Professor Edwin Sparks delivered a lecture the other day to the students of the University of Chicago on the subject of false and true patriotism. In his lecture the professor sharply criticized the superficial way in which teachers in the public schools are dealing with the subject of war; he fearlessly pointed out the harvests a nation reaps after any war or conflict involving violence.

He expressed his opinion somewhat as follows: War causes lawlessness. During the past twenty-five years, 1,500 lynchings have taken place in the United States. No other nation which lays claim to being civilized would have permitted such occurrences. In our schools, too much is spoken of the honor gained in war and too little of the sufferings resulting from war. The worst result of war is the lawlessness from which society suffers when the war is over. The enormous power granted the military powers, their right to confiscate property and to kill people has fascinated our people and still fascinates them.

War! A popular and vigorous election call. No political party or candidate has opposed war without having to suffer, later on, the consequences of this attitude. In 1861 the Democratic party was forced by circumstances to oppose war, and it was twenty-five years before the party succeeded in electing a president of its own platform. Our history is filled with examples of similar portent.

War is intolerant and illogical. Personal liberty and freedom of speech may exist in peace time, but in time of war, the individual has neither freedom of speech nor freedom of action. In spite of these facts, our teachers of history in the schools praise war as though it were something to be desired.

"If I were a teacher of history," Professor Sparks went on, "I would tell the pupils what Thomas Jefferson said about war: 'War makes great generals but also widows and orphans. War may bring honor to a nation, but it also brings a large national debt'."

The real patriot, said Professor Sparks, is he who pays his taxes when due; who never is too busy to vote on the day of election; who is too honest to try to "buy" a congressman, or to defraud the government.