The Ocala banner., 1913-12-05
FASTENING UNIVERSAL PEACE

thdt there is Stedully growing sen
timent for universal peace. 1t looks
forward to the day with gladness
when this sentiment shall spread it
self over the earth as the waters COW
er the sea. 1t refers to the fact with
a degree of admiration that Mr.. An
drew Carnegie, the worlds greatest
philanthropist, continues to energize
and accelerate this movement 1t
itself and the whole
world that this is no longer consider
ed as an irridiscent dream. 1t is SUI
premely happy in being able to say
that in every enlightened nation Of
the world distinguished men of let
ters, men of science, men of religion.
men holding prominent government
positions, men of millions. men fa-
nous in all the walks of life, are ener
getically holding aloft the movement
which has for its purpose the bring
ing about of an international and uni
versal peace.
We candidly believe that if the
United States had been confronted
ten or twenty years ago with such a
problem as is now confronting us in
the Mexican affair. that war would
have already ensued between the two
nations, and today the newspapers
would be filed with accounts of bat
ties and the sacrifice of many lives,
and many a household would be in
grief and mourning.
President Wilson and Secretary
Bryan cannot be too highly COM
mended for warding off this catastro-
phe, and teaching the nations les
son in the plans of higher and no.
bier civilization.
What this paper wants to do more
than anything else is to line up the
churches for peace.
If all Christian denominations had
at all times followed in the footsteps
of the prince of Peace" and had sed-
ulously and uncompromisingl set
their faces against war the same as
the denomination of Friends" has
done, who believes that the war spir-
it would not have long since been
crushed out, and wars would have
long since been no more?
1t is an awful spectacle, it seems
to us, and a whitening criticism upon
the potency and power of Christianity
that nineteen hundred years after the
birth of Christ we find more money
spent by every civilized nation for the
of war than for the educa-
ton of it's youth and the maintenance
Of it's aged and unfortunate.
Nations have gone mad over war
because of the vaulting ambition of
hose in authority, and of those ambi-
ious to obtain authority. Because
war in the raw has never been writ
EN- correctly. Because it's seIfishness,
is despotism, its horrors, its ankle
les and sorrows have ever been kept
N the background. Because a false
glamour has been thrown around it.
Real war. its ugly deformities, its
almost abolition of the moral sensi-
oilities. its wantonness, its seizure
md destruction of ones property, it's
'avages and pillages under the pre-
ense of military necessity, the deaf
Ear that it gives to the wailing of wo-
men and the cry of children in their
is hidden from the public
behind glittering uniforms, gold braid,
'carfs, sashes, plumes. appaulettes,
)rass bands and waving banners.
The masses all along the ages have
been deceived and blinded by the
Domp and pageantry of war.
Let the churches-pulpit and pew
'ollow the footsteps of the Master, |
whom we delight to call the prince
Of Peace" issue a proclamation to
hose in authority to be heard around
he world that wars must cease, and
hey will cease.