Rocky Ford enterprise., 1907-05-24
GIN G E II
s M p s
BY F!
G. H.T.l i

thC PubhS sShoo''b "hNN"N'N - -
truly "baccalaureate" sermon or not,
is good thing on general principles;
and the school board did well not to
cut it out along with the competitive
exercises of the literary societies OF
the high school this year. The reason
given for cutting out the exercises OF
the societies was that they created
too much friction. I'm not sure that
the best way TO overcome friction is
to stop the machinery. And then
mental friction is not like mechanical
friction, always harmful. But that
aside, | do not know OF anything that
has produced more friction than SER
mons. And just in proportion rs a
sermon gets out of the conventional
rut it is apt to create friction. Whca
DIR. Roberts opened up his discourse
Sunday morning he seemed to have
brought his axle grease along with
him. and was going to lay it on SUI
fciently thick. II he had kept on as
he started out all would have been
well. He would have had the un-
qualified approval OF all who are ac-
customcd to sitting under the drop
pings OF the sanctuary. and provoked
only the indifference of those who are
| in the habit OF taking it in small
doses. But in creditable determine
, ton to say something outside the
commonplace when talking on spe-
cial occasion, he made n break that
no amount OF glucose can possibly
mend. i, will now probably be in
order for the board to cut ou, the
annual sermon.
That however is not my quarrel
with the Doctor. My bias. II l have
any. (and probably have). is with
him rather than against him on ,ha,
break. Blu, he will have plenty OF
antagonists IL they all &C, after him
in print. What l took exception 10
was the Doctors eulogy OF Napoleon
and his general approval OF war. rs
good thing for the human race.
There has been a good deal OF fun
pokcd at Andy Carnegie and the 9TH
or Peace Congress fellows in the
papers the las, week or two. and !,
may do very well as newspaper FILL
ing. Bu; when man is making a
special effort TO magnify tho beneh-
eenee OF popular education. and in
association too with the benign teach
ings OF Jesus. there would seem 10
be little Foo-, for pancgyrie on war.
Napoleon Bonapar'e and the Sermon
on tho Mount cannot well be pitched
in the same key.
II Is no, true OF any war that I,
was essential to any good that FOL.
lowed Il. The simple ruth Is that
men had neither the educated sense
nor the Christ sriri, sufficient to at.
tain the good wi,hou, tho war. There
was nothing attained by our colonial
revolution TO which the war OF tho
revolution was essential. Every
community has \. right TO be free and
independent II IL wants TO be. because
every man has right TO be free and
independent as far as lie thinks !;
wise TO be so. But the freedom and
tho Independence OF tho man IL no
guarantee OF good to him. All that
these United States arc as tho United
States they eouia have been as'the
Greater britain. which In fact they sim
ply arc. The war was but ;hc fool-
ish way Nc were driven TO take TO \
good end. Education. and a seice,
primer OF Christian pFcecp,s. should
tend 10 save us from such foolish
ness.
Our civil war was no; essential TO
,hc abolition Of slavery. A better
way was pointed OF; to us-;tc grad.
ual man mission Of the slave. Bu,
our wiiiuiincss and our seifishncss In
sisted on war. The south doubtless
though; tha; " the colonies had a
right TO be free from Grca, Britain
the South had right TO be free from
the North. And every orator now-s-
| days a, old soldiers reunions cxtois
| tho sincerity of his Confederate an
taEonist. The man who fights always
thinks he has his quarrel just. Tha;
Is why we always have what Prcsi-
dent Roosevelt recently called ",lic
jus; man armed"
The late Russ.Jap war was not cs.
scntial TO anything that l; has attain
cd. except as deficiency of cduea-
;ion aud the Chris, spiri, made ,ha,
the only way OF stopping Russian as-
Ercssion and exposing the ro,tcnncss
Of Russian au;oeraey. But, o Godi
what scars, what hcart-brcakinss,
what priva;ions, what slaughter OF the
bravcst and the best. what tax bur
dcns for the generations TO como, al
which could have been saved by Ed
ueation and the Christ spirit. voiced
through an international tribunal duiy
authorized to enforce ,ha, supposedly
sentimental cdict God hath made CT
ono Zone blood is not the true
rcndcriuE) all nations for to dwell
upon the carth."~