Article January 14, 1922 Issue

Signs of the Times

with contributions from G. K. Chesterton, Palfrey Perkins, Rufus Jones, Alexander B. Thaw, John Dewey, E. C. Cutten, Harold Stearns

[From "The Disarmament of the Mind," an Editorial in The Universalist Leader]

There must be a disarmament of the mind. This is a greater matter and more important. There can be no real and abiding peace in the world unless there is peace in the hearts of men. Peace is made, as Hoover says, "in the hearts of the people." There must be a scrapping of the mental causes of war. The war-mind must be changed. There is far greater need of the limitation and reduction of pseudo-patriotism and blatant "red bloodism," of gangrenous commercialism, of mean national prejudices, of cringing cowardly fears, and of diabolically fanned hatreds. The world war of arms is over; the world war of mind still goes on in all lands, amongst the one-time enemy nations, and no less amongst the one-time allies. If this war mind could be disarmed it would prove a greater blessing than the scrapping of war weapons. If we could only secure the disarmament of the mind of some nations it would have great effect upon the others who now hesitate. The disarmed mind of some makes for the disarmed mind of others; the armed mind produces the armed mind; confidence makes for confidence. Respect produces respect; love creates love. On the other hand, suspicion, hatred, pugnacity, breed their own kind. The greatest disarmament that has followed the war has been brought about by those who have fed the starving millions of Europe. We can disarm every enemy nation, or possible enemy nation by genuine interest in it, and by working for its best good as a member nation in the kingdom of God. The great need of this old war-worn and war-weary world is a real brotherhood of disarmed minds, devoted to the highest interests of each and all.

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