Just remember that this vision of war was the prevailing attitude in pre-WW1 Europe (maybe also in America, but what do I know?).
It helped that the (thought) leaders espousing such nonsense rarely fought at the front lines. For them the only things that could be bruised by war were their ego and their wallet.
WW1's reach changed that (and WW2 shook it up some more)
I had to look that one up:
Peace, by Rupert Brooke, 1914:
"A paradoxical image, comparing going to war as an act that cleanses the participants, like a dip in a pool or river."
https://movehimintothesun.wordpress.com/2010/10/22/rupert-br...
I'm assuming that connection was intentional, because Stephen Fry is smarter than me.