Increase of War by Uriah Smith

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 28, 1875

Increase of War.

By Uriah Smith

One million, eight hundred and twenty thousand, eight hundred and forty, more soldiers to-day under arms in Europe than there were fifteen years ago! This does not look much like a soon-coming reign of peace, like beating swords into ploughshares, or the ushering in of the blessings of the much-talked-of millennium. Yet people will cry, Peace and safety, as Paul declared, while, so far and fast as the nations can do it, the men and implements are being made ready for the great battle of Armageddon.

The following table taken from the London Times shows the military forces of the principal European powers in 1859 and 1874, and the increase between those dates, covering a period of fifteen years:—

	1859.	1874.	Incr'se.
Austria	634,000	856,980	222,980
European Russia and Caucasus	1,134,200	1,401,510	267,310
Asiatic Russia	89,950	118,300	28,350
Italy	317,650	605,000	287,550
Germany	836,800	1,261,160	424,360
France and Algeria	640,500	977,700	337,100
Belgium	80,250	93,590	13,340
Holland	58,550	64,120	5,770
Great Britain	245,800	478,820	233,020
Denmark	57,550	48,700	¹8,850
Sweden and Norway	134,900	204,510	69,610
Totals	4,289,650	6,110,490	1,829,690
			8,850
Less decrease			1,820,840

U. S.