The Washington herald., 1914-10-04

The Presidents proclamation naming
sunday. October 4 as q day OF prayer
Tor peace II q challenge to the Chrib-
tlans OF America and an opportunity that
should be used to effectively unite church
forces In behalf OF early. righteous, and
permanent peace. A church which throws
itself earnestly into the cause Of peace
and which unites all its forces for inter-
cessory prayer in behalf Of the speedy
and righteous termination Of war win be
richly strengthened in its own spiritual
life and will help nightly in the great
cause for which united prayers are asked.
The entire oficial machinery of the
Presbyterian Church, having a much au-
thority As the General Assembly, will
meet in Atlantic City within . few days
and set In motion an educational cam
paign for peace. The church Is to order
that sunday schools. mems clubs. brother
hoods, mission boards, young peoples So
cieties. ana every other part Of its work
enter this campaign. Presbyterians argue
that II is idle TO bring about peace and
allow armies 10 remain. and quite as idle
TO dissipate armies while people have II
in mind to create them again. Only a
campaign Of education, Il Is argued, will
cure the war disease
There are forty Presbyterian churches
In Tsinstau' besides many preaching sta
tions. with more than thirty Village
schools and high schools for BOYS ana
girls. Under German control. with Japan
trying to take II. Tsinktau and its Pres
byterian work are giving American sup
porters no end OF concern. A similar sit
uation exists In RRmeruh. German terri
tory in West Africa. II is impossible to
get word to the churches there or to get
word from there.
Finally. Presbyterian mission presses in
Beirut which are among the largest IN
the world and which serve the American
Bible Society, have been compelled to
stop. At the time Of doing SO orders for
Bibles were months beyond ability to nil
Moslems and Christians have fed to es-
cape conscription in Turkish armies and
things are at q standstill Some money
was gotten through to Beirut by way Of
the North Carolina and the American
government, but now every manner of
communication is ended. The boards ex-
press the view that missionaries in the
fields will not suffer. but can give no
opinion as to when communications will
reach them.
Under the caption. God Not on Trial"
the editors OF the Outlook thus answer the
charge that Christianity has broken
down:
Many enthusiastic spirits have been
nlisled by material and political progress
and have come TO believe not only in q
world made comfortable. but in a world
redeemed; they have fallen into the habit
OF talking about Christian nations and a
Christian civilization and Of the triumph
Of Christianity. In the horrors Of the
greatest war in history they have had
terrible awakening and a paralyzing skep-
ticism has assailed them In such a
world can there be a God? After I.soo
years Of Christian teaching battles are no
longer swift conflicts between armies. but
fierce struggles between contending peo-
pies.
THE lines of battles are LEO miles long.
ana 5000 900 men are facing one another.
In such q world can there be a Prcvi-
dence who rules the affairs OF men and
cares for them as a father cares Tor his
children?
"A thousand times yes! It Is not God,
put man who is on trial: man who prays
often, not to the God Of Christ who de-
,lared that there can be no peace until
is established, but 10 gods
II his own making. to the tribal God
whose care Is for his own people and not
'or all his children in all nations. His
ruth has not failed, nor has his love
He has never promised ease and physical
comfort: he has never said that the world !
vas made for mans pleasure. He has |
promised strength, but as the result Of
discipline. self-denial. and suffering; he |
has promised security. but as the result |
,f overcoming evil with good; he has !
promised peace, but only when Justice has |
been established; he has promised q re-