The Difficulties of the Peacemakers

The Difficulties of the Peacemakers

“The Difficulties of the Peacemakers” argues that “Peace on earth” should be treated not as an accomplished fact but as a prophecy requiring long, difficult labor. The essay begins by acknowledging the cynic’s powerful satire of peace conventions and “Christian nations” that praise peace while enforcing their will through conquest, commerce, and violence. The cynic sees hypocrisy in the pious language used to disguise brutal realities. The author replies that cynicism mistakes imperfection for insincerity. In any creative undertaking, profession comes before achievement: a settlement may call itself a city, a tiny school may call itself a university, and a child may play at being a man because each name expresses an aspiration that can shape reality. Likewise, nations that call themselves Christian have not fulfilled the Christian ideal, but their profession gives conscience, friends, and enemies a standard by which to judge them. Bad workmanship is not necessarily deceit; an artist may sincerely attempt a Madonna and fail through lack of skill. Peace-making is presented as one of humanity’s most difficult tasks: transforming a predatory, even cannibalistic species into a society whose members work for the welfare of all. Civilization must first conquer and organize the earth, tame violence, and solve the economic problem of keeping people alive without robbery. Those who carry the message of goodwill are themselves imperfect, and peace cannot arrive merely through beautiful visions. Mankind must suffer and work until it learns how to achieve it. The history of Christian nations shows that their first conversion was crude and violent. King Olaf’s destruction of Thor and forced christening of the bonders illustrates that early Christians understood Christ chiefly as a stronger power, not as the teacher of the beatitudes. Yet this is evidence of a long process of growth rather than proof that the ideal is meaningless. A further obstacle is the recurring force of youth. Peace congresses may persuade mature, reasonable people that war is cruel, foolish, and expensive, but young men absent from such meetings may still be drawn toward conflict. Middle age naturally favors stability, while youth’s passions periodically bring warlike feeling to power. The essay uses Rehoboam’s rejection of older counselors in favor of the young men around him to show how wise policies fail when those with power desire a fight. The militant appeal of writers such as Tennyson and Kipling cannot simply be dismissed as savagery. Youth may turn toward war because it seems to offer courage, fellowship, sacrifice, purpose, and escape from a selfish commercial peace marked by greed, fashion, and cowardly submission to injustice. It may indeed be better to fight for good than merely complain about evil. War can awaken people to a sense of soul, duty, comradeship, and devotion to their country. The task of peacemakers, therefore, is not merely to prevent war or praise comfort and prosperity. They must idealize peace by making it heroic and worthy of sacrifice. Peace must not mean stagnation, luxury, or the rule of money; it must involve the humanizing of religion, business, politics, and civilization itself. A new chivalry is needed, offering men of the soldierly spirit opportunities for service and noble risk. The peace worth keeping is costly, but it is worth its price.

By Samuel M. Crothers · First published 1919 · Genre: Political Essay, Social Commentary, Pacifist Literature · 4,874 words

First lines

To one who aspires to "sit and shake in Rabelais' easy-chair," the greeting "Peace on Earth" is a godsend. Was ever such a provocative to satire? Did ever human nature appear in a disguise more ridiculously transparent than when assuming the part of Peacemaker in the midwinter pantomimes, and impudently laying claim to the very choicest beatitude? The bold masquerader has not even the grace to hide his big stick, but waves it as a wand. We are asked to believe that the vigorous flourishes of this same big stick prepare for the age of peace "by prophets long foretold."

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peace movement · pacifism · war and peace · Christian idealism · Christian hypocrisy · peace conventions · anti-imperialism · colonial violence · civilization and savagery · moral progress · prophecy and aspiration · cynicism and satire

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