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 THE 
 
 REASON FOR 
 WAR 
 
 By 
 JAMES W. JOHNSON 
 
 
 If it is true, believe it ; 
 If you believe it, teach it ; 
 If you teach it, the truth 
 will prevail. 
 
•»•"* 
 
The Reason 
 for War 
 
 BY 
 JAMES W. JOHNSON 
 
 Come now let us reason together 
 saith the Lord. " 
 
 1915: 
 
 THE LUMITONE COMPANY 
 
 1 Riverdale Avenue, New York 
 
/*' 
 
 - " her 
 WAR 6 /g /6 
 
The Reason For War. 
 
 IS this to be the last War? The ques- 
 tion is often asked and it receives 
 many answers. Our peace-loving friends 
 would have us believe that if we would 
 lay aside our army and navy the other 
 nations, admiring our fine example of 
 reliance on the principles of righteous- 
 ness, would do likewise and so there 
 could be no future war because there 
 would be nothing to fight with. Fur- 
 thermore, the doing away with the im- 
 plements of war would show such a 
 splendid trust in the amity and good will 
 of other nations that a like feeling of 
 peace and good will to all mankind would 
 be aroused in them and therefore they 
 would, in consequence, be ashamed of 
 their former warlike propensities and 
 would, with glad hearts and loud ac- 
 claim, herald the dawn of international 
 good will, the long-looked- for and earn- 
 estly prayed-for realization of the dream 
 3 
 
of all sincere admirers of the Prince ot 
 Peace. What a beautiful faith in the 
 inherent nobility of mankind shines forth 
 in the belief of our pacifist friends! 
 
 Then, again, the men of war — the men 
 of Belial, they might be termed by the 
 pacifists — hold just the opposite view and 
 for just the opposite reason. They say 
 that since war has always existed in the 
 world, due to the quite reasonable am- 
 bition to make one's own national ideals 
 paramount, or because of mankind's 
 natural greed and the baser motives com- 
 mon to all, that therefore war will al- 
 ways continue, at least for many genera- 
 tions to come, until the ideals of the 
 world have been elevated far above the 
 present standard. 
 
 Still others see in war splendid results. 
 They hold that it stimulates, purifies and 
 ennobles by reason of its terrible suffer- 
 ings, sacrifices and the giving up of all 
 for worthy aims. They would recall the 
 splendid results of our war for inde- 
 pendence and our more terrible war for 
 the preservation of the integrity of our, 
 4 
 
nation when the blue and gray forgot 
 their brotherhood in their loyalty to 
 their idealism. 
 
 Many other answers can be found to 
 speak the uncertainty of the world as to 
 whether or no this most terrible of all 
 wars our world has seen is to be the last 
 great conflict of the nations. 
 
 Perhaps if we should consider some 
 of the reasons given for the present war 
 we might be better able to give a satis- 
 factory answer. 
 
 Among the reasons presented are : 
 
 1. German imperialism and German 
 ambition, Germany's will to win her place 
 in the sun and Germany's ruthlessness in 
 so doing, as witnessed by the ruin of 
 Belgium. It is said that if Germany 
 should achieve her aims and win the 
 place in the sun she so ardently desires, 
 other nations would soon find themselves 
 eclipsed and more than that, finally sub- 
 ject to the wonderful energy and tre- 
 mendous force of the Teuton giant. So 
 that the safety of the world demands an 
 impediment placed in the way of such a 
 5 
 
contingency. This opinion of the nations 
 seems justified by the facts ~of the war 
 thus far made evident. And yet I feel 
 sure we have not stated the ultimate 
 reason for the war. 
 
 2. Again, many find in England's jeal- 
 ousy and alarm at Germany's marvellous 
 commercial expansion the real reason for 
 the war. For many years now England 
 has been mistress of the sea. Her proud 
 title is justified by the fact that the sun 
 never sets on her wide empire ; that the 
 numerous colonies need the protection of 
 the mighty fleet, and more than all that, 
 where English policy is dominant there 
 the races of mankind are benefited by 
 those ideals of justice and thrift which 
 have been approved as sound by the 
 greatest Teacher the world has ever seen, 
 the Galilean. 
 
 It is claimed that Germany's ideals are 
 in direct conflict with those of England 
 and that the world approves our Eng- 
 lish cousins in taking up the gage thrown 
 down by Germany when she trampled 
 into dust and blood her Belgian neigh- 
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bors, thereby clearly outraging that sense 
 of justice and mercy common to man- 
 kind. So that here, indeed, is found a 
 reason adequate for the war. However 
 this may be, I will beg to differ from this 
 most reasonable conclusion and state most 
 emphatically that we have not yet found 
 the reason for the war. 
 
