American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1846-07-14
of the Bohon Upas, instead of

ing at the leaves of the Bohon Upas, instead of
striking at the root.
What makes the necessity for government,
municipal government The bad passions OF
individual men, who must be retained from Their
indulgence by the exercise of physical force,
when other means fail. Would it be wise to
abolish all restraints of tins kind and trust sole
ly to "moral suason" in the government Of a
commonwealth? Whose property or life would
be safe moment, if little "moral suason"
were the only punishment for vilains-if they
chose to listen, after they had murdered their
Deghbols, or burnt their housesl AS physical
force necessary for the protection of society a
gainst individual members of it who would not
listen to teaching, and who will, despite all ad-
monition, violate the rights of others, so it is
equally necessary for the protection and defence
Of nations, while nations are composed OF indl-
viduals who require such restraints.
An eminent and most respected living British
statesman has lately said, that 'it is 4 reproach
TO human nature, that wars are sometimes just "
That may be admitted, and it is equally a re-
proach to human nature that CHI! punishments
are sometimes Just, that society is obliged to
make war with its own members, imprison
them, and even put them to death. Public war
and municipal penal law stand on the same
foundation. Wars grow out of the necessity Of
restraining by physical force the bad passions OF
men in nations, as Ils and scaffolds from the
same necessity Of restraining individual men in
society. National defences no more create war
than punshments give rise to crimes
There is but one way to put an end TO wars,
and wars and civil governments will all end at
once, ,Uhen men shalt be universally good And
this will not be brought about by theorists and
modern reformers There is one way-it was
pointed out to us eighteen hundred years ago
no visionary, impractlcabe, wild scheme; no
declamatons against classes and occupations; no
illuslve, delusve theory.
If wars shall cease, as we believe and hope
they one day will, they will cease because men
obey the iDiunctions of Christ. The scriptures
nowhere denounce war in terms, they attack
no classes, no professions, no occupations of
men. They are addressed TO man as an indi-
vidual, without regard to his station, his pro-
fession, his country, or his age. They are in
structions to the human soul, the single isolat-
ed human soul, which must eventually as such
single, isolated being, alone and unaccompa-
MED give an account of itself before its Maker
To every soul Of man they come direct, origi-
nal, peculiar, as much so as if q new revelation
were made to each. Nor is there IN them one
command which we could not at once obey,
| ana Wnicn WOulO not De 1Of our present gOOu,
as we'll as our future, Immediately to obey
They denounce neither war, nor civil govern
ment, bat warn against those vices which give
occasion for both, and which, if eradcated
from the heart, would no longer cause a neces-
sity for either. Let each man adopt the rule
of life prescribed by our Saviour, and wars
would fail of themselves. Our Saviour does
not reproach the centurion, who comes before
him to ask his miraculous nterpostIon, with
being a soldier; he does not bid him lay aside
his weapon, and give up his command; but he
so taught, that, were his instructions oheyed
the sword of the soldier and the bars of the
prison would be no longer needed, punishment,
cease because crime had ceased, and wars fail,
because nation no longer aggrieved or oppIess,
ed nation. AS in every thing else, so in ,OiS-
dom and practicabiHty, the holy teachings and
writings excel all others. Let our modern re-
formers take lessons from these highest of all
authorities, let them cleanse the fountain, lei
them reform individual man, and nations will
reform themselves.