What Shall We Say Author:David Starr Jordan Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: The Great War of Europe What shall we say of the Great War of Europe, ever threatening, ever impending, and which never comes ? We shall say that it will neve... more »r come. Humanly speaking, it is impossible. Not in the physical sense, of course, for with weak, reckless and godless men nothing evil is impossible. It may be, of course, that some half-crazed archduke or some harassed minister of state, shall half-unknowing give the signal for Europe's conflagration. In fact, the agreed signal has been given more than once within the last few months. The tinder is well dried and laid in such a way as to make the worst of this catastrophe. All Europe cherishes is ready for the burning. Yet Europe recoils and will recoil, even in the dread stress of spoil-division of the Balkan Wai. Behind the sturdy forms of the Bulgarian farmers lurks the sinister figure of Russian intrigue. Russia and Austria, careless of their neighbors, careless of obligations, find in this their opportunity. And the nations of Europe in their degree are bound to one or the other of these malcontents. Neither Russia nor Austria can be trusted to keep the peace even in her own interest, for both, through debt abroad and discontent at home, are in a condition of perpetual crisis. The financial exploiters of Europe which control the "Great Powers" are very active behind the scenes. The huge debt of Turkey is mainly held in France. French financiers arm the Balkan troops and pay their expenses. French concessionaires strive with English, German, Austrian for everything worth holding in Turkey. The "sick man of Europe," owes his continued existence as well as his final demise to these industrious parasites. But accident aside, the Triple Entente lined up against the Triple Alliance, we shall expect no war. Some...« less