The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-06-01
THE VISION OF PEACE
Splendid Sermon By Rev. R.
Aubrey Williams.
At THE BAPTIST CHURCH SUNDAY

AA AAst AftHAiaA t2bhHNl
morning the pastor. Rev. X. Aubrey
Williams. preached OH lsaiah's Wis
ion OF Peace or the Transformation
Of the sword.
The sermon was OF special interest
and was heard by a large congrega-
tion. Mr.. Williams said in part.
In our text Isaiah prophesies q
time when the world shall be trans
formed by religion. when nations
will bring their difficulties to the
Prince of Peace to be decided on
the broad principles OF justice and
humanity.
Consider first the cost OF war
According to such statistics as
have been able to gather this game
OF human slaughter cost the En-
glish people In the last 300 years
over five billion dollars. drawn In
taxes from the hard earnings OF
the people. During the 18th CEN
tury the wars OF the world have
cost the human race twenty billions
Of dollars All European States
are today groaning under taxation
which is absolutely necessary 10
maintain the gigantic armament OF
their countries
The late Henry Richard. secretary
Of the Peace Society. said Give me
the money which has been spent in
war and | will purchase every foot
OF land on the globe; | will clothe
every man. woman and child in an
attire OF which kings and queens
would be proud OF; | will build a
school on every summit and in every
valley over the whole earth. Will
build an academy in every town and
endow It. college in every state
and will fiji it with able professors: :
| will crown every hill with a place
OF worship cOnsecrated to the pro-
mitigation of the gospel Of peace;
will support In every pulpit an able
teacher OF righteousness so that on
every SABBATH morning the chime Of
one bell shall answer to the chime OF
another round the worlds wide cir
cumference, and the voice Of prayer
and the song OF praise shall ascend
like a universal offering to heaven. -
Think of the cost OF war in terms
OF human life I'm the great struggle
between Russia and Japan nearly a
million men are dead or suffering
from horrible wounds The Crimean
war cost the nations of Europe near
ly 100000 men. Who can estimate
the cost TO this country during that
awful strife when our own Common
wealth was the theatre OF war. and
when our hills and valleys. our
lakes and streams were crimsoned
by the red blood OF our noblest sons
Vereschagin. thought to be the
greatest military painter OF the 18th
century. said: Il paint war scenes
because in war men lose all human
sense; under its influence they be
come animals The artist wants pas
sion for his pictures and on the
battlefield passion is at its height. -
Oh, the passionate fury of the
battlefield. See the biting agony
OF shrleking shells tearing their way
through human flesh-the crushing
OF human bones under the iron heel
Of war horses and the wheels OF ar
tillery-men seem to have drunk
the broth OF hell and to have be-
come frenzied with the cruelty OF
fiends Think OF the millions OF
widows and orphans made so by the
cruel hand of war. the desolate
homes and darkened firesides. the
monuments erected with the sad
dest epitaph ever carved. THE I'm
known Dead" The great prophet is
right in longing for the day when
The war drum throbs no longer
And the battle flags are furled
In the parliament Of man,
The federation of the world
Consider again, second, the moral
value OF war.
In considering our subject. how
ever. We must not forget that war
brings out some OF the great
est qualities OF the human soulSide
by. side with the horror. the
brutality, the ferocity. the blood
OF war there is a moral compensa-
ton. which to some degree atones
for its awful waste and terrible cost.
Those qualities which are necessary
in the making Of a good soldier are
also necessary in the making of man
hood.
No man who is a coward, who has
never learned obedience, who Is not
able to suffer, who is not disciplined
for his task, who refuses TO respond
to the call OF duty san ever be-
come a great soldier, neither can he
ever become real victor on life's
great battlefields. And these su
preme virtues are surely learned on
contribution to the making OF ma
tion. We read to our children the
stories OF great military chleftains
in order to inspire them to the pos
session OF these virtues. But peace
hath her victories no less renowned
than war. Can these lofty qualities
be obtained when peace prevails?
! Consider the courage demanded
when a man is making a great fight
against great odds-when he must
maintain the struggle through the
years OF life when his soul is verify
sick with encouragement and failure
Consider the endurance called for
the obedience required. the
patience exacted, the self-sacrifice
demanded in order to wage war
against disease. to build up depleted
communities. to break down great
evils to fill a land with happy
homes.
Look into the conditions of our
land and see If 1t Is not sufficient
to stir all the fighting blood Of the
soul, see II 1t doesn't call for an In
finite patience, great self-sacrifice
and devotion to duty not surpassed
on any battlefield. and all of these
without having to write our history
with the red ink of human blood
believe there is not a great quality
learned in the school of war which
may not be learned In LIES Colleges
of Adversely and her Universities OF
Hardknocks.
Third. The Path TO Peace The
sword OF war will never be sheathed
until the teachings Of the Prince OF
Third, TheP ath to Peace. The
Peace have been absorbed in the
hearts OF men.
Mr.. Carnegie may give his mil
lions to establish peace tribunals
great statesmen may meet together
in boards Of arbitration and fedora
ted councils-but peace will