The age-herald., 1901-01-07
practice. and is polite name for robbery

on a large scale.
 king Ahab and Queen Jesabel, two of the most infamous tyrants that ever reign ed, reetfed their boundaries by seizing the vineyard of Naboth and by putting to cruel death that innocent man.
 "The old Roman empire, two thousand I years ago, was constantly engaged in rec | tifying it's boundaries It did not stop till | it had annexed all of Europe and good | slice of Asia and Africa. But the day of retribution came at last. The wariike tribes | of the north swooped down like averaging eagles on that decaying and corrupt body | -the Roman empire-and rectified her | boundaries over again. The empire was | d.smembered and the map of Europe was | changed
 | "Cieero tells us that when a pirate was l once brought before Alexander the Great, | the general reproached him for his crimes on the high seas. You are greater robber | and murderer than l. replied the pirate, | for while I have plundered and slain few, | you are the slayer and robber of nations l He went on adjusting his boundaries till he | had overrun large portion of Asia. But | very soon after his death, these boundaries | were readjusted by his generals.
 Of Great Concern.
 Tt is a subject of great concern to the | friends of the gospel of peace that Chris 1 tian Europe presents today the spectacle of large military camp. All the nations of ' the continent, as well as England, are | armed to the teeth, ana Ire lNlnS III iiu- tual dread and distrust of each other. They l are devoured by an unsuitable ambition or ! conquest and dominion or by fear or ln- { vaston. When you see heavy clouds sur ! charged with the electricity of war hang ! ing over these nations you may expect the thunder-clap of battle to resound at any moment. Armed nations like armed indi- viduals are a constant menace to one an 1 other, and are easily provoked to fight
 And these military forces instead Of d. ! minishing are unhapply increasing every year. As soon as one nation augments Us armament, its neighbor feels impefled to do likewise in self protection According to | a report compiled and published in lSe'' | from official sources, the army list or Eu- rope on war footing comprised nearly h. ! COG, 900 of men, and the annual cost Of maln- taining the military establishments even In time of peace, exceeded six hundred mill lions of dollars. At the present time the cost would probably amount to one thousand millions.
 ! "When we consider the immense number of men that are torn from the bosom or | their families in the prime of life. that are 1 withdrawn fro active, industrial pursuits, when we see these young men vegetating l in idleness in time of peace, and luXuriat- ing in license and dissipation in time Of i war; we may form some idea of the moral, material and social evils resulting from | such a system. In contemplating these standing armies, --the calm observer might be forced to conclude that European gov ernments were primarily established to de- | stroy, rather than to save, life to foster happiness and develop the resources of a | country.
 May God Forbid.
 May God so guide our legislators and | statesmen that they may never be betrayed into formidable standing armies. God for ! bid that we ourselves flushed with recent victories should ever become intoxicated with the wine of imperialism or militarism, | but may we always follow the traditions l of the fathers of the republic.
 | Hitherto we have presented to the world | a beautiful spectacle Europeans accus- | toned at home to meet a soldier or gen 1 darme at every street corner on arriving Ill this country have been filled with surprise | and admiration that nation of so vast an l extent, and with such an immense popu- | lation contains an army of only twenty-five | thousand men. They have been forcibly | impressed with the fact that they can rrav- | el from Maine to California without meet ing a single soldier. They see that every citlzen Of the United States is soldier | without uniform, engaged in the active pur- suits of life, and ready at moments no- tIce to defend his country. They would feel that we are a strong naton because we cheerfuliy bow to the majesty of sae law and are not confronted and intimidated b, military satraps. May this fair picture never be defaced.
 Every Christian nation of the world has it's own national flag, it fights under its own chosen leaders, it listens to its own favorlte war cry.
 But there is one banner before which they all should bow, and that Is the ban ner of the cross there exists one Leader whom they should all revere and worship and that is Christ the Prince of Peace There is one clarion trumpet to which they all should hearken, and that is the trumpe of the gospel.
 "The teachings of the gospel from tht | only basis of peace for the rulers of the earth All the arts and resources or di plomacy will be in vain; all the courts ol arbitration and peace conferences that eVel shall assemble, will avail but little, as expe rience demonstrates. All their dellbera lions will be so much waste paper, unless their decisions are guided and framed un' der the invocation of the Lord of peace Who sits enthroned on the cross
 Prayer for the Century.
 May all the rulers of the earth draw | their inspirations from the Prince or Jus | tice May they learn from this divine oracle that nations as well as lndlvlouals | are responsible for the violation Of justice, that what they SOW, they shall reap, that righteousness exarteth a nation, but that sin maketh nations miserable. May our | rulers and magistrates be ever guided by the golden maxim of Christi What ye | would that men should do unto you, oo you | unto them in like manner.
 s'God grant that the new century Wnlcn has just dawned upon us, may inaug uraNe | a new era of peace, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah They shall turn their swords 1 into powshares, and their spears into | sickles nations shall not lift up sword | against nation, neither shall they be eX- 1 ercised any more by war May the Christian rulers contend among themselves, not as to which shall invent the most death-dealing weapon of war, but which shall devise the most useful implements of hunbandry and agriculture. May the people of the several states of our Union and particularly of Maryland strive in friendly emulation in outstripping one an other in the paths of progress and enlight- ment and material prosperity. May trade and commerce, the arts and sciences four