The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-10-28
WASHINGTON, D. C.
CorDyight secured according 10 ldIC.l
For the National Era.
HERMAN;
OR,
YOUNG KNIGHT HOOD.
BY 3. FoxToN,
.Author of" Premiees"
BY 3. FoxToN,
author Of" Prentees."
CHAPTER XII-Conunued.

CHAPTER XII--Conunued.
aBut you forget. The Sikhs were not Chris
,sns. were they? Therefore not brothers, even
un,D sour own rather farfetched premises"
sYou have me there, own though it ap.
nsa-s to me that Christianity rather proclsims
IAN. creates the fact of human brotherhood.
H,wever, brothers or not brothers, let us take
M the arguments Of the reverend, moral, philo-
.95hical. and poetical Confrsres Bull, point
bz point, so far as we know them, and see what
they amount to. First: my beloved hearers,
or pupils, or admirers, there are other things
N the world worse than war, therefore let rs
hsve var. To which / reply, as boldly as a
modest man may, Do you likewise say, prussic
acd and corrosive sublimate are worse than
arsenic. therefore let US take little arsenic I?
It is no excuse at all for arsenic to say that
prussic acid and corrosive sublimate are worse,
unless you can also not say merely, but prove,
that arsenic is an antidote to corrosive sublimate
and prGssic acid, which, l think, you you can
Lot Secondly say the Messrs. Bull, bad
men are better men, for the time being, while
you set them to killing one another But
answer, that the argument seems to me to
amount pretty nearly to this-that one very
questionable, not to say Objectionable occupa
ton, mutual slaughter-I won't hurt your
professional feelings, Charley. by calling it
murder-i3 enough for them at one time, which
ia no more than might be said as truly as it can
be said of this, of gambling, drinking or any
other vice you can name and this occupation
o. human slaughter is as closely allied to them
IS they are to each other. Come one, come all |
You can mention no vice, can you? that
sgohizes or de6es poor humanity, that ia not
the child of War;"
Yes, can, and 80 does John Boil; COW.
eldce War is an sntidote to that, you'll
agree"
Il" shall, if ever fzd it out but l have not
done SO as yet, at least, so fully as to believe
var good school Of morality in any one re.
spsct Men deficient in physical courage are
LJl particularly likely to go into battle TO get
ii; and as 10 what is much more rare and i'm
poTaLt, moral courage, is there body of men
il The world more utterly destitute of personal
Independence Of thought and action, more help
I5ssly IL fear Of the opinion Of others, than the
army! II the disposition 10 fight be sign of
courage, nation commonly has less of it at
Tie end OF a war than at the beginning. Be-
alrs, suppose | want courage myself, or think
that my neighbor does. Shall 1 on that &C
count pick quarrel with him, go to his house
aud grounds, plumber them, endeavor to kill
tm, and force him to endeavor to kill me? Ii
T1uld De rather desperate remedy to admins
Ter 10 nyselt st his expense, or to him against
kis vail The word--.b- ouIIss ""..~ -,-~
yst to learn that that which on small scale
would be an absurdity and crime, is no less when
multiplied by masses that piece OF violence
and II Justice, which would be very atrocious If
perpelrated by one man upon one of his neigh.
bors Is scarcely less an atrocity when perpe
trs,ed by good many men upon good many
Of their neighbors That the world and the
church know it theoretit ally, while denying 1t
practically, is all the more shame for the church
AID the world"
- But you won't undertake to deny that
there's good deal of cowsrdice and selhshness
in the talk of the Peace Societies 2"
Neither to deny nor affirm, for know very
little about them. 1 dare say there may be,
ior all good and great causes have some bad
and ptuy advocates. Blu. that Scylla Is
ugly mons.er, is no reason why We should 20.
into Charybdis. All through Me, the, ."S
way runs between man-trapsron on e,
spring guns on the other That a =, ;,,..aL
pect and make up our Ainos 70 :"
us TO walk warily." ,d,,u
- wy 10 nT' that tie Christian virtues are
WY ", ln 20 be fdnd in the golden mean,
auios. Hl"at 10 or vice m srely, but to two
To' OPPCSe for Instance, lies somewhere be-
teupe koess .nd undue austerity. In avoiding
~ ."'e .e, wenigH fall into the other but We
St not Christian truth of speech keeps clear
4 iyir on one side, aud on the other, of need.
less nd wanton bitterness justice, of churlsh
copTrVatIsm on one hand, and mad sgrarian.
l.. on the other. In like manner, Christian
clearance stands equally aloof from coward
Ice AID cruelty"
but suppose you're as brave as Ajax, and
u costs you a much greater effort OF courage
uot TO light than it would to fight. How are
you gong to Prove it to your comrsdes? ?"
Aher their own fashion ?-as Oak6eld did,
% taxing the enemy's colors z No. Probably
may not be able to prove it to them at ell.
Lei 'he whole world hiss 80 that / may but
lear The voice of Christ say, Well doneI u His
e. voice ought TO overpower, to true Chris
'lAr ear, the tumult of whole race of mutt.
neerp7 ~
Don't you think, though, that you ought to
mSke some allowance for the sense of duty and
setueVOuon 10 comrades and commanders,
Nnlch war calls forth among menu"
as much as l do for the same qualities
C s,. forth in similar circumstances among
IItDHS'e's and pirates, and more, too because
AHOW mat there is often notion among reg
ta' soldiers that religion sanctions their horri
IIe Gfael,ies TO Gods children-a delusion, as
mia Bat what then? Am / therefore to
aPilOVe OF aggressive warfare, or you of pira.
y God brings great deal of good out Of
Nc NE y'iiS OF war, do We say? What of that
!; " nat eyii does He not bring good out Of? Is
\ Iot olasphemous for US, in return for that, to
~ mo Ills mouth the motto, Evil, be thou
~ sood We know into whose mouth Mil
iOu put that 1t was the one in which it be-
,oas5d' Was it one from whose lips We are
'eady 10 kiss the words 2" -
Araen, you harass and discourage me, but
I ~ upnt convince me. Don't you remember
nArrlsT He sal at the next desk to me
Of tHe Latin School" E
>, rerteeily. He's in India now. Ihsd let.
vi from him two months ago."
IA ~ ne corresponds with you, too, does be
SU ne mention Havelock, or H, or W"
bo,. ne always does. How extremely kind and
OsPnaole they have been towards him 2n
tbar ~ n upright, high-principled, noble men,
tbsyD must be, Judging from his anecdotes of
pe;,L snow 1t, Charley-men whom we are,
shall IT Il ol US, lit to hold candle to, nor ever
-a al De- you think and fear.~ -
exnaot tOn know about you but, now, do you
tbav % NE to undertake to be better than
Be =. you can, By all means; and if you can't
10 - SoUu, you must take all the more care not
in hi as pad Until you're as perfect as they
bood- 0'ner respects, don't presume to be as
SIM! lou can put together a most ugly
movss S Sat OF nothing else but the yet unre.
Bs.;Sa1 ulsngurements and blemishes of saints.
the 'i We are both of us assuming now that
present OOaif;0p of a L. = T.