CHAPTER TWELVE. More Suggestions and What to Read.

(1) Invite your pastor to preach against war, urge him to do so, and render him any assistance you can in the way of literature on war. Help get out an audience to hear the sermon. Urge others to do likewise.

(2) Inform your own children and other children concerning the class struggle and war, and urge them to talk about the class struggle and against war, at school. Teach them the cause of war. See also Chapter Eight, Section 20, and Index, “Recitations.” Rouse the children.

(3) Wherever possible—in colleges, high schools, labor unions, fraternal organizations, women’s clubs, churches, Sunday schools, at picnics, and so forth—have debates, declamations and essays on war. Help the debaters, writers and speakers, find literature on war, and, if possible, get the subject presented from a working-class point of view, showing especially the fundamental cause of war and what war always means for the working class. (See page 350, last two lines.)

(4) Have as many persons as possible call at your public library for books on war, and suggest books on war to be called for. Suggest books for purchase by your public library management. If the books you urge for the library are not purchased, discuss the reason. All the sociological works quoted in Chapter Eleven should be in your public library.

(5) Get articles and letters on war into your local newspapers and labor union journals.

(6) On the 30th of May, the 4th of July and other “great” days, when the blood-steaming praise of human butchery is poured forth by the noisy “patriotic” orators, pass around all possible literature helpful in counteracting the befouling suggestions commonly thrust into the minds of the people at such times. Chapter Two and other selections 339from War—What For? making an inexpensive sixteen-page booklet, may be had, printed separately, for such purpose.

It is possible to compel an entire community to think about the vast outrages against the working class. As long as the workers have the privilege of spreading the printed page, one of their highest pleasures and powers will be found in forcing society to consider the case of the working class. The first thing on the program in every community is to take the community by the shoulders, so to speak, and compel it to consider the most vital subject of the hour.

(7) A Ten-Dollar Cash Prize for the best essay or debate, or declamation on war as a phase of the class struggle by local school-children under eighteen years of age would create much interest in the vicious slaughter of men of the working class and in the new working class politics, if the proper literature were brought to the young people’s attention. See Chapter Eight, Section 20, Suggestion (7).

(8) It would be easy to make here a pretentious parade of a discouragingly long list of books on war. But War—What For? is primarily for the class of readers who are usually too busy in the present warlike struggle for existence to find time to read a roomful of books on war. However, it is hoped that the present volume may also have readers with opportunity to make extensive studies of the subject. Such readers will find abundant bibliographies already prepared. Excellent book lists for the student of war are as follows:

(a) The Political Science Quarterly, December, 1900: over 200 titles, at the close of an elaborate article of great worth, “War and Economics in History and in Theory,” by Edward Van Dyke Robinson.

(b) A pamphlet, International Peace, a list of Books with References to Periodicals: 600 titles with comment on contents, published by the Brooklyn Public Library, 1908.

(c) A well selected list of readings in The Arena, December, 1894.

Following is a list of pamphlets, magazine articles and books, directly or indirectly on the subject of social conflict, of which war is a phase. The list is short, tho’ sufficient, 340it is hoped, to make a helpful beginning, a short reading course, for any one who would understand the subject of social conflicts, that is, would understand, not the science of war, but the cause, the meaning and results of class struggles and war.

There is a vast amount of worthless, or worse than worthless, literature on war: worthless because of the writers’ neglect of the heart of the problem, namely, the industrial structure of all class-labor forms of society, with their unsocial purpose and method of production, resulting in the class struggle.

Whoever would understand war must give special attention: (1) to the economic interpretation of history; (2) to the class struggle, considered historically and currently; and (3) to surplus value, produced by the workers, but legally escaping from their control to the capitalist class—as a result of the institution of private ownership and private control of the collectively used means of production. The fact, the method, the purpose, and the result of the legal confiscation of that part of the world’s wealth which the workers produce and are not permitted to enjoy—must have careful study. In the light of such studies, national and international policies, politics and war can be understood. And as war is thus understood we can make rapid headway against war. Pretty little speeches and essays on the beauties of peace, with “please-be-good” perorations,—such efforts, however carefully prepared, tearfully punctuated, elegantly printed and prayerfully delivered, will result in—nothing. That is to say, occasional literary and oratorical snowballs ignorantly, gracefully and grammatically tossed in the direction of hell will have no effect on the general temperature of that warlike region. (See Index: “Another War,” “The Hague Peace Conference,” and “The Explanation.”)

A Reading Course.

In the following list of readings those indicated by parenthesis thus () would serve as a shorter course.

(1) Kautsky: The Capitalist Class; The Working Class; The 341Class Struggle; Ethics and the Materialistic Conception of History; and The Road to Power, Chapters 8 and 9.

