ESSAYS OF WILLIAM GRAHAM SUMNER
I
WAR
[1903]
We have heard our political leaders say from time to time that "War is necessary", "War is a good thing". They were trying to establish a major premise which would suggest the conclusion, "Therefore let us have a little war now,” or “It is wise, on general principles, to have a war once in a while." That argument may be taken as the text of the present essay. It has seemed to me worth while to show from the history of civilization just what war has done and has not done for the welfare of mankind.
In the eighteenth century it was assumed that the primitive state of mankind was one of Arcadian peace, joy, and contentment. In the nineteenth century the assumption went over to the other extreme-that the primitive state was one of universal warfare. This, like the former notion, is a great exaggeration. Man in the most primitive and uncivilized state known to us does not practice war all the time; he dreads it; he might rather be described as a peaceful animal. Real warfare comes with the collisions of more developed societies.
If we turn to facts about the least civilized men we find proofs that they are not warlike and do not practice war if they can help it. The Australians have no idea
Note.—It has seemed best to the editor to retain the original lecture form in which it was written.
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