"Let me tell you briefly how war was banished from our world, that monster
whose hideous presence would be so utterly out of place here now. At the
beginning of the age I am describing, the foremost nations kept powerful
armies and navies, all ready for their deadly work. Wars were frequent and
bloody. The best of the young men in nearly every land were forced to bear
arms and fight for their country at the command of their rulers, while the
conscience of mankind was dulled and stunted by the spectacle or constant
menace of war.
"The lives of millions of men were actually in the hands of a few
irresponsible autocrats, who were possessed with exaggerated or false
notions of national honor. Now came a time when the world stood hushed, as
it were, on the eve of a mighty conflict. Every nation had increased its
army and strengthened its defenses to the utmost limit. Every day
threatened to see the match lighted--a hasty word, a fancied insult, any
trivial thing, which would bring on the struggle and put the world in
mourning.
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