(2) Simons: The Man Under the Machine, and Class Struggles in America.

(3) Marx: Wage-Labor and Capital; Marx and Engels: The Communist Manifesto.

(4) Massart and Vandervelde: Parasitism—Social and Organic.

(5) Myers: History of Great American Fortunes, entire work is an account of social parasitism in America; special references: Vol. II., pp. 127–38, 291–301; Chapters 11 and 12; Vol. III., pp. 160–176.

(6) Veblen: The Theory of the Leisure Class.

(7) Ross: Social Control; The Foundations of Sociology, pp. 219–23, 272–76; Social Psychology, Chapters on Suggestibility, The Crowd, and Mob Mind.

(8) L. F. Ward: Dynamic Sociology, Vol. I., pp. 565–597; Psychic Factors in Civilization, Chapters 33 and 38; Applied Sociology, pp. 224–295, 300–302, 307–313, 319–326; Pure Sociology, pp. 266–72; “Social Classes in the Light of Modern Sociological Theory,” American Journal of Sociology, March, 1908; Education and Progress, Address delivered before the “Plebs” League, Oxford, England, August 2, 1909.

9 W. G. Sumner: Folkways, Chapter 6.

(10) Morgan: Ancient Society, pp. V.-VIII.; Pt. I. Chs. 1–3; and all of Pt. IV.

(11) J. O. Ward: Ancient Lowly, Chapter—“Spartacus.”

12 Shoaf: The Story of the Mollie McGuires.

13 Hanford: The Labor War in Colorado.

14 ——: “Secret Army Guards New York Against a Traffic Strike,” New York Herald, Mag. Section, March 20, 1910.

(15) Debs: Class Conflict in Colorado.

(16) Wright, U. S. Commissioner of Labor: A Government Report on the Great Strike in Colorado.

17 Darrow: Speech to the Jury in the Haywood Case.

(18) Untermann: The Dick Militia Law (U. S., 1903).

19 Commons: “Is Class Conflict in America Growing and Is It Inevitable?” * * * Carver: “The Basis of Social Conflict”; * * * Keasby: “Competition.” American Journal of Sociology, March, 1908. See also Papers and Proceedings of the American Sociological Society, Vol. II., Special Topic: “Social Conflicts.”

20 Small: General Sociology, Chapters 26 and 27.

(21) Shaler: “The Natural History of War,” International Quarterly, Sept., 1903; also The Neighbor.

22 Ridpath: “Plutocracy and War,” Arena, Jan., 1898.

(23) Jordan: “The Biology of War,” an Address, Chicago, 3421909, reported in Unity, June 10, 1909; Imperial Democracy, Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 7; The Human Harvest; The Blood of the Nation.

24 Chatterton-Hill: Heredity and Selection in Sociology, pp. 316–24. Thompson: Heredity, pp. 532–34.

(25) Jefferson: “The Peace-at-any-Price Men,” The Independent, Feb. 4, 1909; “The Delusions of the Militarist,” Atlantic Monthly, March, 1909.

(26) Charles Edward Russell: Why I Am a Socialist.

27 Tolstoi: Bethink Yourselves; Patriotism and Christianity, and Thou Shalt Not Kill.

(28) Robinson: “War and Economics in History and in Theory,” Political Science Quarterly, Dec., 1900.

(29) Ghent: Mass and Class.

(30) London: The War of the Classes; Revolution, Chapter, “The Yellow Peril”; also, “Revolution,” Contemporary Review, Jan., 1908.

(31) W. T. Mills: The Struggle for Existence, Chapters 4–23.

(32) Hillquit: Socialism in Theory and Practice, pp. 36–65, 153–167, 296–302.

(33) Spargo: Socialism, Chapters 4, 5, 6, and Common Sense of Socialism, Chapters 2–7.

(34) Ferri: Socialism and Modern Science, Chapter 7.

35 Seligman: The Economic Interpretation of History.

36 Boudin: The Theoretical System of Karl Marx, Chapters 1–5, 8–10.

37 Patten: “The Economic Causes of Moral Progress,” Annals of Amer. Soc. Pol. and Soc. Sci., Sept., 1892.

(38) Engels: The Origin of the Family, Property and the State, special attention to Chapters 8, 9; and Socialism—Utopian and Scientific.

(39) Hobson: The Evolution of Modern Capitalism; Imperialism, special attention to first six chapters; The Psychology of Jingoism; The War in South Africa, Part II.; and John Ruskin—Social Reformer, Chapters 3–8 inclusive, and Appendix 1.

