“War breeds socialism.  At night the opposing hosts rest on their arms, searching the heavens for the riddle of life and death, and wondering what their tomorrow will bring forth.  Around a thousand camp fires the steady conviction is being driven home that this sacrifice of life might all be avoided.  It seems difficult to realize that millions of men, skilled by years of constant application, have left the factory, the mill, or the desk to waste not only their time but their very lives and possibly the lives of those dependent on them to wage war, brother against brother.

“The more reasonable it appears that peace must quickly come, the more hopeless does it seem.  I am convinced that an overwhelming majority of the populations of Germany, England and France are opposed to this war.  The Governments of these states do not want war.

     “War deals in human life as recklessly as the gambler in money.

“Imagine the point of view of a commanding general who is confronted with the task of taking a fortress; ’That position will cost me five thousand lives; it will be cheap at the price, for it must be taken.’

“He discounts five thousand human lives as easily as the manufacturer marks off five thousand dollars for depreciation.  And so five thousand homes are saddened that another flag may fly over a few feet of fortified masonry.  What a grim joke for Europe to play upon humanity.”

There were not wanting those to point out to Mr. Ridder that the sacrifice of life could have been avoided had Germany and its tool Austria, played fair with Serbia and the balance of Europe.  Also, his statement that the government of Germany did not want the war has been successfully challenged from a hundred different sources.

H. G. Wells, the eminent English author, contributed a prophecy which translated very plainly the handwriting on the wall.  He said: 

     “This war is not going to end in diplomacy; it is going to end
     diplomacy.

“It is quite a different sort of war from any that have gone before.  At the end there will be no conference of Europe on the old lines, but a conference of the world.  It will make a peace that will put an end to Krupp, and the spirit of Krupp and Kruppism and the private armament firms behind Krupp for evermore.”

Austria formally declared war against Serbia, July 28, 1914.  During the few days intervening between the dispatch of the ultimatum to Serbia and the formal declaration of war, Serbia and Russia, seeing the inevitable, had commenced to mobilize their armies.  On the last day of July, Germany as Austria’s ally, issued an ultimatum with a twelve hour limit demanding that Russia cease mobilization.  They were fond of short term ultimatums.  They did not permit more than enough time for the dispatch to be transmitted and received, much less considered, before the terms of it had expired.  Russia demanded assurances from Austria that war was not forthcoming and it continued to mobilize.  On August 1, Germany declared war.  France then began to mobilize.