 3. Another theory is the deep-seated 
 revenge of France. About forty years 
 ago the heart of France was sorely 
 wounded by the loss of her two beautiful 
 daughters, Alsace and Lorraine. Ger- 
 many was the brutal ravisher. Like a 
 tiger stung to madness by the cruel loss, 
 France has waited for the opportunity 
 to spring at the throat of her neighbor ; 
 and now at last the time has come and all 
 her children are heart and soul fired with 
 a spirit of revenge that will be satisfied 
 by nothing less than German life and 
 blood and the recovery of beautiful Al- 
 sace and Lorraine. Single-handed, 
 France could never have succeeded, but 
 now that her powerful friends, England 
 and Russia, are found willing to join 
 
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hands with her in curbing once and for 
 all the dangerous tendencies of German 
 ruthlessness, she believes her hope may 
 be attained. Once again it may be frankly 
 replied we have not vet found the reason 
 for the war. 
 
 4. It is a long way from the sunny 
 fields of France to the cold and frozen 
 heart of Russia. But the stream of mad- 
 ness flows very swiftly in these days of 
 war, and the torpid, sluggish, frozen 
 Russian has become aroused at last, the 
 summons to war has met a quick and 
 ready response, the growl of the bear is 
 heard, his claws and cruel mouth are 
 stained with the blood of his Western 
 neighbors and his dull heart is fired with 
 what lie thinks a noble ambition, to sweep 
 away at last the barriers which for so 
 many centuries have, like a wall of ada- 
 mant, withstood his progress to the sea. 
 At last an open port is in sight, and that 
 port Constantinople. A door of wider 
 opportunity is opening and soon Russia 
 hopes that her immense grain fields will 
 prove a veritable stream of gold in pro- 
 
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viding food for many millions beyond 
 her borders. Surely none can find fault 
 with so noble an enterprise, none can 
 question the right of Russia to improve 
 and develop her people and incidentally 
 to increase her wealth. Is she not justi- 
 fied in entering the tremendous conflict 
 and making the most of that opportunity 
 now presented by joining the allies and 
 winning her way not to the sun but to 
 the sea? Single-handed, she, too, could 
 not hope to achieve her aim for many 
 years to come, because time, much time, 
 is needed yet to develop her resources 
 and teach her millions those lessons of 
 obedience, sacrifice and manhood abso- 
 lutely essential in contending successfully 
 with such an antagonist as Germany. 
 
 Have we not at last the answer, or rather 
 is not the answer to be found by the 
 combining of all the facts stated regard- 
 ing Germany, England, France and Rus- 
 sie? Is not the war due to the jealousies, 
 fears and false ambitions of all these na- 
 tions of Europe? Once again we must 
 say no ; but we will admit that all of 
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these are secondary or contributory 
 causes. 
 
 Let us try once again. Italy, the land 
 of poetry and song, the land of art and 
 sculpture, the home of the beautiful, the 
 aesthetic, the delicate ; Italy, whose won- 
 derful climate and more wonderful peo- 
 ple draw to themselves all the admirers 
 of the elevated, the pure, the charming; 
 Italy, even Italy has at last drawn the 
 sword and become partner in this feast 
 of rage, passion, blood and devilishness. 
 Moreover, her enemies say that Italy is 
 a traitor, a turncoat, a coward, waiting 
 until her allies, Germany and Austria, 
 are surrounded by the foe and weakened 
 by many a hard-fought battle, then leav- 
 ing them in the lurch and joining hands 
 with the Allies because she believes the 
 Allies will win and that she will be a 
 sharer in the spoils of war. My opinion 
 is that such statements are unjust to 
 Italy. Rather do I believe that Italy, 
 finding herself allied with nations who 
 believe that scraps of paper may be de- 
 stroyed at will, that solemn treaties may 
 10 
 
be abrogated if national ambitions run 
 counter to them, has decided to leave 
 such partners, finding their methods in- 
 compatible with her sense of reason and 
 right, and has chosen wisely the best time 
 for doing so. What folly for her in the 
 beginning of the war to have taken such 
 a step as she now has taken ! All the 
 world was amazed, stunned, at such ac- 
 tion on the part of Germany. The con- 
 fusion of ideas arising from such a piece 
 of folly, the uncertainty as to her best 
 future policy quite natural under the con- 
 ditions, and the unquestioned ruin she 
 would bring upon herself if in revenge at 
 her disloyalty the armies of Austria 
 "came down like a wolf on the fold, their 
 cohorts all gleaming i n purple and gold" : 
 all these seem to me good and sufficient 
 reasons for Italy doing as she has done. 
 If I find that my partners are rascals, 
 shall I forfeit my self-respect by contin- 
 uing my partnership with them ? 
 
 Have we not at last found the reason, 
 the true reason for the war in Italy's de- 
 cision ; a decision in harmony with the 
 sentiments of the world condemning the 
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ruthlessness and barbarity of Germany 
 and Austria? And once more shall we 
 say, most emphatically, no ! 
 
