New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-01-06
Y Fl T. IR B n I,
LITTER FROM ne -}GEh,
BY LYDIA MARIA CHILD.
CHRIS MS. FEa . - . IN 7
Tf'.om the Bo.ton Courier

y
IN evergreen, affairs are Illuminated, and the bells
sound joyfu!ly in GloriQ ErcelSis Throngsof
worshipcrs are going up TO their affairs, IN the
Greek. Syrian, Armenian, Roman and English
churches Eighteen hundred years ago, a poor
babe was born in stable, and few lonely shop
herds heard heavenly voices, soft warblng over
the rloonlt hills, procla!nlng q Peace Oh earth,
and GOOD will towards men, Ear;:, made 10
response to the chorus. it always cntertans
,rneIs unawares When the Holy One came
among them, they Knocked and crucltcd him
But now the stars in their midnight course, listen
TO millions of human voices, and deep organ-toncs
slrupglng upward, vainly striving to express the
hopes and aspirations, which that advent conccn
trated from the past and prophesed Tor The future
From East to West, from North TO South, men
chant hymns of praise to the desplscd Nazarcne,
and knce in worship before his cross. How beau
tiful is this universal homage to the Principe OF
Love that feminine principle Of the universe,
the Utmost centre OF Christianity. It IS the divine
idea which distinguishes 1t from all other religions,
and vet the idea III which Christian nations eylncc
so little faith that one would think they kept only
to swear by, tina: gospel which says Swear not
at ALL"
Centuries have passed, and, through infinite
conflct, have ushcrcd in our brief day; and
IS there peace and good will among men? SIN
ccrc faith in the words Of Jesus would soon fulfil
the prophecy which angels sung. Bus the world
persists in SAYING, 'This doctrine OF unqualified
forgiveness and perfect love, though beautiful ana
holy, cannot be carried into practice mar; men
are not yet prepared for it." The same spirit
says 6 1t would not be safe TO emancpate slaves !;
they must first be fitted for freedom" As if sla-
very ever could fit men for freedom, or war ever
lead the nations into peace \ ct ncn who
rravclv utter these excuses laugh III tho shallow
wit OF that tiinid mother who declared that her
son should never venture into the water I'LL he
had learned to swim.
Those who have dared to trust the principles
Of peace have always found theta perfectly safe
Ii can never prove Otherwise, II accompanied by
the declaration HAT SUCH course IS the result OF
Christian principle, and deep lrcndi!ncss !or hu-
mainly. WHO seemed SO little likely to understand
such position as the Indians oi North amer.
Ca Yet how readily they laid down ;onahawils
and scalping. knives at the feet OF William penn
With VIVA, humble sorro% they apolo%5cd Tor
killing the only two tlua!ICrs they were ever
known to attack! f" The men carried arms,
SAID they, and therefore we did rot knoe they
were not fighters. We thought they pretended
to be Quakcrs, because they were towards. =
The s;vagcs OF The East, who murdered 'aynlan
and Elunson, made the same excuse They
carried arms, said they, and 50 we Supposed
they were not Christian missionaries, but cue
mics We woul0 have done them no harm II We
had known they were men o! God.
If anation could but attain to such high WIS
dom as to abjure war, and pToclal'n to al the
earth, 1--WE will not fight. under any piovocailon.
Ii other nations have aught against us VIC Will
settle the question by umpros inutu;diy chosen
think YOU that ny ration would ddre ~ make
war upon such people Nay, verify, they
would be instinctiveiv ashamed OF Sucti all act.
as men arc now ;shamc': To attack 1t woman or
child Even ii any Were ouad mean enough
To pursue such course, the Undetermined world
would cry e upon them, aud by universal consent,
brand them rs pCl!roons and assassnS. And as
sassns they would be, even IN the common ac-
ceptalion of the term. have read OF q CERTAIN
regiment ordered TO march INTO small town. On
the Tyrol. | think, and take it. 1t chanccdt that
the place was settled by 4 colony who believed
the gospel OF Christ, and proved Their faith by
works A courier from ncighboTlng village m
formed them that troops Were advancing to take
the town. They quietly answered. II they 'rH
take it, they must Soldiers soon came RIDING
in, with colors flying, and flies piping their snii
defiance. They looked round Tor an enemy, and
saw the farmer al his plough, inc blacksmith al
his anvil and the women at Their churiiS ana
spinning wheels. Babes crOTed 10 hear the
music and boys out to see the pretty trainers,
with feathers and bright buttons, the haricqulns
of the nineteenth century, OF course, none OF
these were in a proper position to be shot at
''Whcre are your soldiers 2" they asked. " We
have none" was the brief reply. But VIC have
come to take the town" DWELL, friends, it lies
before YOU But is there nobody here TO fight -
"No; we are all Christians" Here was an cnl
ergency altogether unprovidcd for By the military
schools. This was { sort of resistance which no
bullet could hit fortress perfectly bom5-proof.
The commander was perp!eXcd. 81 there is no.
body 10 fight with, OF course we cannot fight,
said he. . 1t is impossible to take such town as
this SO he ordered the horses heads to be
turned about, and they carried the human AMI
mails out of the village, guitless as they Co.
tered, and perchancc somewhat wiser.
This experiment small scale indicates how
easy it would be TO dispense with armies and ma
ylcs, If men only had faith in the religion they
profess 10 believe. When France lately reduced
her army, England immediately did the same
for the existence of one army creates the neceSsi-
ty Of another, unless men arc safely cnsconced in
the bonlb-proot fortress aforementioned.
The doctrines OF Jesus arc not beautiful alb
stractons, but living, vital truths. There is i'll
1'VHi no CidOOTdlc CocuIdLOil OF consequences
but simply the divine impulse uttered, They are
lew and simple, but infinite in spirit, and OF UNI
yersal application. Like the a!gehraic \, they
stand for the unknown quantity, and If consulted
Alright, always give the true answer. The world
has been delugcd with arguments about war,
slavery &c, and the wiscst product OF them all
is simply an enlightened application Of the max
inns of Jesus. Faith in God, love 10 man, and
action obcdient thereto from these flow all that
belong TO order, peace, and progress. Probably,
the laws by which the universe were made are