The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-09-07
THE PRINCE OF PEACE
BY WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN

no longer be sold to great criminals
by helping them to spend their Ill
gotten gains. A long step in advance
will have been taken when religious,
educational and charitable institu-
tons refuse to condone constituencies
methods in business and leave the
posSessor of illegitimate accumuia-
tons to learn how lonely life LIS when
one prefers money to morals
Some have sought peace In social
distinction. but whether they have
been within the charmed circle and
fearful lest they might fall out or
outside, and hopeful that they might
get in, they have not found peace. !
Some have thought vain thought, to
find peace in political prominence;
/ but whether Office comes by birth. as
in monarchies, or by election, as in
republics, 1T does not bring peace. An
office is not considered a high one II
all can occupy il. only when few
in a generation can hope to enjoy an
honor do we call 1t a great honor. |
i am glad that our Heavenly Father
did not make the peace of the hu- |
man heart to depend upon our ability
to buy it with money. secure 1t in So
ciety, or win it at the polls, for in (
either case but few could have OBJ |
tanned it, but when he made peace !
! the reward of a conscience void of
offense toward God and man, he put
/ 1t within the reach of all. The poor
can secure IL as easily as the rich, /
the social outcasts as freely as the
leader Of society, and the humblest
| citizen equally with those who WELD
/ political power.
( And Immortality, Who will esti
mate the peace which a belief in a
{ "a ha IN
( rowing hearts of the sons of men?
( Y GU may talk TO the young about
/ death ending all, for life is full and
! hope is strong, but preach not this
doctrine to the mother who stands by
! the death-bed of her babe or to one
who is within the shadow of great
affection. When / was a young man
| wrote TO Colonel Ingerson and ask
ed him for his views and God and
Immortality. His secretary answered
that the great infdel was not at
home. but enclosed a copy of a speech
of Colonel Ingersolls, which covered
my question. / scanned IL with Gag
erness and found that he had ex
pressed himself about as follows: Il
do not say that there Is no God; /
simply say I do not know 1 do not
say that there is no life beyond the
grave; / simply say I do not know
T
asked myself the question and have
| been unable 10 answer it to my own
satisfaction. how could anyone find
pleasure in taking from a human
heart living faith and substituting
therefor the cold and cherries doc
trine. II do not know"
Christ gave us proof OF Immortality
and It was a welcome assurance, al
though 1t would hardly seem neces-
sary that one should rise from the
dead TO convince US that the grave
is not the end. To every created
thing God has given a tongue that
proclaims q future Life.
In Cairo I secured a few grains Of
wheat that has slumbered for more
| than thirty centuries In an Egyptian
tomb. AS look at them this thought
came into my mind: II one OF those
grains had been planted on the banks
| Of the Nile the year after 1t grew,
| and all it's lineal descendants had
been planted and replanted from that
| time until now, It's progeny would
! today be sufficiently numerous to feed
| the teeming millions of the world.
An unbroken chain of life connects
, the earliest grains of wheat with the
1 grains that we sow and reap. There
/ is In the grain Of wheat an invisible
something which has power to dis
card the body that we see, and from
/ earth and air fashion a new body 20
/ much like the old one that we cannot
1 tell the one from the other II this
/ invisible germ of life In the grain OF
i wheat can thus pass unimpaired
through three thousand resurrections,
I shall not doubt that my soul has
/ power to clothe itself with body
| suited TO its new existence when this
earthly frame has crumhled into dust.
A belief in immortality not only con-
soles the individual but II exerts a
powerful influence in bringing peace
i between individuals, II one actually
thinks that man dies, he will yield
more easily to the emptaton to do In
justice to his neighbor when the cir
! cumstances are such as TO pronis Sc
curity from detection. But II one real
! " expects to meet again, and live eter-
nally with. those whom he knows to-
| day, he is restrained from evil deeds by
the fear OF endless remorse. We do not
/ know what rewards are in store for us
| or what punishments may be reserved,
but II there were no other II would be
some punishment for one who deliber-
/ aeiy and consciously wrongs another
( to have 10 live forever in the company
/ of the person wronged and have his
litleness and seifishness laid bare. l
repeat belief in immortality must ex-
ert a powerful influence In establishing
justice between men and thus laying
| the foundation for peace.
Agin. Christ deserves to be called
the Prince Of Peace because he has
given us a measure of greatness which
promotes peace. When his diciples
quarreled among themselves as to
4 which should be greatest in the king
dom OF heeaven, he rebuked them and
said Let him who would be chiefest
| among you be the servant of all" Ser
vice is the measure of greatness. It al
ways has been true; II is true today.
| and II always will be true, that he is