Page:"The next war"; an appeal to common sense (IA thenextwarappeal01irwi).pdf/24

 this early progress has been traced by H. G. Wells in his “Outline of History.” A people settled down, developed agriculture, town life, a literature, the mechanical arts, the beginnings of scientific knowledge; accumulated wealth and desirable luxuries. In this process, they became to the barbarian point of view “effeminate,” and easy prey for conquest.

Warfare, then and for centuries afterwards, was mostly a matter of individual fighting. That side was the victor which had the greater average of men strong and skilled with the sword or lance, accurate with the bow. The settled peoples, busy with the arts of peace, had not the time for that life-long, intensive, athletic training which made good warriors. The barbarians, therefore, beat them in battle, took their wealth, settled down among them, learned their arts. They in turn became weakened for warfare, and another wave of barbarians repeated the process. Though there were exceptions, such as the long hold of the civilized Roman Empire, this was the general rhythm of ancient wars; even of mediæval wars.

Viewed in this light, we have reason for arguing that warfare was a positive if costly benefit. The world in general was without means of communication; the written word which carried knowledge was unavailable to whole peoples, to all but a few even among the most favored peoples. Travel beyond one’s national boundaries was almost unknown;