The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1899-06-02

of war" After the overthrow of the
Egyptians in the Red Sea: "lhen sang
Moses and the children of Israel this
song unto the Lord, and spake, saving,
will sing unto the Lord, for he hath
triumphed gloriously; the horse and the
rider hath he thrown into the sea. The
Lord is my strength and song, and he is
become my salvation; this is nv God
and L will praise him; my fathers God,
and l will exalt him. The Lord is a man
of war; the Lord is his name"
In these later times, when the Spirit of
Christianity has enlightened the minds
and softened the hearts Of men, ana
working hand in hand with the scientific
civilization Of our age has produced
mutual fellowship of interests and feel
nations, war has been converted as it
were, and made q minister OF mercy to
the oppressed and suffering, and means
Of securing the benefits of the highest
attachments of the world to the most
needy and most degraded of the peoples.
Aud still the soldier is prominent among
the factors of our modern life of Chris
tendon. With all our boosted progress
and attainments in economic, social, po-
litical and moral life, we still have the
soldier, and we still need the soldier, and
we must still resort to the terrible
scourge of war, in the name Of God and
for the sake of suffering humanity.
We live in the age and in the land OF
the greatest Christian liberty. Some one
has estimated that it has cost the world
| 1000 battles to win for us this precious
heritage which we enjoy to-day. The
soldier under God has wrought for us
the mighty changes in the civilization OF
mankind, which have secured for US the
peace and plenty, privileges and protec-
ton which we now enjoy and which we
are in duty bound to proffer to all the
waiting and care-worn world. But still
we need the true and faithful soldier.
Still we honor and hold in grateful mem
DRY those who have given their lives to
their country and to the world, that all
men should be free and equal in their
natural rights under the law, and that
the whole world may know that God
rules in the earth and among the. warning
nations. 1t has always been honorable
to die in a righteous cause, it has ever
been counted glorious to sacrifice for the
good OF ones kindreda and race. The
ideal soldier has in all ages been the
brave true man, who at least believed he
was doing God service.
We have come in these days to the
divine life of principles In all the affairs
of men. We believe la government by
law. We hold that under the divine
guidance we should govern ourselves In
accord with the universal rule of love tC
God translated into love for our fellow
men, everywhere. But law requires
obedience and mutual regard for each
others rights. And it has been well
said, that, ''As lawlis imperative with
out physical force to back it, SO the State
is powerless without it's soldiery to de.
So long as there is sin, crime, and every
form Of evil in theYworld there must be
| power to punish the abuse of privileges
and to protect and vindicate those whose
single aim and. purpose and effort is to dc
hight. There are still men and nations
who are blind TO the light Of truth, men
and nations that are dominated by Igno.
rance, prejudice, selfshness, hatred, su-
perstition and every degrading practice;
and, until the pure and peaceable princi
Piles Of the Gospel Of Christ shall redeem
their lives and bring themsinto the true
Fellowship Of God they must be taught
| the only lessons they will heed in their
| present conditions, that might is right
only when right is might andshas power
60 punish and subdue them. There are
men still here and every where, who have
no respect for the mutual rights OF soci-
ETY. except as they fear the suffering OF
physical punishment. They have no re
gard for the law save only az they dread
| it's sure penalties. We know very well
that la iawless community no one ID
| secure in his rights. We know how soon
the law ia dead letter IL it Ia not en-
forced. We know perfectly well that
when men refuse to live together in obe-
dience to the law there must soon come
the last resort OF physical force and the
dreadful ordeal and arbitrament Oh war
The true soldier ID the natural reserve
power OF God by which He rules among
man, when cher viii not heed Ills com