 Let us not puzzle ourselves any fur- 
 ther, but say that the true reason for this 
 war and all the wars the world has ever 
 seen is found in the eating of an apple. 
 Ages and ages ago, when the soul of man 
 was born, there began a conflict in that 
 soul entailing all the sorrow, all the tears, 
 all the bloodshed and all the sin of man. 
 It will be recalled that the scene was a 
 beautiful garden filled with luscious fruits 
 and fragrant flowers. The Owner of the 
 garden, a man, a woman, and a serpent 
 were the actors in a tragedy. The ser- 
 pent beguiled the woman and tempted 
 her to eat an apple ; she induced her hus- 
 band to partake. The Owner of the 
 garden was angry at the man and the 
 woman because He had told them not to 
 eat the fruit of that particular tree. In 
 His anger He drove them out of the gar- 
 den because of their disobedience. The 
 descendants of the man and woman in- 
 herited their tendency to disobey, and so 
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sin came into the world. All will admit 
 that if there was no sin in the world there 
 would be no sorrow, no tears, no crime, 
 no war, for all would live at peace and 
 every one would think as carefully of 
 his neighbor's rights and happiness as of 
 his own. Xow, war is like an epileptic 
 lit. When the fit comes on the patient 
 falls to the ground, wallowing and foam- 
 ing; he is bereft of reason and is alto- 
 gether a most disgusting and fearful ob- 
 ject. The fit passes, reason returns and 
 the patient becomes quite normal again. 
 But the disease is still there and only 
 time is needed for the recurrence of the 
 terrible symptoms, declaring most posi- 
 tively there is no hope of release for the 
 tortured sufferer until the cause of the 
 disease is removed. All the wars of the 
 world are but the recurring fits of mad- 
 ness and insanity which will surely con- 
 tinue to afflict mankind until the disease 
 of sin is removed. Is there no hope? 
 There still stands, glorious and beautiful, 
 that tree whose leaves are for the heal- 
 ing of the nations. The leaves are a ? ure 
 panacea, a never-failing cure for the ter- 
 13 
 
rible curse. All the world knows of the 
 cure, ten thousand times ten thousand 
 souls will swear to its wondrous power 
 in their own lives and the glorious peace 
 and calm content that follows like a bene- 
 diction falling on the troubled hearts of 
 those who take the Master at His word, 
 who heed His call: "Come unto me and 
 rest, take my yoke upon you and learn 
 of me, for my yoke is easy and my bur- 
 den is light." 
 
 i & j 
 
 Again, war is the rod in the hand of 
 Almighty God, laid on the backs of dis- 
 obedient children who continually flout 
 Him, break His laws and follow their 
 own wills. Some day the world will 
 wake up to the fact that it is folly to 
 arouse His anger and to invite the light- 
 ning of His wrath by such asininity, 
 when it is very much more comfortable 
 and pleasant to live in harmony with 
 Him and to enjoy the favor of His ap- 
 proval. He showers His richest blessings 
 on those who seek Him and who try to 
 order their lives in accordance with His 
 commands. 
 
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It needs but brief consideration to 
 show clearly the relationship between sin 
 and war. It was admitted that the am- 
 bitions of Germany, the greed, the jeal- 
 ousy and fears of England, the revenge 
 of France and the aims of Russia have 
 had much to do with the war ; undoubt- 
 edly they are secondary and contributory 
 causes. It only remains to show how 
 these secondary causes are due to sin. 
 Are not these secondary causes plainly 
 the result of forgetting or of breaking 
 the law of God where He says: "Thou 
 shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." 
 
 How is love for one's neighbor to be 
 reconciled with an ambition so cruel and 
 ruthless that the ruin of a nation of seven 
 millions is but an incident ? How is love 
 for one's neighbor to be reconciled with 
 the ideals of an empire willing to reduce 
 a nation of over three hundred millions 
 to the depths of vice and crime by forc- 
 ing upon them use of opium, with all its 
 horrors for the love of money? How is 
 love for one's neighbor to be reconciled 
 with the fierce and fearful spirit of re- 
 15 
 
venge that for forty years has been one 
 of the guiding- impulses of a mighty na- 
 tion? "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," 
 saith the Lord, has been entirely over- 
 looked, forgotten or disregarded. How 
 is love for one's neighbor to be recon- 
 ciled with that absolute disregard of 
 one's own people, that terrible, cold, cal- 
 culating, indomitable grinding down and 
 blotting out of all the hopes, longings 
 and aims inherent in the human soul, 
 seen in the cruelty of Russia? 
 
 Is any further evidence needed to 
 show the intimate relationship between 
 sin and these secondary or contributory 
 causes of the war? If breaking the law 
 of God is sin, surely the nations of the 
 world have sinned most grievously. And 
 yet this is only a part of the black record. 
 What shall we say of drunkenness, vice, 
 murder, indifference to the suffering of 
 toiling, dying men and women around 
 us? What shall we say of that lack of 
 appreciation of the mercy and love of an 
 infinite God so clearly proven by the 
 worldly, selfish, pleasure-loving multi- 
 
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tudes, both in arid out of the church, 
 which merits the comment, "Without 
 God and without hope in the world"? 
 Surely the lightnings of His fury and the 
 thunderbolts of His wrath are more than 
 justified. And should our fair land, too, 
 be wrapped in the consuming flame of 
 His punishments, would we not bow our 
 heads most humbly and say, with con- 
 trite heart: In all Thy dealings with 
 Thy children Thou art just? 
 
 James W. Johnson. 
 
 Xew York, June, 1915. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 021 547 612 1 #