The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-09-29
LOUISVILLE KY: SATURDAY. s

|. blood, IN token of brotherhood, while tn
attendants of each. following the exampl
of their masters, alsO bled each other, an
pouring their blood into the wine cup, dranl
a mutual pledge, saying; 1--WE are brother
Of one blood"
Alas! by such prolane and superfuou
devices have men, in their barbarism
sought to establish hat relation OF brother
hood, whose beauty and holiness they per
ceived. though they failed to discern that
by the ordinance of God, without any hu
man stratagem, it Justly comprehended al
their lellow-men. In the midst of Juda
ism, which hated all nations, Christianity
proclaimed love to all mankind, and dis
tinctly declared thai God had made of on.
blood all the nations Of men. And, as il
TO keep this sublime truth ever present "a
the mind, the disciples were taught, in the
simple prayer Of the Savior, to address
God as their Father in Heaven-not in
phrase Of exclusive worship, "ny Father,
bat in those other words Of high Christian
sour Father" with the petition
not merely to "lorgive me my trespasses, y
but with diviner prayer to "forgve us
our trespasses'-thus, in the solitude of the
closet, recognising all alike as children Of
God, and embracing al alike in the petit
ion OF prayer.
Confessing the brotherhood Of mankind,
we find at once divine standard, of un-
questionable accuracy and applicability, by
which to estimate the achievements Of bat.
tie. No brother can win glory from the
death of brother. Cain won no "glory'
when he slew Abel; nor would Abel have
won "glory," had he, in the exercise Of
strict selfdelence. succeeded in Staying the
wicked Cain. The soil recoils in horror
from the thought of praise OF honor, as the
need Of any such melancholy, hateful sue
cess. And what is true Of contest be-
tween two brothers. is equally true Of a
contest between many. No army can win
'glory' by dealing death or defeat to an
army Of its brothers.
The ancient Romans, ignorant OF this
sacred and most comprehensive relation,
and recognizing only the exclusive fellow
ship which spr ngs from common country,
accounted ciril ,rGr as fratricidal. They
branded the opposing forces, even under
well-loved names in the Republic, as I'M.
piouS, and constantly refused "honor, y
thanksgiving" OF "triumph," to the con-
quering chief whose sword had been EN-.
ployed against his fello,o- citizens, even
though traitors and rebels. As the BROTH
erhood OF mankind-now proiessed By
Christian lips-becomes practically recog-
nized, 1t will be impossible to restrain our
regard within the exclusive circle OF coun-
try, ard TO establish an Unchristian distinc.
ton Of honor between civil war and inter
national war. As all men are brothers,
so, by irresistible consequence, all tcar
must BE- fratricidal. And can "glory'
come from fratricidei No, no. In the
clear light OF Christian truth, shame and
SORROW must attend it; nor can any war, un-
der whatever apology Of necessity it may
be vindicated, be Justly made the occasion
OF "honor," of thanksgiving" or Of "tri.
umph." Surely none can hesitate in this
conclusion, who are not fatally imbued
with the heather rage OF nationality, that
made the Nenetians say, "they were Nene.
lians first, and Christians afterwards"
Tell me not, then, of the homage which
the world yet offers to the military chieftsin.
Tell me 10, Of the ''elory" Of war Tell
ina not OF the ''honOr" or ''iame' that is
won on its murderous fields. All is vanity
IL is blood.red phantom, sure to fade and
disappear. They VINO strive after it, Ixion.
like. embrace cloud. Though seeming
for a while TO hll the heavens, cloaking the
stars, it must, like the vapors of earth, soon
pass away. Milton has likened the early
contests of the Heptarchy 10 the skirmishes
of crows and kites; but God, and the ex-
allied Christianity of the Future, shall re-
gard all the bloody feuds Of men in the
same likeness; and Napoleon, and Alex
amer, so lar as they were engaged in war,
shall seem to be monster crows and kites.
! Thus shall it be, Us mankind ascend from
the thrall OF british passions by which they
are yet degraded. Nobler aims, by nobler
means, shall fill the soul. A new standard
Of excellence shall prevail; and honor,
divorced from all deeds OF blood, shall be-
come the inseparable attendant OF good
works alone. Far better, then, shall il be,
even in the judgement Of this world, to
have been door-keeper in the house OF
Peace; than the proudest dweller in the
tents of War.
There is legend Of the early Church,
that the Savior left his image miraculously
impressed upon napkin which he placed
upon his ooontsnanca The napkin has
been lost, and men now attempt 10 portray
that countenance from the Heather models
of Jupiter and Apollo. But the image Of
Christ is not lost TO the wofld Clearer
than in the precious napkin, clearer than
i'm the colors or the marble of modern art.
it appears in every virtuous deed, in every
act Of selr-sacrihce, in all magnanlnnous
toll, in every recognition of the Brother
hood of Mankind. 1t shall yet be supreme
ly manifest in unimagined loneliness and
serenity, when the Commonwealth Of Ma.
tons, con(essing the True Grandeur oil
Peace, shall renounce the wickedness oil
the War System, and shall dedicate to la
bors of Benefcence all the comprehensive
energies which have been so fatally absorb
ed in its support. Then, at last, shall il
have been seen, that there can be no Peace
tha, is not honorable, and there can be M
y.