Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1905-08-27
Christians In War.

A missionary agent in China of the
American Bible society reports that
the defeats administered by japanese
patriotism and prowess to Russia nave
given to the Chinese a fresh idea. This
idea is that of progress without
Christianftyr-the basis of this notion
raing of course the assumption that
Japanese civilization is q product of
pagan teachings. Professional oh
servers sometimes see a good deal OF
substance in what after all are only
shadows; but even if this is not SO in
this instance there is no particular
reason for anxiety.
Christianity is a very large word
and it covers very many things out
side of strictly church work according
TO this or that creed. One Of the
great and true congratulations is that
Christianity breeds and nOurishes the
scientific spirit, and that paganism
does not. and never has. Plagiarism
has not produced a modern battleship'
nor eleven-inch shell. nor the tele-
Dhone. nor a typographical map. It
is true enough that the Japanese use
the Shimose powder, which unites in
itself safe and destructive qualities TO
an extraordinary degree; but DR..
Shimose. who invented this powder
and who is a tolerably pure product
of native Japan in respect TO his birth
place. growth, environment and pre-
sumabIe beliefs. had TO take what may
ders as the basis for his studies and
experiments for the simple reason
that paganism had produced nothing
of the kind to awaken his inventive
genius and to lead him on through
his many years Of experimental work.
If here and there a Chinaman, then,
has Jumped to the conclusion that ia
pan is a pagan country because the
Shinto faith still fingers in that coun-
try as a nebulOus atmosphere protect
ing the state, or because there are
Buddhist temples there, or because the
maxims of Confucius are held in re-
spect by some of the people of Japan,
that Chinaman has jumped at a con-
clusion wholly unsupported by the
kind Of war that the japanese have
made against Russia or by the tools
that they have used in this war.
The japanese have won this war by
using Christian methods and Chris
tian instruments, not pagan methods
nor pagan instruments. Paganism
has never produced the kind OF mill
tary weapons required to overcome
the Russian genius in building fortiff-
cations. If the Russian pretensiOn that
they were fighting against pagan
people had been true the Russians
would have defeated the japanese
there is no doubt about that: pagan
ism never having produced the mill
tary means to stand up even against
a Christianity so abounding in belief
and so careless about conduct as that
made war on both the land and the |
sea on the Christian basis-that is TO |
say. with the scientific instruments |
and the scientific spirit produced and |
sustained by Christianity. If we should |
go back to the old notion that a duel |
or a war was a trial of battle. of which !
God was the superintendent, taking |
care to see that in every case inno- |
cence was indicated and justice Sc
cured, we would be obliged to con- |
clude, not any such foolish thing as /
this reported from China, but that the /
Japanese are better Christians than
the Russians.