The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-18

clples Of such law, If the disputants
desired to arbitrate. There can be no
compulsion, as said by Mr.. Pearson,
! The plan Of arbitration was like a
baby apparently helpless and of very
little value, unable TO do much. and
! requiring careful nursing, but that il
had one great merritt Would Grow -
international law, resultant of the
highest wisdom and of the greatest
! oenevolence, had become well estab-
lished and generally recognized, but it
had no tribunal to administer it: no
judges, no court, no place whose doors
were always open to hear and deter
mine National controversies over Ma
tional Rights. The Hague Conference
provided for such tribunal.
MORAL LAW.
| Law is a rule of action. Moral law
is the rule of action for moral beings,
1t deals with the rights and duties of
moral beings. 1t is the Word, the
Truth, the Life. and the Light, spoken
of by st. John. Human law and human
action approach this Eternal law Just
in proportion to their recognition of the
rights and duties of men. Every man
and every nation since the world be-
gan has had some recognition of this
law, and has more or less struggled for
the reign of this law. To a certain ex-
tent each and all have known their
rights under this law and have felt
obligations of duty under it. The right
of existence unframed was felt, and
the right and duty of self defense rec
ognized. The right to what they made
by their own labor was felt and the
duty of protecting that right recog-
nized. The right of freedom and the
duty OF defending that right was felt
and fought for, and so of other per-
sonal rights.
WHEN MIGHT WAS RIGHT.
AT first there were no courts or
tribunals to hear ana determine ques-
tons in controversy concerning such
rights. and then men defended them by
their own strong arms. Then there
was no punishment melted out to those |
who had trespassed on others rights
and so men not only defended their |
rights but avenged their wrongs. TAX
ing the fist, the club or the sword into |
their own hands. They were obliged |
to punish in order to deter others from |
injuring them. They got personal |
peace by fighting for it, All this was |
a struggle for the Rule of Law. This |
struggle is still going on, but now in |
general it is made in the courts by an |
action at law. In the courts men fight |
for their rights. To the courts they |
look for the avenging CT their wrongs.
And the courts being established they |
may and should do this, and by suit.
struggle for the Reign of Law. The
perfect reign of municipal law is peace
for the citizen. The complete reign of
law would be peace for
the nations. The perfect reign of all
law would be the Observation-Disclosures
sal Heavenly Peace. 1t is an end we
cannot reach but we can approach.
Our approach is a constant struggle
for law made by men and by nations.
by this struggle brings
increase of personal and national peace.
History in the main is concerning
national struggle for national rights
a struggle for law. Poets and prophets
have dreamed of the end of the strug
gle for law in the universal reign of
law, and, in such reign of law have
seen universal perfect peace. Thus the
Prophet Isaiah sees such reign of law
and such perfect peace: For out OF
Zion shall go forth the Law and the
Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
And He shall judge among the nations.
and rebuke many people. And they
shall beat their swords into plough
shares. and their spears into pruning
looks Nation shall not lift sword
against nation. neither shall they learn
var any more"
THE PERFECT PEACE.
Note, that the Reign of Law is to
,ie And
he conditions of such perfect reign of
aw are stated by this prophet as fol-
ows:
THE wolf shall dwell with the lamb. {
nd the leopard shall lie down with the t
lid: and the calf and the young lion g
nd the failing together: and little S
hid shall lead them: and the COW and
he bear shall feed. Their young ones
hall lie down together; and the lion G
hall eat straw like an OK" r
Such peace is conditional upon our ]
eing of different natures from what t
Tod has made us s. t2at we Will have c
o fierce passions. ne strong wills. no
reat temptations. no envy, no covet- Q
1g, no desire to live upon each other' p
O anger. no indignation, and no ven
eance aroused by a feeling of injus- n
ice. Then the wolf, the bear, the a
,opard and the lion in us is to be so n
hanged that 1t is as a great trans
,rmation, as if the Zion shall eat p
raw like an OK" $
If he eats meat some other animal "
lust be killed. I do not believe the Q
rophet Isaiah was vegetarian. but n
D believe that vegetarians might lean n
pom this portion of scripture. o
I do not think Isaiah would nave Il
UGH respect for grass-eating lion- II
I have as little respect for grass
ting man, or a man with no lion IN fo
m.
Neither history nor prophecy present re
, era of universal peace. II
Peace at any price cannot be oo- 81
lined. and the coward and the fanatic
oh preach it in vain.
We may rightly aim at perfect peace III
o NAV strive for it. We may SINGER ar
desire it, but it is no more for
nth than is heaven itself. As long I'll
time lasts and man is endowed pr
ith a. sense of justice and of honor su
long will his struggle for law go
X