38 PHYSICAL FORCE 



of Christianity. Is it to be perpetuated or destroyed 

 by science ? 



Some thought science had already made war 

 impossible. As it has not, it may be concluded 

 that no future development of science, however 

 world-shattering, will of itself have that effect. 

 Others thought that the sensitive and elaborate 

 ramifications of international commerce and credit 

 would effectually prevent war, or quench it quickly 

 if it broke out, relying, as it seems, on a cobweb to 

 stop the rush of a tiger. Everyone of us will carry 

 to our graves some real knowledge of what modern 

 war is and means. Future generations, let us hope 

 at least, will know as little about it as we ourselves 

 knew a couple of years ago. They will read about 

 it in books, as we read, and it will mean as little in 

 comparison to them as the Napoleonic Wars meant 

 to us. It is our duty, therefore, to spend our lives 

 and brains thinking this thing out for ourselves. 

 It must not be left for our successors to relearn all 

 over again. 



We are faced with a new factor of unlimited 

 possibilities of development. Science will not stand 

 still, even though the foreshadowed release of 

 interatomic energy be delayed for centuries. The 

 increasing horrors and the certain ruin of war both 

 to victor and vanquished will not stop it, though it 

 must make it of necessity less frequent. The more 

 deeply we ponder on this as a practical question we 

 shall find, I think, that the first step is to narrow 

 the issue and to ask whether, and if so how, wars, 

 such as this war that is now being waged, can be 

 prevented from ever occurring again. Then we come 

 to grips with a practical problem. For consider the 

 absolute stupidity and wantonness of the present 

 war. We are fighting Germany as we would fight 

 a homicidal maniac who has suddenly started to run 



