The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-03-07
WARS and rumors of war have

them in such quantities that we call
it war instead of fight. 1t is the
butchery of an individual, or butch
ery in both cases. James Russell
Lowell, in his Biglow Papers, has
this to say:
"EZ fer war, call it-murder!
There you have it plain an fiat.
don't want to go no furder
Than my Testament fer that"
On the principles of the New les
lament, we have to be opposed to
war. We are compelled to oppose
retaliation. And yet, we do have to
remember that principles of ethics,
like the forces in nature, often coun-
teract each other. We have gravity
and repulsion, heat and cold, positives
and negatives, afinities and repel-
Tents, and 30 on ad infinitum. The
one antagonistic force is as surely a
law of nature as the other. And
which shall fully counteract the
other, depends upon varying condi-
tions.
Now it is a law of Christian ethics
that thou shalt not kill. 1t is also a
law that thou shalt do as you would
be done by-and another Christian
law that thou shalt be obedient unto
Caesar in the things which Caesar
may lawfully require. And these
laws are sure to come in conflict
sometimes-sure to counteract each
other. If a ruffian would kill your
wife, to save her, as you would wish
her to save yourself, you must kill
the ruffian. Thou shalt not kill.
But Caesar may demand that you be-
come a soldier. And Caesar has a
right, duty, to protect the body po-
lite, though it requires war to Go
it.
War in Emergencies.
Hence a plenty of Christians justi-
fly war in emergencies. Paul might
seem to warrant this conclusion when
he exhorteth,-"If it be possible, as
much as lieth in you, live peaceably
with all men"-as though there were
conditions wherein peace was impos
sible. In cases of perpetual tyranny,
hopeless as fate, war might be justi-
fed as the practice of the golden
rule toward our contemporaries and
our posterity. The war OF our he
bellion might be justified by the
North, as preventive of future wars.
So the war of 1812-to prevent kid
naping Americans on the high seas.
So also the war of the Revolution,
rather than perpetual slavery to
Great Britain.
In the defence of great principles
mankind are under eternal obliga-
tions to future generations, no less
than to themselves. In this light the
thirty years war of the Protestants in
Germany against the Catholics, was
worth all its cost because, prospec-
lively, it broke the yoke of religious
tyranny for countless millions OF the
unborn.
War for Sinful and Frivolous Reasons.
But in the defence of arbitration as
always better than war, we must re-
member that the wars of humanity
have been largely wars of conquest,
wars of spite, wars born of the wilful
malice of rulers, of the petty quarrels,
of magnates and despots, wars en-
tered into for the most trivial pre-
texts.
But the most serious objection to
war as method of settling Difficult
ties is the enormous cost-in blood
and treasure and decentralization.
Since the beginning of our Revolu-
ton the United States have been en-
gagged in fifteen wars. These wars
Tin round numbers) occupied fifty
years-fifty out of 12l years since
the battle of Lexington! The war
of the Revolution lasted eight years.
A costly preparation for war with
France lasted for two years. Wash
ington died while expecting to take
charge of our armies and fight
against France. Our war with Tri-
poll lasted four years. The war with
Great Britain, of 1912. lasted three
years. The war with Mexico, two
years. And the war of the Rebellion,
four years. The other wars were
each of short duration and waged
with the native tribes of Indians
although the Florida war, backed by
Spain and connived at by the Brit
ish, lasted eight years.
Now it often happens that the out
come of war has as conspicuous in
significance as its beginning. We
have lately read of the mournful ter
mination of case of legal warfare in
California. An estate of $4,000 was
left to the heirs. Its settlement was
carried into the courts. 1t was kept
Al -. .za,.. ofko- ,roo- oxI ,,oo. a rko.