The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-16
THE CLERGY AND WAR.

(E. L. Godkin. in the New York Evening Post.)
I am entertained by the surprise and
horror expressed In England by a number
Of writer's and thinkers over the opera
tions which are marking the close OF the
Boer war. This, consider, Is a fair illus
tration of the ignorance with which all
wars are entered into. Hard fighting Is
expected in all Of them. but the people
who begin them always expect them to
end very soon. though in time to put in a
striking light the bravery Of the soldiers.
Everyone anticipates that the last battle
or skirmish will be fought just to suit the
convenience Of the victor, who always
wants to hang anybody that keeps the
conflict going longer than he likes was
talking to an officer in the Guards in Lon
don last year. just before the Boer war
broke out, about the length Of time 1t
| would probably last. I asked him first
whether he thought there would be any
war. for it had not yet begun. and he re-
piled that there certainly would. for IL
there were not a war 1t would be the ruin
OF Chamberlain. then asked min how
long he thought II would last and he an
swered three months. because he expected
| the Beers to dispense immediately, as
| militiamen usually do when they come in
contact with regular troops. This. think.
was the general opinion of the British
public The obst;nacy of the Boer resist
ance has been great surprise.
As a matter of fact. all really earnest
insurrectionary movements have been pro-
| tracted longer than the victor thought
| they ought to have been, and they
have had to be ended by martial
law, In some form or other. This is the
way in which Cromwell pacihed Ireland:
the way in which Alva pacified the Meth
erlands; in which Turkey pacified Greece;
| in which Louis XIV pacified the Cevennes:
in, nh cd n
which the Prussians pacified France: and
In which we are pacifying the Philippines.
We all remember how short the Cuban
war was expected to be. and still more
the Philippine war. The Philippine war
was to end in a month. but the black
guards have been keeping 1t up for about
two years. 1t Is Just as easy for tho
stronger power to bring the conflict to
an end as for the weaker one: in fact.
much easier. But the weaker power IS
supposed to have less right to keep on
fighting than the stronger. and the
stronger keeps on fighting as long IS
there is any resistance. and Is held en-
titled to kill everybody who keeps up this
resistance. This is SO we'll known that
the surprise and Iamentation expended
over the Boer resistance are mysterious.
1t is the history of all wars of subjuga-
ton. The rule Is that the weaker partr
must submit or die. This Is one OF tine
great beauties OF war.
This delusion has been greatly helped
during this later war-revival by the readi-
ness of the clergy to take part in it. I'm
til now they have, as a rule, at least in
Protestant countries, abstained from
praising the killing of people as an aid to
the diffusion Of the gospel. But an I'M
mense stimulus has been given to mans
natural propensity to kill his fellows by
religious O. sesni-FeIigious poetry. The
poets have been extremely DESTROYS Of
clarifying man when he is engaged in
killing. The amount Of verse expended
on this IL one Of the saddest things in the
literary history of humanity. From the
first war song of the savage down to Rud-
yard Kipling's poetry, is an immense space
of time, but this space has been filled
by very much the same sort of stuff. The
butrhery of human beings has received
almost as much attention from the poets
as has been accorded to their loves. Is
there anything more repulsive than the
lines Of the hymn which tell us that
The Son Of Man goes forth to war,
His blood-red banner streaming iarf
This has always called up to my minds
eye the picture Of an African chief. stalk
ing half naked through the forest, and
looking for somebody to kill with spear.
And why must the Christian soldier" be
LudFCutuS u HdT why ne
march" like a decent man, bent on q
peaceful errand?
Our sacred literature Is full Of SMILES
drawn from the battlefelds Everything
Is done by the soldiers themselves to make
war seem picturesque business. The
uniform. the serried ranks, the glittering
steel, the martial music-all help to
quicken the blood of even the most timid.
and hide from them the horrors Of actual
warfare. In fact, an army engaged in the
work for which it was embodied and
trained undertakes the most shocking and
task to which man can turn
himself Nothing can be more squalfd.
filthy or inhuman than actual war. and to
think that it should be the means of de-
gliding disputes between civilized nations.
which are capable of producing jurists and
pubIicists Of the first rank.
The reinforcement of war by the Chris
tian ministry seems to be largely due
TO the slighter hold which is retained
by ministers on their congregations, at
least in countries where the voluntary
system prevails. The old reverence for
he minister no longer exists. In large
lumber of the country towns he is simply
hired man, whose retention Of his place
depends largely on his preaching in a way
o please the deacons. Consequently. ev-
Try means has to be resorted to to satisfy
he congregation. including agreement
With the majority concerning the political
luestions Of the day, such as war. There
s no better way of pleasing it. If it be
varlike. than praying for the success of
,ur arms" THE success OF our arms,
the protection of our soldiers. are
mong the numerous phrases by which the
reacher seeks to veil from the Almighty
he real object of his petition II preach
rs would resolutely state with particu-
ars what 1t is they are asking for. the
ause OF peace would receive a great i'm
etuS. Wars would greatly diminish in
lumber, particularly now that the masses
ave begun to climb up and jostle each
Their on 1.-The glory-crowned heights
The attempt usually made to bamboozle
he Creator of the universe about the ma
ire and object of war is the grossest at
smpt of humanity at deception. II preach
RS were honest they would on the out
reak OF war. pray for what actually oc-
nrs in every war. successful or unsuceess-
IL. They would approach the Throne Of
race with petition that the enemy
light have his optic nerve cut by Il ball;
nat he might have his pelvis smashed;
lat he might be disemboweled; that he
light lose one or two legs; that he might
e on the field tbirty-six hours mortally
ounded: that he might die of enteric
.ver; that his provisions and water might
i've out; that his house might be burned.
nd his family left roofiess and starving
! this way the real nature OF the war
ould be laid before the public carrying
on, and something would be done to dis
buse the minds OF the young men and
leir parents of the idea that war is simply
kind of diversion. OF the nature of a
W ola hot