The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1904-10-13
THE DAWN OF PEACE.
INTERNATIONAL PEACE CONGRESS,
BOSTON, OCT. 81, 1904.

\ sermon delivered Oct. 2. 1904, by Rev.
Harry Lutz, pastor of the Unitarian Church,
Belfast, and published by request
"They shall beat their swords into
plough-shares, and their spears into
pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up
sword against nation, neither shall
they learn war any more" lisa. pa.
This hope of peace is also uttered in
the book of Micah. 1t is the utterance
of some poet of earlier date copied by
both writer's or, as some think, and in
deed seems the more likely, that it is
the dream of peace of a later poet in
serted into these earlier prophesies. 1t
seems to voice the spirit of Israel after
the Babylonian exile. They had learned
by bitter experiences the terribleness
of war and with their liberation and
rising hope of the restoration of their
national strength, their poets would at
this time sing of peace.
This poet in his dream of the future
saw the swords and spears turned INTO
instruments for the cultivation of the
soil Instead of warlike preparations,
he saw the activities turned to indus
trial pursuits. Instead of the rayages
of war he saw the blessings of peace.
But this vision Of the poet,
tut as it was could only be a dream in
his day. Under the conditions and
ideas that then prevailed, it was i'm
possible of practical realization. All
down the ages since poets and prophets
have reiterated this hope, of the day
when wars shall cease, and pc ace bless
the land, instead of the mtolerable
burdens. taxati0ns, sorrows, and raw
ages OF war. Jesus OF Nazareth stands
in the midst of the darkness, struggles
and wars as a prophet of peace. He
was called the prince of Peace" and
his blessing was upon the ''peace-mak-
ers." To his cradle the early Christian
Imagination brought its tribute of myth
and poetry in the angels song OF peace
on earth, and good will among men"
The religion of Jesus was summed up
i'll his two commandments of love.
This is the principle of the real. true
human life. In proportion as it con-
trolls the motives and acts of people in
their individual, social and national
relations. the struggles, destruction
and carnage of war must disappear.
This idea has been steadily gaining
root and springing up, 1t has been
overrun 10y struggles, controversies
and wars through the centuries. But
it is too deeply rooted in human nature
to be eradicated. Its growth has been
steady and strong. The recent years
are observing it's unfolding bloom, the
promise of the fruit which future years
will gather.
Thus has the hope of peace passed
from a mere visionary dream in the
darkness of conditions making it i'm
possible, to a rational view of a real
state of world life which the dawn of
new conditions is making brighter and
clearer With the certainty that the
dawn is the herald of day, we may look
to the dawning conditions of world
peace. as precursor of the fullness of
day when the sun of righteousness and
intelligence shall flood the world life
with the light OF peace.
1t is no longer d vain chase after the
phantasmagoria of a dream, but a ra-
tional effort to put into practice the
common sense of life. which makes it
practically appear that the good of all
is served when nations do not lift up
sword against nation, nor even learn
War any mere, when engines OF GeStruc-
ton are converted into implements OF
industry and the energies of men turn
ed from struggle and slaughter into
channels OF useful pursuit
1t may seem on the -ace of it an III
Opn0YtuMe time to talk OF peace, when
every paper We glance at to-day IS full
of reports from the seat Of terrible
war HOW going on III the east But III
reality this war is only emphasizing the
conditions that make for peace and i'm
pressing The nations the more deeply
with theu duty toward them.
White every breeze that sweeps from
below tile eastern HORIZON bears to our
tdls The clash Of resembling arms, the
roar of engines of destruction and
Iumors OF carnage and death, there is
rising over the eastern horizon of the
word Intelligence the ever Frightening
glow of the dawning conditions that
precede the day of peace. We may
prolitabiy inquire what are the condi-
lions that make appear the dawn of
peace: We find them in the conclu-
sions the rational Intelligence of man
evolution of ideas through the centu-
ries of development of civilization.
This We see the more clearly when we
review the progress of ideas.
War and its justification in the
thought of mankind arises from the
human instinct of representation
and has its beginnings in self defence.
In the primitive state, every Individual
stood for himself. He must defend
himself and his own. His security and
property depended upon his strength in
defense The right was determined by
strength in conflict.
With the appearance of the family
came the need of its defense and the
protection of its rights. With the
union of families into tribes came the
wider need of defense. Men were
united in their struggles for security
or offense. With the union of tribes
into nations the same idea was broad
ened into national unity.
This process of growth, coming as it
did through struggle, the idea became
firmly fixed in mans thought, that
right was determined by superior force,
since it determined the status of peo-
pies and nations. This idea having
grown with the development of civil
lied society, it has taken such deep
root in all the various forms OF human
thought that it must needs require
long process of development to eradi-
cate it and supplant it with higher
ideas. This process of development
has been going on through the centu-
ries and we today are realizing the re-
suits and the rational intelligence of
man is drawing from it the conclusions