THE WAR AND ITS 'USES.
[To TIM EDITOR OF TIER "SPECTATOR:1 Si,—The Spectator for August 22nd quotes an interesting passage from Mr. Cramb's references to Treitschke's remarks on war. The latter, says Mr. Cramb, praises war as a great factor in the onward strife towards perfection, &c., &c. Doubt- less all those forces which oppose and hamper a nation have their uses to the nation, as they stimulate and develop its strength and resourcefulness, and it is exceedingly kind and altruistic of the Germans to have provided for us this excellent tonic. But we British, oddly enough, prefer to choose our stimuli; and after God has helped us to remove this German danger we shall find sufficient stimuli in the future in the yet untamed and undeveloped natural resources of the earth, which we will yet further subjugate and develop for the benefit of ourselves and the rest of mankind, as well as in our well-intentioned and often successful efforts to carry out our duties and honest purposes all over the world and in our sports, &c. We shall always, however, need to protect our- selves against repetitions of Germany's beneficence by a system of military training for national defence, similar to that of the Swiss. When present troubles are over pray do not let us forget that. "Never again" must be our future motto, as it became that of Switzerland after she had been overrun, crushed, and ruined.—I am, Sir, &c.,
BARTLE C. FRERE.
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