The Prospects of the World.
Some twenty or twenty-five years ago, the idea got into the heads of large numbers of enthusiastic people, that an era of peace and peaceful progress, or a sort of millennial era, was about to dawn upon the world, and that nations, having at last realized the evils and folly of war, would henceforth dwell together in pacific fraternity of humanity, advancing in civilization from one step to another, and placidly enjoying the fruits of knowledge, science, freedom, and Christianity. Everybody of mature age must remember the hopes that were then excited. We heard eloquent orators, after dilating upon the “horrors of war,” argue that nations were now too highly enlightened ever again to engage in such sanguinary and ruinous struggles as had previously disgraced the human race. Poets began to celebrate, in lofty strain, the approach of the era of universal peace. The pulpit was full of hope that the predictions of the ancient Hebrew seers were at last about to be fulfilled. The newspapers argued that the spread of intelligence and knowledge would render wars impossible, and that the progress of national acquaintanceship would result in universal fraternity. “Peace Societies” were established in all civilized countries, and meetings to promote the “peace cause” were attended by enthusiastic multitudes. Statesmen began to see that wars were necessarily damaging, and spoke of the establishment of international courts of adjudication, or a “Congress of Nations,” where the principles of justice and public welfare might be brought to the settlement of all disputes. It seemed that at last the happy day was about to dawn, when, as Robert Burns had sung, “Man to man the world o’er,
Would brothers be, and a’ that.” Or, as the angel had proclaimed, there should be “peace on earth, and good-will to man”—the happy time foreshadowed by Tennyson when he “Dipped into the future, far as human eye could see,
Saw the vision of the world, and all the wonders that would be,
Till the war-drum throbbed no longer, and the battle-flags were furled.” But how, in the meantime, has the splendid prospect then held out to us been realized? Alas! hardly ever, in the history of this war-blasted world, has there been more continuous war than in the past twenty years, or the years which immediately followed the time of these glittering predictions of universal peace. Hardly ever, if ever, in the sanguinary annals of the human race, have there been, in an equal period of time, wars more destructive than the six or eight gigantic struggles since waged by the civilized nations of the earth—the most highly civilized nations. The statement may appear startling, but we do not make it carelessly. Let us briefly indicate the wars of our time, as they have lately been accurately collected by a writer to whom we owe the leading idea of this article. First, after the popular revolutionary struggles of 1849, came the Crimean war of 1854, when Great Britain, France, Turkey, and Sardinia, were arrayed against Russia, which lasted two years, in which there were sanguinary battles at Balaklava, Inkermann, the Alma, the Malakoff, and other places, and which ended in the humiliation of Russia after the czar had died broken-hearted. Three years later, or in 1859, came what was termed the Italian war—when France and Italy were arrayed against Austria—which was of but few months’ duration, but in which mighty battles were fought with immense carnage—battles like Solferino and Magenta, at the former of which forty thousand men were killed or wounded—and which terminated in the humiliation of Austria, and her loss of her Italian province of Lombardy. Next in order came the American civil war of 1861, one of the most stupendous and destructive wars in the history of the human race, which was of four years’ duration, in which not less than four millions of men fought, and half a million were killed or wounded—a war of a hundred great battles, from Manassas to Donaldson, from Vicksburg and Chattanooga to Petersburg and Richmond. Less than two years after its close came the great war of Prussia and Italy against Austria in 1866, a war which lasted less than half a year, but in which one of the greatest and most sanguinary battles of modern times was fought, the battle of Sadowa, in which nearly forty thousand men were killed or wounded; a war which resulted in the humiliation of Austria and her exclusion from the German Confederation. Next in order of time comes the tremendous war, fearful in its carnage, profound in its results, which broke out in July of last year, between Germany and France—a war illustrated at Weissenburg and Gravelotte, Metz and Sedan, the siege of Strasburg and the siege of Paris—a war of huge battles, in which twenty thousand, forty thousand, sixty thousand men were killed or wounded—a war which ended in the destruction of the formidable army of France, in the overthrow of the dazzling but demoralized empire of the Third Napoleon, and in the seizure, by the victorious Germans, of the eastern provinces of France. Next and last in this brief review, comes the horrible war which raged around Paris in the present year, from the beginning of March to the close of May. All we mean to say about this most cruel and savage of wars is, that it has just been fought in Paris, the “capital of civilization”—city of splendor and luxury, art and science, of polish and elegant manners, of gardens and boulevards, galleries and libraries—city of a thousand newspapers—city of cosmopolitan attraction and illustrious history. It was in “gay Paris” that the most ferocious of modern wars—a civil war, at that—has just been fought. We will say nothing of the other wars of the last twenty years—the sanguinary war carried on by the British Government in the East Indies from 1857 to 1859—the war of France and Great Britain against China in 1860—the Maximilian war in Mexico from 1862 to 1866—the Danish war in 1865—the Paraguayan war in 1866, or other minor wars that might be mentioned. We have already shown, to a sufficient extent, how sanguinary has been the record of the human race for the last twenty years. These numerous and baleful wars came upon the world while yet eloquent orators were dilating upon the “horrors of war,” and philanthropists were proclaiming the advent of the era of universal peace, and peace societies were making their demonstrations, while the telegraph united the nations, and science was constantly winning new triumphs, and industry, commerce, and invention, were ameliorating the condition of the human race, and freedom and knowledge were spreading, and the principles of justice and Christianity appeared to be gaining new power over nations and governments. Mankind had just begun to enjoy the prospect of universal and perpetual peace and fraternity—had just begun to dream of the golden age, when the devouring flames burst forth nearly over the whole earth.—Scottish-American Journal.