166 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



God of battles, and the primitive morality of right as might. It brings 

 rest to the higher brain centers, it brings social relaxation, it brings 

 release from the high tension which is the condition of progress. After 

 the war, almost in a day, the nation resumes its accustomed moral 

 standards, just as the debauchee returns to his daily life chastened and 

 subdued. 



If the theory of war here suggested is correct, it might be inferred 

 that in modern times, as life becomes more rapid and more strenuous 

 and the brain tension greater, wars would become more and more neces- 

 sary to relieve the tension and restore equilibrium. It is true that with 

 the heightening of mental life, relaxation of some kind becomes more 

 and more imperative. But with the growth of intelligence the absurdity, 

 futility, and unreason of war as a means of settling disputes becomes 

 more and more evident and with the increase of culture and refinement 

 and of Christian love and sympathy the spectacle of war becomes more 

 and more anomalous and grotesque, so that we have in modern times 

 powerful counteracting forces — forces which are still further augmented 

 by the vigorous humanitarian movements of the times. The motives 

 which make for peace are so great and the absurdity of war so apparent 

 that the fact that wars continue quite as general and quite as frequent 

 as in former times shows that the deep-lying psychological forces which 

 lead to war are more powerful than ever. 



In case some way is found to prevent international rivalries, if war 

 between nations is made less and less possible by schemes of international 

 arbitration and conciliation, why, then, it is probable, unless we also 

 discover some method of diminishing the mental tension of our present 

 mode of life, that "unrest," social irritability and probably civil wars 

 will increase. Professor James was wholly right when he hoped for 

 some substitute for war. 



The fact is that it does not take a very careful reader of the human 

 mind to see that all the Utopias and all the socialistic schemes are based 

 on a mistaken motion of the nature of this mind. 



In fact, it is by no means sure that what man wants is peace, and 

 quiet and tranquility. That is too close to ennui, which is his greatest 

 dread. What man wants is not peace, but a battle. He must pit his 

 force against someone or something. Every language is most rich in 

 synonyms for battle, war, contest, conflict, quarrel, combat, fight. Ger- 

 man children play all day long with their toy soldiers. Our sports take 

 the form of contests in football, baseball, and hundreds of others. Prize- 

 fights, dog-fights, cock-fights have pleased in all ages. When Eome for 

 a season was not engaged in real war, Claudius staged a sea-fight for the 

 delectation of an immense concourse, in which 19,000 gladiators were 

 compelled to take a tragic part, so that the ships were broken to pieces 

 and the waters of the lake were red with blood. 