40 Ferrero: Militarism.

41 Liebknecht: Militarismus und Anti-Militarismus.

42 Büchner: Industrial Evolution (Wickett’s translation), Chapters 4–5.

(43) Robinson and Beard: The Development of Modern Europe, Vol. II., Chapters 18, 30–31.

(44) Weale: The Coming Struggle in Asia, special attention to Parts II. and III.

45 ——: “Peace on Earth,” Public Opinion, Dec. 4, 1908, p. 635.

46 Schierbrand: America, Asia and the Pacific.

47 Harrison: National and Social Problems, Part I., Chapters 1, 6–11.

343(48) Strong: Expansion, Chapters 2, 3, 4.

49 Bolce: The New Internationalism, Chapters 1–6 inclusive, and 15.

50 Fisk: International Commercial Policies, Chapters 13–16.

51 Reinsch: World Politics.

52 Asakawa: The Russo-Japanese Conflict.

53 Kennan: “The Military and Political Memoirs of General Kuropatkin,” McClure’s Magazine, Sept. 1908.

54 Smith: The Spirit of American Government, Chapters 4, 11, 12.

55 McCabe and Darien: Can We Disarm?

56 Carver: Sociology and Social Progress, pp. 132–73.

57 Jaurès: “Socialism and International Arbitration,” North American Review, Aug. 1908.

58 Broda: “The Federation of the World,” The International, July, 1908.

(59) Hervé: “Anti-Militarism,” The International, July, 1908; Anti-Patriotism; My Country—Right or Wrong.

60 Edmondson: John Bull’s Army from Within.

61 Mead: Patriotism and the New Internationalism.

62 Kampffmeyer: Changes in the Theory and Tactics of the (German) Social Democracy (Gaylord’s Translation), Chapter 3.

(63) Sombart: Socialism and the Socialist Movement (Epstein’s Translation), Sixth Enlarged Edition, pp. 175–223.

(64) Stoddard: The New Socialism, Chapters 14, 15.

(65) Campbell: Christianity and the Social Order, pp. 176–230.

66 Warner: The Ethics of Force.

67 Wallace: The Wonderful Century, Chapters 19, 20.

68 (Anonymous:) Arbeiter in Council.

(69) Walsh: The Moral Damage of War.

70 McLaren: Put Up Thy Sword.

(71) Bloch: The Future of War.

72 Molinari: The Society of Tomorrow.

73 Brooks: The Social Unrest, Chapter 6.

(74) Kim: Mind and Hand, Chapters 2, 17, 21, 22, 24.

(75) Seidel: Industrial Instruction.

(76) Eastman: Work-Accidents and the Law; Oliver: Dangerous Trades.

77 Addams: The Newer Ideals of Peace.

78 Anitchkow: War and Labor.

79 Cooley: Human Nature and the Social Order, Chapters 1, 3, 4, 7, 12.

80 Lloyd: Man the Social Creator, Chapters 1, 6, 11.

81 Kropotkin: Mutual Aid.

82 Bellamy: Equality, Chapters 22–27 and first half of 33.

83 Henry George: Progress and Poverty, Book 10, Chapter 3.

34484 Amos: Political and Legal Remedies for War, Chapters 1, 2.

85 Charles Sumner: Addresses on War.

86 Fiske: The Destiny of Man.

87 Kelly: Government and Human Evolution, Vol. II.

(88) Barry: Siege of Port Arthur—A Monster Heroism.

(89) Sakurai: Human Bullets.

(90) Von Suttner: Lay Down Your Arms.

(91) Andreief: The Red Laugh.

(92) Zola: The Downfall.

(93) Wells: The War in the Air.

94 Channing: Lectures on War.

(95) Hugo: Les Misérables—the Battle of Waterloo; also William Shakespeare, Anderson’s translation, pp. 294–312, 341–48, 384–95.

96 Sienkiewicz: With Fire and Sword.

(97) Crosby: Captain Jinks—Hero, and Swords and Ploughshares.

98 Mr. Dooley: In Peace and War.

99 Kipling: Barrack-Room Ballads—“Tommy.”

100 Mrs. Browning: Mother and Poet.

The various “peace societies” have published considerable literature on war and peace—in most cases with good intentions, no doubt. However, there could be no peace between a chattel slave and a chattel slave’s master; nor can there be peace between a wage-slave and a wage-slave’s employer—if the wage-slave be awake; nor between the wage-slave class and the capitalist class. Until “peace societies” cry out against capitalism,—the heart of which is the wage-system,—until then their literature will be discouragingly ineffective.

Reread first page of Chapter Nine, paragraph beginning “The cash cost of militarism.”

The one war sublime is: Light against Darkness.

The printing press is the machine-gun for the slaves against slavery.

It is a high privilege to make a human brain ferment—with facts.

THE END.

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