ESSAYS 135 



them of sunlight and air, choking them with its poisonous needles. But few trees 

 permit vegetation to thrive ; and all, if at all crowded, seek to over-top or thrust 

 their neighbours aside in the struggle to reach sunlight and air. 



A similar struggle exists in the animal world. Most types of animals prey on 

 others. The exceptions, those which are in no way carnivorous, are themselves 

 invariably preyed upon in the wild state by the better armed and more ferocious. 

 It is noticeable that all animals are armed in one fashion or another for defence, 

 and those armed for offence are the most savage. 



Of all animals man is the most ferocious. With the exception of the leopard, 

 the weasel, and one or two other types, he is the only one that kills for sport and 

 for the very love of it. He also conducts a ruthless war of extermination against 

 all animals or vegetables which so much as incommode him. He destroys even 

 their very breeding-grounds. 



It is to be noted that carnivorous beasts of the most savage type seldom attack 

 or prey upon each other except when driven to extremes by starvation. This 

 absention appears, however, to be due to fear ; for a wounded or sick wolf, for 

 instance, is generally killed and devoured by his comrades. Some domesticated 

 animals, on the other hand, have been cured of their propensity for the destruction 

 of their own kind by man, by the expedients of punishment and the supply of 

 ample food. Man has constituted himself the master, and exercises absolute 

 control over the actions of the animals he has domesticated. He permits only 

 such liberty as suits him or as is essential to enable them to execute the tasks he 

 sets them. They are his slaves. If, then, it is desired to cure man, himself, of 

 his propensity for the destruction of his own kind, it is, presumably, necessary to 

 domesticate him and to establish a ruling authority, if none such already exists, 

 which shall provide him with a sufficiency of food, with such comforts and luxuries 

 as he desires, with a fair portion of liberty, and certain and severe punishment if 

 he attacks his neighbours. 



Is there such a Ruling Authority ? 



Any attempt at a scientific study of war must inevitably bring us to this 

 question, and the solution of the problem is quite impossible unless it be honestly 

 tackled. 



There is no evidence, worthy of the name, that the writer has ever been able 

 to discover in his studies of history to show that the Almighty concerns Himself 

 in the slightest degree with the struggles of men. This, in spite of the fact that 

 combatant armies and nations are accustomed to offer up prayers for victory, 

 asseverating loudly that they have justice on their side, and that the opponent is 

 unworthy of consideration. How can we account for the fact that the Almighty, 

 being both omniscient and omnipotent, pays no regard to the piteous supplications 

 of humanity, and permits the horrible turmoil to continue as if we were but 

 communities of ants? 



Neither does He apparently exercise, in a direct manner at least, penal 

 authority, the powers of a judge, over mankind in ordinary social intercourse j 

 for if He did there would be no necessity for our own judges, juries, law courts, 

 or police force. It has been said that "the mills of God grind slowly, but they 

 grind exceeding small.'' That may be so ; but punishment inflicted long after the 

 offence has been forgotten is no deterrent to crime. Hence it is that society is 

 obliged to adopt measures to safeguard itself. 



It is clear then that similar measures, which have been proved by long 



