The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-02 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY, MAY 2, 1854.

The bombardment of Odessa has at last given
the Russian foe a taste of the mettle or metal—
(it matters little how the word is written)—of
the allied armaments. Earnestly and seriously
is it to be hoped that, by energy and decision in
the subsequent mode of carrying on hostilities
against the forces of the Northern AUTOCRAT,
both by sea and by land, the war may be brought
as speedily as possible to a close, and its many
and most appalling horrors be, as soon as it is at
all practicable, terminated. It is the prayer now to
be offered up humbly and reverently to IchavEN.
This prayer that the curse of war among the nations
may be quickly removed. It can only be removed,
of course, by natural agency. Centuries have
gone by since the credulity of ignorance could
look for the closing of such scenes through super-
natural intervention. Reason tells us that while
offering up orisons in our churches for the end of
these dreadful calamities of protracted conflict and
wholesale bloodshed, we ought, as rational crea-
tures, to employ every available means for expe-
diting the advent of this desirable peace, and for
thus carrying out the beneficent designs of PRO-
VIDENCE.

It is, consequently, in a reverent spirit that
we have all along demanded the energetic de-
velopment of our warlike preparations simultane-
ously with the appointment, as was recently wit-
nessed throughout this country, of a solemn
day set apart for the purposes of a general
fast and of a national humiliation. There is
nothing whatever incongruous in this blend-
ing of litanies and cannon balls. The truth
of this was recognised long ago by the old Co-
venanter. It is the se3ret of the wisdom of his
recommendation to his followers, to put their
strength in Goy, and keep their match-locks dry !
It is a wise saying, that venerable motto ara et
Tabora, pray and labour—whether the labour be
that of the warrior or of the handicraftsman, of
the soldier fighting in defence of the weak, of the
sailor fighting in the cause of justice, or of the
mechanic toiling in the workshop at his accus-
tomed and harmless occupations. A wiser saying,
however, than even that ancient one just now par-
ticularised, was, hundreds upon hundreds of years
ago, seemingly formed out of those three words by
one of the earlier Fathers of the Church, and this
simply through the medium of a very slight, but at
the same time a very important, modification.
Laborare, he wrote, Laborare est orare. Meaning,
of course, literally, as the words express it, "To
labour is to pray "..ter, in other words, that-
there are certain times or consequences when to
a
labour rightly, that is, with right intention, is
to
to pray indeed and in truth,
pray really and
effectually. Has not such a
period
with regard to ourselves long ago At any rate,
arrived
has it not arrived at last, now that we have
over the appointed day for the national fast and
su and,
humiliation ?
Here is one of the noblest causes ever fought
for by a great country. Here is a iawi
ess
enemy to vanquish, au enemy whose avowed
object is that of robbery from a weaker
neighbour—an enemy, moreover, whose enthu-
siasm must necessarily be subdued by the
recollection of great crimes (such heinous
crimes, for example, as tier massacre of Sinope),
and the genius of whose ruler must be darkened
by the remorse of his notorious blasphemies.
Here is actually, in the hands of the allies, the
capacity, with the aid of GOD, of crushing down,
whensoever they list, the pride of their gigantic
antagonist. Nobody, we believe, seriously ques-
tions for a moment this capacity on the part of
France atd England. Singly, we are satisfied
that either of those two great Powers would
prove in the end more than a match for Russia
if opposed by all the resources of that vast
despotic Government. United, we cannot but
rest assured that their defeat by the forces
of the CzAJ is removed almost beyond the
limits of possibility. In the name of common
sense, therefore, in that of humanity, in that j,