Willmar tribune., 1900-12-19
the BROKEN COMMANDMENT.

The BROKEN COM
The Christmas number of Hearst's
Chicago American contains some re.
productions of religious paintings
that deserve careful study: Two of
them, especially, preach a powerful
sermon. One of these is G. Debat-
Ponson's painting "Christ on the
Mountain" The central part of the
picture shows the representatives of
the murderous instinct in human ma
ture. Then are the duellists, who for
the slightest cause were ready to kill.
Then are the representatives of the
soldier class of all the periods of the
christian era. Then are the men who
in the name of Christ tortured people
of a different faith. There are the
mail-clad figures of the crusaders,
who, with the insignia of the Christ ian
faith on their breast and their stand
ards, strewed the sands of Palestine
and Syria with millions of human
bodies. To the left on mountain
ledge stands Christ gazing sorrow
fully down on these people that have
claimed to be his followers but have
so little needed his teachings. The
picture is a sermon more powerful
than words.
The other picture is a companion
piece of the first one. 1t is Henri
Dangers painting entitled, "The
Broken Commandment one An
Other.'' Christ is standing sur
rounded by the bodies of men fallen
in battle. One of the dead is still
firmly holding a banner bearing the
cross.
The sermon preached by these great
pictures deserves the thoughtful at
tention of all who claim to be follow
ers of Christ. Nineteen centuries
have rolled away since he came on
earth to preach peace. Yet how little
attention has been paid to his words.
The Christian theology with all its
variations has found earnest champi.
ons and millions upon millions of be-
levers. But how has humanity
needed Christ's own teachings with re-
gard to our duties to our fellow men?
From the message delivered to the
shepherds to Christ's last words on
the cross runs one dominant note
love. "Blessed are the peacemak-
ers.'' "Whatsoever We would that
men do unto you do you even so to
Them" ''Love thine enemies; bless
them that curse thee; do good unto
them that hate thee." "He that tax
eth to the sword shall perish by the
sword" And the last sublime prayer
for his prosecutors, "Father forgive
them, for they know not what they
do.' This is not theology, it is reli-
gion; a religion that can be accepted
by the follower of any branch of the
church, or by those who have no
settled belief in any theologic system.
These maxins of Christ represent the
ideal of human life-an ideal that can
not be reached in a day or century;
but nevertheless the ideal that the
religious teachers ought to strive
most earnestly to impress on the minds
OF their hearers.
In looking back over these nineteen
centuries, what an infinite pity it is
that the bloodiest and most devastat-
ing wars have been waged in the name
of the Prince of Peace. In His name
the nations of Europe for two centur-
les sent army after army to kill and
be killed in vain attempt to recover
the Holy Land. In His name the fear
full carnage Of the religious wars OF
the sixteenth and seventeenth centur-
les was carried on. In His name have
countless human beings been tortured
and burned. Tears and groans, an
guish and sutferings, destruction and
death have followed in the paths OF
men that thought themselves working
for Christ's kingdom. It seems
strange that men so earnestly relig.
GUS as to risk their lives for what they
thought the truth should have so total
" neglected the recorded utterances OF
the Divine Master they believed in.
''Yet I doubt not through the ages +
One increasing purpose runs, ~. Z
And the thoughts of men are widened
BY the process of the suns s.
Though brutality in man dies slow
ly,@it is dying. Though we still have
the sad spectacles Of Christian nations
slaughtering weaker people, yet we
find the voices of protest are growing
stronger. Though we still have the
pitiful spectacle Of men who consider
themselves messengers Of Christ ad-
vocating the use of the sword to
spread Christianity, yet we find that
class growing smaller. It gives us
hope that some day, though we may
not liYe TO see it, the teachings of
Christ will be needed, and war shall
be . thing Of the past; when the angel
Of peace shall have spread his white
wings over all the Christian world,
and the Christmas message Of Peace
on Earth shall be 8 glorious fact,
not = mere hope. Speed the day when
,thisshall be. lay the true Christmas
message reach many heart during