The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-02-22
WORDS OF AN 0PTIMIST
BELIEVES EVII is CONSTANTLY DE-
CRE1SING,

an EioquehC sermon on the subject Dy
Rev. Frederick Lynch, at the United
Church-spirit of international Brother
Taught.
In the absence of Rev. DR.. T. T. Mum
morning, the assistant pastor, Rev.
Frederick Lynch occupied the pulpit
and preached an eloquent sermon upon
the subject: Us the World Advancing
Toward the Kingdom of Righteousness
and Peace?" The text was: Mercy
and Truth Have Met Together; Right
eousness and Peace Have Kissed Each
Other" He said in part:
But the decrease In evil and the
growing infrequency of war Is not the
true way of measuring the progress of
the world, and does not satisfy us,
though it dispels crude notions The
reformer working for the progress of
the world into better things and larger
life does not look so much for the grow
ing infrequency of evils, but he goes
deeper and measures progress by the
growth of moral sentiment, by the
ever enlarging, more enlightened con-
science of man, by the development of
principles, higher standards of lIdg-
ment, breadth of vision and increase of
the spirit of tolerance. This Is immeas-
urably higher and the true test of the
progress of nations. This is the true
history of the progress of the world.
His is not a record of deeds, not of
wars, not of the journeys man has made
and the deeds he has done, but the true
history Is the record of the thoughts
he has thought, the ideals he has cher
ished, the development into larger
character, the growth of high moral
sentiment. Lecky's History of Morals
Is the book we turn to, to see If the
world is growing better, not some COM
pendulum Of battles So the question is
then, not are wars growing less, but is
there sentiment against war and bat
tie growing and making itself felt in
society; not is there less religious per-
secution, but is there a spirit of toler-
ance and charity taking possession Of
mems minds; not is there less corrup-
ton in politics but is there any sign
of an increasing interest in good gov
eminent and of a growing civic con-
science; not is the problem of the re-
lation of rich and poor, capital and
labor, less intricate, but are people
arousing themselves to a proper Chris
tian solution of it.
"Such field here opens itself for
comment that one hesitates to touch it
in so short a time. But certainly moth
ing is more manifest than that there
has been great progress in these ways.
Let us for a moment note the growth
of moral sentiment in our own coun-
try. The chief general Characteristic of
the century now closing has been the
ceaseless struggle of the new order to
supplant the old. Out of this struggle
has arisen a moral sentiment which
was hardly known to any age before.
Take some of it's definite forms:
81. A growing peace sentiment has
expressed itself in numerous interna-
tional arbitrations in the last hundred
years. Before this century the word
was little used. Now it is a, growing
sentiment, becoming more and more
deeply grounded in the public con-
science with every fresh rumor of war.
Numerous peace societies have been
organized and peace conferences held.
"A spirit Of protest against the horror
of war and a fresh consciousness of it's
cruelty is causing men to loathe tia
feeling that it belongs to the brute
world, out of which we came, and not
to the free, uplifted soul Of man. No
dispute now arises without the question
of arbitration arising from ten thou
sand pens and p1lpits. What a change
from even fifty years ago! No fact
could be more significant. The momen-
tum of this sentiment must be irresisti-
BILE. The old order of hate and violence
must give way before the growing light
of love and reason. One is tempted to
grow rashly optimistic and prophesy
the not far distant universal peace of
our text.
Nothing has been more noticeable
and more encouraging than the almost
unanimous approval Of the arbitration
treaty now before congress, by the
press and pulpit, by leaders of thought
everywhere, eminent lawyers, jurors
and thinkers. In fact we find hardly
dissenting voice outside the senate.
But what is of more import, one cannot
but feel that the great rank and file
of the truly patriotic, solid, serious
American citizens stand behind this
sentiment and will in time demand it's
recognition. If once this be true then
no body of men, out of provincial, ma
tionalism or hostility to other lands,
can long hold back the world upon it's
way into reason and into peace. So let
us not grow discouraged, but take
every opportunity, both public and pri-
waite, to educate public sentiment and
opinion into the spirit of international
brotherhood, and into that true patriot
ism which loves it's own land that it
may love the world. Knowing that if
once this be accomplished no power on