Storyteller.

White Ribbon, Volume 26, Issue 312, 18 June 1921, Page 6

Storyteller.

THE LAST WEAPON.

(< Vmtinued.) “My soil, if sinners entice tliec, consent thou not. If they say. Tome with us, let us lay in wait for hlooil, let us lurk privilj for tin* innocent without cause; let us swallow them alive as the grave, and whole as those that go down into the pit,’ M.v son, walk not thou in the ways with them, for their fit! run to evil and make I taste to shed blood. “They lay in wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own live*." Mr Rotensen rose, gave a stiff bow. and drew out a single sheet of paper for reference. “My . nvention, or discovery, madam and gentleman, is very simple. I have named it riellite. It travels swift as lightning—distance is of no consequence. Set free in any direction, it disperses itself through the air and blasts everything within its range, which can ho made practically limitless. It can as easily destroy ships, armies, fortifications, cities, as the whole vegetation of a country. “Nothing is secure from its effects, for it can tear apart the very bowels of the earth, should the enemy hide there. “If Sir Joshua eleets to deal W’ith me and secures for his country the monopoly of my discovery, you will end the war in perhaps a week, or even one day --I know not! Or the very threat of the use of Hellite may be sufficient. You have proclaimed in your nation that there can he no peace until you have crushed th£ enemy and demolished his military power for ever. lam here to offer you the greatest Peace making power the world has ever known. Armies, navies, armament works, battalions of human flesh and blood, will disappear from off the face of the earth Present and future enemies must bite the dust and take any terms you choose to offer, as to territory, commerce, and liberty, or else deliberately submit them selves to annihilation.” The man sat down and closed his lips firmly. Sir Joshua glanced at ms guests, and remained silent.

“Is this proved?” asked John Dissart, knowing his answer. “I should, of course, before the terms w’ere finally settled, wish to have the pleasure of proving my ease,” said Mr Rotensen quietly. “I have had s<»nie long technical conversations with Sir Joshua, and 1 understand he is satisfied.” “I have certainly gone into the matter very closely with Mr Rotensen,” said Sir Joshua, “and though he has not actually revealed to me the secret. 1 am convinced that he has got there, and l am prepared to sacrifice everything on behalf of this Last Weapon." “Sir Joshua may be trusted to know what he is doing!” put in Michael Forward. “He has never yet been known to let his shareholders through.” “And this stuff “began the Rev. Theohald Rogers. “Power, sir!” corrected Mr Rolen sen. “as electricity is power.” “I heg your pardon! Power, then. Pan it be generated easily. Is it costly?" “Enough to destroy an entire nation could be produced at the cost of a single liattleship.” “Where will the armament firms come in then?” struck in Michael Forward, jocosely. “I trust that 1 have never put m.v own advantage before that of my country!” said Sir Joshua severely. Resides. it would naturally pay any nation to buy out every armament firm within its borders to gain such ahsolute security at such an absurd cost." “Yes—l can see that!” mused the 1 Hiehess. “And, may T ask, does this Hellite hurt?" asked the Ruler of tho fI rent Church, He looked flushed and anxious. Sir Joshua nodded towards Mr Rotensen to answer the question. “Hurt!” he said, knitting his brows, and lifting his shoulders. "Rut what would you. my lord? Do not all your arms hurt? Are they not planned to hurt? No- perhaps lam wrong. They are planned to kill —as many as possible. All the countries at war are now calculating how’ many men they can kill every w r eek. and how long they will he able to offer the great flesh target. But the beauty of Hellite is that it kills as lightning kills—painless—perfectly satisfactory. We say farewell to horrible trenches, mutilations, savage

