brought to the narrowest of limits? The Dominion of New Zealand will be the most successful to the extent that it can preserve its moral foundations and reservoirs, and will become the poorer in a fundamental sense with every damage to the foundations and every leakage from the reservoirs. The problem of preserving the moral reserves is not an easy one. but those who will give thought to this fundamental problem will be doing a lasting service to their country, and to their race, and be serving the highest ends which it is Ihe privilege of man to dedicate himself.