THE WAR AFTER THE WAR
THE WAR
AFTER THE WAR
BY
ISAAC F. MARCOSSON
CO-AUTHOR OF "CHARLES FROHMAN, MANAGER AND MAN"
AUTHOR OF "THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A CLOWN," ETC.
NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY
LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD
TORONTO: S.B. GUNDY : : : MCMXVII
Copyright, 1916, by The Curtis Publishing Company
Copyright, 1916, by The Ridgway Company
Copyright, 1917,
By John Lane Company
Press of
J. J. Little & Ives Company
New York, U.S.A.
TO
LORD NORTHCLIFFE
IN GRATEFUL APPRECIATION
CONTENTS
FOREWORD
For nearly three years Europe has been drenched with blood and rent withbitter strife. Millions of men have been killed or maimed: billions ofdollars in property have gone up in smoke and ruin—all part of themighty sacrifice laid on the Altar of the Great War.
This tragic tumult must inevitably subside. The smoke of battle willclear: the scarred fields will mantle again with springtime verdure: thefighting hosts will once more find their way to peaceful pursuit. Timethe Healer will wipe out the wounds of war.
The world already wearies of the Crimson Canvas splashed with martialscene. Heroism has become the most commonplace of qualities: it takes amonster thrill to move a civilisation sick of destruction. With eagereye it looks forward to the era of regeneration. War ends some time.
Business never ceases. Under the shock of mighty upheaval it has beendislocated[Pg 8] by the most drastic strain ever put upon the economicfabric. But it will march on long after Peace will have mercifullysheathed the Sword. Therefore the permanent world problem is theBusiness problem.
This is why I made two trips to Europe: why I submit this little book inthe hope that it may point the way to some realisation of the immens