and demoralising onslaughts, murderous bombs, mines, and the rest. It only needs that your airmen should go up up over the enemy’s fleet, his arsenals, his armies, his country, and every thing is blasted as the lightning blasts. You can even project Hellite from your guns over an ocean width, and once set going, it —what shall I say?—it goes’. No, my lord, 1 can assure you that Hellite does not hurt. It is too swift to hurt. Indeed, I have called it the ‘Radiant pathway to the I 'nseen!* ” "Hut —” objected the ltuler. looking round him deprecatingly, "I am not quite sure whether the Great Church would feel able to support such a terrible means of destruction as Hellite seems to involve.” "Why not ” struck in Michael Forward. "Are you not my lord, already supporting a score of hideous devices for doing men to death? I)o you not bless battleships, and invest the money you earn in the service of the Prince of Peace in their manufacture, that we may have as many as |»ossible? Are you not urging your communicants to imin themselves in the use of those nice little toys, the bayonet and the bomb? Are you not preaching in your churches that force of arms is the only way to bring in your Master's King dom? Then surely the quicker and I the more effective the method, the better. naturally.” "Ah. well!” groaned the Duchess, "it certainly couldn’t be worse than what is going on now. Our shells are perfectly awful, and when our poor boys get hit in the stomach, or the spine, no words can say what they suffer. Then the noise—deafening, breaking their ear-drums and blinding them with the concussion. And of course these bayonet charges are certainly rather brutalising to all concerned, and if this new force could really shorten things—don’t you think, my dear Ruler, that we hould lie juslifled?” "Yefi —yes, perhaps so. At the same time there are certain recognised rules of humanity which we, as a nation, have learned to acknowledge, and I should be sorry for us to descend in the moral scale.” The Ruler felt he was ending lamely. Sir Joshua leaned forward, that he might brace himself to the t..sk he had expected would face him. He must have the Church behind him. or the scheme broke in his hands.

"Shall we look at al< this quite dispassionately,” he said, with forceful authority. ”1 was deeply interested in a remark you made last night, Ruler, or rather in that little piece of personal experience with which you honoured us. You explained that at one time you had advocated reduction in the means of force as a royal road to the blessing of Peace; but that you had learned that if force is to be used at all, it is the duty of every nation to see to it that she possesses the preponderating measure. “Now. far be it from me to wish to persuade any man against the dictates of his conscience. t only wish to show that the ease for the use of Hellite is practically universally admitted. »Ve are merely at last in a position to face the logical conclusion to which our theories have brought us. And certainly, Ruler, I feel with you. thai we should be guilty of turning traitor to the God of Battles if, at this hour, when we have deliberately put our Nation to the hazard of war. we were to refuse to use His lightning shafts of victory’“We have, perhaps, marvelled that He had not Intervened more pronouncedly on our side, seeing that our cause is the cause of righteousness and civilisation, but that has not been, so far. His holy will—lndeed, I confess it has sometimes appeared to me that the Almighty mast be neutral—but this quite providential offer from Mr Roten sen has cleared the view. Wo are agreed that war is horrible, hellish if you like, but that when once an enemy h;is plunged us into war. there is nothing for it but for us to defend ourselves and our friends by the most practical and scientific use of war methods. Now T put it to you all. do you or do you not believe that the future fate of the world rests upon the result of this w’ar?” “Oh. of course, of course’” came in a general murmur. "Then dare we deliberately cast this Last Weapon from us, or shall we raise ;t on high in the name of Almighty God, so that Peace and Righteousness may reign throughout the world?" Sir Joshua flung himself hack. But the battle was not yet won. “But —ah —what about the women and children?” asked the Duchess. “I don’t want to be contentious, but I suppose they would have to be very careful, or quite terrible things might happen.”

“Terrible things must always happen to women and children wherever war rages," said Sii Joshut. "That is in human nature. The blood lust Is aroused, and eontrol is lost. Still, we have always to face certain difficulties in the use of any method or weapon. As you know, for instance, excellent news is coming in as to the success in driving our enemy to his knees through our gradual starvation of the civil population. Starvation Is, 1 think we shall all admit, slow Hell- Hellite is quick Hell that is the only intrinsic difference.” "Frankly,” said the Rev. Theobalc’ Rogers, “I fear that some of our people may give trouble unless the matter is put to them with the greatest skill. And yet,” he smiled blandly, "1 have feared before, and it is wonderful how very sensibly the bulk of the memiiers and ministers of our Churches have taken this war. Our country stands first, at whatever cost, thank God.” ‘There is no question but that we mast take Hellite up, and at once, if Sir Joshua is satisfied,” said Michael Forward. “I will guarantee that there will be no trouble worth considering, especially if the full implication of the force at our disposal is not completely understood until—well, until after the event!" The Child slipped forward and stood beside the Ruler, and swiftly the Son of Fear went to the other side. "I don't know! ’ he said anxiously. "I fear—l mean I really don’t see how we can think of such a thing!" “But suppose we do not use this I*ast Weapon, my dear Ruler, what do you suppose w’ill happen?” asked John Dissart slowly, ns though he had not yet made up his mind. “Well, I suppose ” he looked at Mr Rotensen doubtfully. “I have come here first,” said Mr Rotensen, “because I should prefer to throw the advantage of my discovery into your scale; but of course business is business, and should I fail to get support here, I shall be obliged to make my offer to your enemy. It did strike me,” and he smiled curiously, "as to whether you would have any doubts, but I fancy your enemy would have none!” The Son of Fear smiled triumphantly at the Child, as he left the Ruler’s side and whispered in the Duchess’s ear.

