Billions of dollars are being appropriated annually to maintain several millions of strong healthy people now in military service in all nations. These people, if they were gainfully employed in their countries, would increase the wealth of their own nations and that of the whole world. As conditions are at present, the inactive standing armies of the most powerful nations are only a burden to the older and weaker citizens, who are compelled to work and pay taxes to maintain a group that is idle.

If people really had noble feelings and did not foster in themselves greed and animal instincts--if they were to follow the words of our Divine Master: "Love the neighbor as thyself," and "Whatsoever we would that men should do to you, do we even so to them"--their armies and instruments of death would be unnecessary. We should then have paradise on earth. Everyone would wish 2well to others, and there would then be no thought of murdering one another in order to grasp and deprive others physically less strong of their property. As long as people retain low, aggressive, and bloody instincts, so long will peace have to be maintained by means of powerful armaments. If there were no aggressors and attackers, then there would be no need of defense. If Poland had believed in armed peace and had at all times been prepared to repel its enemies, it would today be an autonomous nation, and our people would not groan in servitude. Because our forefathers failed to maintain armed peace in Poland, we must bear the sad consequences of this carelessness or shortsightedness.

It is no wonder that some nations are arming themselves, and others are following suit. Let one country fail in this activity, and the others will immediately profit by such an opportunity and pounce upon the less well armed opponent in order to rend it asunder. When we know that a thief is only awaiting an opportunity to break into our house for the purpose of robbery and of injuring us bodily in the event of opposition, then we certainly guard

our gates, build high fences, place guards, unleash huge dogs, and are prepared for any eventuality in order to defend ourselves against attack. If there were no robbers and murderers, then these means of safety would also be unnecessary. A nation is like an individual; if it fears attack by aggressive neighbors, it guards its boundaries, maintains an army in strong forts, arms it as well as it can, and holds it in readiness to repel the enemy. It would be necessary for humanity to be fundamentally reformed so as to renounce all desire for others' property in order to be delivered from the need for armies, fortresses, cannons, swords, and guns. All the nations of the world would then constitute our large family. Unfortunately, however, such conditions will not be realized for some time to come. And so if nations wish to maintain world peace, they must of necessity arm themselves. Poland would also arm itself if it only could that it might forcibly reposses that what was stolen from it by the three political bandits, Russia, Austria, and Germany.

Every one doubtless is astonished that the United States, which in the year 1910 has only 114,000 officers and men in its regular army, has spent so 4huge a sum as $262,000,000 to maintain its army and navy. This amount is only $19,000,000 less than that necessary to maintain Russia's huge army. This may be explained by the fact that an American soldier is far better paid than those of European or Asiatic nations. The military man here is better fed and clothed, and millions of dollars are set aside for veterans' pensions, even for those who during their term of service never smelled gunpowder--who never were in battle and did not suffer any wounds in defense of the nation. The maintenance of a powerful navy also involves great expense. The American Navy is steadily being increased and is being better aimed and equipped. Our shore batteries and forts are also being strengthened at great cost.

And so it may be seen by every one why our expenses are so huge in the maintenance of armed peace. A nation as wealthy as the United States can afford to incur such expense without great damage to itself, but other nations, less wealthy and not so fortunate, would fall into debt and financial ruin if they were to spend so huge an amount to maintain armies and 5navies. This colossal sum would certainly be more useful if it were diverted, for example, to educational purposes, to old age pensions, to retired workers, and to other humanitarian purposes. But in view of the fact that today the whole world stands armed, and nations only await their opportunity to steal property and liberty from other nations, America is compelled to be armed if it does not wish to lose its freedom and its property. And yet men might get along without grabbing the property of their fellows and without murdering one another.