The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-02-27
THOU SHALT NOT KILL"

We hold up our hands, and have a /
right to hold them up, in holy horror .
over the brutal assassination of Ma
dero by Huerta, of William S. Ben.
ton, the British subject, by General
Villa. the Mexican rebel bandit chief.
We ought to raise up our hands and
our voices in virtuous indignation
against these men for these crimes,
for there were no extenuating .circum-
stances, no excuse nor justification
for such cold, calculating, blood,curd-
ling assassinations; yet, after all,
what difference is there. between
them and in the marching of one line
of men in front of another line, and
commanding them to shoot each 9th
er to the death, 49,
Those long lines of strong, stalwart
men, men of families, fathers. hus-
bands, lovers. thus, confronting each
other, are entire strangers to one an
other, they have no malice in their
hearts one against the other, and in
nine cases out of ten are the victims
of the lust and greed of those in pow
er.
Yet, lining up these men in deadly
conflict against each other is what
Christian nations are doing, and have
been doing throughout the centuries
in the very face of the edict .1thunder-
ed from Sinai:,s :Thou Shalt Not
KILL" .s,1--~ ,.,si' s. ~ = z
. The nations go ON setting the ex-
ample to the individuals by the man
ufacture of arms and ammunitions
and great engines for the destruction
of human life, then wonder why there
is such a blood-lust throughout the
land? 4
Every Christian nation today is a
theater in the preparation for war,
and the tramp of armed batallions is
heard in both hemispheres.
Every nation is vieing with every
other nation in seeing which can
build the greatest dreadnaughts and
the most of them, and for the main
tenance of the same the people are
burdened with greater tax than for
all the necessities, comforts and lux
uries that go to make up the budget
of Decentralization, libraries, hos
pitfalls, asylums, hygiene, roads etc.
Among enlightened Christian ma
tions why should there be any neces-
sity for war?
Why not submit all differences that
shall arise in the just administration
of government to an impartial, intelli-
gent tribunal for arbitration?
War is like theft-we punish the
little fellows for small thefts, and let
The big ones escape.
We punish with death the indiyid-
ual who kills his antagonist in single
combat. though his grievance may be
great; yet, when whole batallions
confront each other in deadly con-
fiict and NOW each other down by
wholesale, we encourage and applaud.
Christian nations should set a ho-
lier example to less enlightened ma
tions, yet we see these other nations
| endeavoring to follow our example,
and last year Japan's expenditure on
her navy equipment amounted to IF
ty millions of dollars.
We must gather what we sow.
China and other oriental nations
will in time be what we area mill
tary encampment-and no man will
know what the result will be.
We reap what we sow. If We SOW
the wind we must expect to reap the
whirlwind. .
We cannot worship God and nam.
mon.
We cannot consistently and with
sincerity follow in the footsteps of
the Prince of Peace" and applaud
and glorify the demon of war
From that command Numbered
from Sinai, Thou Shalt Not KILL
there are no exemptions, and the indi.
viduals and the nations that violate
it must reap the consequences and
face an angry and avenging God
/
ALBERT WILLIAMSON ON PLEAS.