"Good heavens!" she exclaimed. “You mean that the enem> could set this Hellite going, to devastate our land and murder every rnan, woman and child in a single night?" "That is practically so," said Mi Rotensen coolly. "If once Hellite is set going nothing can stop it—nothing can protect from it. As I have said, it is the Last Weapon." "Then of course we dare not let it go to the enemy!" admitted the Duchess. "Why, it might mean—well, anything!" "Exactly, madam.” said Mr Rotensen. "Of course," said the Ruler, arguing furiously with himself, "it would certainly he safer for us to secure the monopoly of such a force, because we could always t>e trusted to use it with discretion.” "An excellent argument. Ruler," struck in John Dissart. "Possessed ol this power at our Lick, we could speak with authority as to peace and friendship between nations! If all the world realised that we and our friend Neutralia possessed the Last Weapon the greatest force known under Heaven —we should rule the world according 1< the great ideals bestowed upon us b> the Almighty." "Yet there remains a greater for< e than Hellite, and you know it!" whispered the Child to the Ruler, as he moved in front of him and looked up into his eyes. The Ruler turned deadly pale, an-' grasped the sides of his chair. "Why, Child?" he breathed, somehow aware that the Vision was to himself alone. "Why hast thou cast away the Ma tor’s sword and taken up the weapons of Pear?” demanded the Child with flashing eyes. "Who art thou?" pleaded the Ruler. "I am a messenger from thy Master, sent to tear aside the delusions of the Prince of Fear. Look up. and see the end to which thou art leading the flock of God!" The Ruler tried to open bis lips, but be was dumb in the presence of the Child. "Is it not written. ‘Not by might nor by power, but by Vly Spirit, said the Lord?’ Where hast thou mislaid the sword of the spirit, that thou darest to raise the lightning shafts forged by the Prince of Darkness, that you mayest fling them at the brothers and sisters of

tla* Christ God, Whom thou tallest the enemy T' Again the Ruler sat tongue-tied. "The sheep verily perish, because their shepherds have fled. Hast thou no faith to break the power of the enemy, us He broke it? By Love alone shall Pyace rule the world, for Love is the Weapon! Yet thou fliesl from its use, as from some traitorous plague. Hellite or Love which wilt thou offer to thy peopleT’ Tin Ruler staggered up from his chair and fell upon his knees. "My dear Ruler, you are ill?" c\ claimed Sir Joshua. "Allow me " "Thank you! Thank you!" He put his hand to his head. "Yes I fear I must have had a slight turn. If you would be good enough to call a taxi ’’ The taxi was railed, and the Ruler left the Conference. "I fear wc may have trouble in that quarter," said Sir Joshua as he returned from seeing the Ruler off. "I think not," said John Dissart. "The Great Church has never gone against the State in any national matter, and she will see at once that any disloyalty to the use of this world-force would be treachery of the deepest dye." “And you really think that if we took up Hellite. we could get this war ended in a month, and settle down again to peace and prosperity?" asked the Duchess. "There is no reason wnatever against it." said Mr Rotensen. with a polite bow. "The great thing." said Sir Joshua, "for us to do new, is to keep the secret absolutely, and yet at the same time to accustom thw people’s minds to the idea that some greater force is needed Ihan we possess at present. We can all help in our own way." "Yes. yes." The murmur of agreement was general. (To be Continued.)