The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1910-02-19

md everywhere duno bns whore
slaves were kept. WI Christ was
born slavery was as Qhmon an insti-
tuition and as much SHepted as in the
order Of society asInarriage. As the
divine leaven Of christianity began to
beget in melv4de worth and dignity
Of the humap Soul and the doctrine Of
brotherhood and human rights, the
prophets began to see the evil of slav-
cry and its inherent contradiction to
the spirit of the new religion. But as
they spoke they heard the same old
story: Slavery has always been. 1t
seems to have been sort of divine
institution. One cannot make over the
human race. We did make over the
human race and no one Is now left,
since 1860, to lift his voice for its ex-
istence. The owning of man by man
Is gone, and soon other indirect forms
Of industrial slavery will go with It.
Some time ago we were in Nurem-
berg. We climbed the hill to the old
castle. and there we were shown
through the great tower where all the
torture machines are preserved. We
saw the roasting pans, the racks for
stretching and crushing bones, the
other instruments too horrible to
mention. along with the iron virgin.
who once embraced hundreds of mis-
cradle creatures in her spiked arms.
And the awful thing was not that men
practised this torture, but that they
enjoyed 1t and nocked to see It. But
one day a prophet arose in Nurem-
berg and said: This torture is hor-
rible, utterly inhuman, against all the
sweet mercy and pity of Jesus Christ,
unworthy OF our civilization. 1t must
stop" When he had s. ken It was
the good people who discouraged him.
They said: Yes, It Is inhuman and
un-Christian, but you cannot stop It.
People have always tortured, there
fore they always will. 1t Is part of the
order of civilization, because 1t has
always been. You cannot change"
Needless to say, It was stopped in all
civilized countries in 100 years, and
where once the whole city loved It,
not one but who would shudder at It
now. You can change human nature
completely.
One of the last great barbarities.
most inhuman of all, pagan instItu-
ton to linger on In our Christian CIV
flization, is war. The prophetic souls
know that It is doomed and must 90,
because 1t is an anachronism in Chris.
tianity. and because the forces are
now at work before which 1t needs
must fall. But the one thing that pre-
vents Its going In generation is this
obsession of good people, that you
cannot change human nature. The
church alone could stop wars to-mor-
row did 1t believe its own Gospel had
power to do what It claims to do, and
did 1t dare believe that human nature
could be SO changed as to see the rea-
sonableness of Christian settlement of
national disputes as already It settles |
Individual differences. It has been
changed to do that Once all men set
tied personal disputes with fists That |
passed, and the duel came. That has
gone, and we have the courts. More |
and more private quarrels are now ad-
Indicated, before they even reach the
courts, by diplomacy. q This evolution
has gone on side by side with all this
absurd talk of not being able to
change human nature. And the
change from wars as the method of
adjudication between groups of peo-
pie to international courts Is In this
inevitable evolution; but II limps and
aaits because good people cling to this
'utgrown obsessions: You cannot
'hange human nature. Wars have al
ways been, therefore they must al.
ways be. We are writing this edi-
oriai to call the attention of these
rood people to the effect that this OBJ
'ession will prove false here as Il has
You can do away with
var soon because you can change hui
nan nature. The earth is full of the
igns that human nature Is changing
cry fast In this regard. The calendar
Il 1903 printed In our last two issues
only a slight indication of what is
,oing on In the mind of the world.
lead 1t carefully, and remember that
y years ago one could not have writ.
en- one. World unity, international
eace, world federation. Hague courts.
rbitration treaties, brotherhood of
nan-these are the growing words
They betoken change
oming over human nature. Link your.
elf up to It and, hasten the transfer
nation with your Christian faith. rhe
mango OF human nature is easy to a
really believed. The
Work and Evangelist.