Miscellany: Epitome Of War

A fair cxhibiiion uf war in its oriein, i; progress and actual resnltn, wnuld je a stort ling condcmnation of the ivliole custom ns piece of suicidal folly oud madness. Th Ettrick Shephcrd, in his Ly Sermone, teil the followmrj story quito to the point: 'The history of every war is very Iike n scène I once saw in Nithsda'e (Scoiland).- Two boys frora different sciiools met eno fine day upon the ice. They eyed each other a while in silence, with jealous and indignont looks, nnd with dtfiance on ench brovv. Whatare ye glowrin' at, BillyV What is that to you, Donnald? 111 lookwlior Tve a mirid, nn' hinder me if ye dnttr.' To lh a henrty blow wns the return! ít being Solnrdny, a 11 the boys of both schools were on tho ce, and the fight nstnntly bocame general. At first they foughnt nt n distance wilh m96le weapons, euch as siones and enow-balld ; but at length cominfj hand to hand, they coped n a rago, and mnny bloody raps were libcrally given and recoived. "1 went up fo try jf I could paeify them ; forbythis M'me a number of little girls hadjoined the nfiVay, and Í was nfraid tliey would be killed. So, ndc'ressinff one party, I asked, VVliat aro yon fighting those boys for? - Whot have they done to you? "O, nol hing at n,' maun ; we jurt want to pie them a gnde thrashing - thut'ia'." "My remons'.rnnce was vain ; at it they went nfrr&h : nnd after fighting till they were quite exhaustod, one of the principie héroes stepped torlh belween the combatunts, himself covered with blood, ond his clothes all torn to tatters, nnd andressed ihe oppG6ing party thns: 'Weel, l'll teil you what we'll do wi' ye - if ye'll Ifl 113 alune we II let you alone." - There wns no more of it ; th1 war was at an end, nnd the boys scampered away to ihcir play. "That sceno was a leEon of wisdom lo nr?. I thonglit at the time, nnd havo often thought since, tliat thia trivol atlruy wns the best opilóme of war in general tliat T hnd ever seen. Kingsand ministers f state are just a set ofgrown tip children I speak of, wit!i only thie mnierial difforcnci, 1 lint instead of fightinp out for themselves the needless qnarrels thoy lave raisrd, they sit i sifety nnd look on, hound out their innocent but eervüc snbjectri to bnttle, and then, afier nn inmense waöfe of blood and treasurr, nre piad to make Ihe boy's condiüw - "-ƒ yètt let us alone ice II lel yon alone." Ilere is tho upshot ofnearly eveiy war; tho status quo ante brllum.