The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-12-06

War and Preparation Tor war.
Bishop GREER's opinions in the Ere
ming Post Of war and preparation for
Il are counsels of perfection, to follow
which would bring disaster upon any
other than a millennial state III 1t be-
as the Bishop says, the essential and
central precept Of Christianity 20
love your enemies" 1t is certain that
he is right In saying that christianity
has never been tried to any extent.
Rare smlike natures like st. Francis
have attained II. Theoretically. good
Christians reach II. at least In mo-
meYts of elevation or JUNCTION. They
may do II in charity with everybody
or when leaving the world. But the
world cannot he conducted on that
plane any more than any but few
fools of Con- or ardent worshippers
of Our Lady Poverty and CHRIST viii
live according to the command 10 ''se'l
all that thou hast ami give 10 the poor
and turn and follow Me"
Moreover. war is no matter Of per
sonal or national enmity. no matter how
when it Is being waged or after II ha :
ended in defeat and victory. A con
ilict. mainly or largely economic. of in
forests. disguised or hallowed as priv
ciples. with race and sometimes re-
lig!on thrown in. is its commoncst mod
ern cause II might be said that Ell
WHITNEY and his cotton gin were the
Al. 4. 10, . l.N LAM,
war which began its final phase at Fox
Sumter in 1861. What other tribunal
than battle could have settled the great
sentimental and constitutional ques-
tlons that arose? What arbitration
bur the cannon could have prevailed?
If the North had loved it's enemies"
the United States would he n MANNED
nation to-day.
Christianity as practiSed must be like
every other religion. n modus vivendi
with human nature. As To your enc
mics. the spirit of the Old Testament
prevails: and every Christian country
prays to Con as its national protector
and divinity. Just as the Jews did. The
inca sure of time covered by the Chris
tian religion Is but n moment in the
history of man, nm almost infinitely
brief ray of light in the immemorial
history Of the world. A spacious
reaches may he needed before men
become peaceable: that reasoning ami
NAL may even become Reasonable.
but In the present or any future Of other
than speculative concern. Christianity
will not be tried: aud II 1t could no,
the trial would he fatal TO Christian
countries while the religions Of China
and Japan put no check on war and
Islam continued to spread and to revive
from time to time its fanatlcal mill
tary ardors.
Bishop GREFR's advocacy OF the hu-
manly impossible and perfect Christian
ity. therefore, while 1t attests his noble
and divine ideals, has nothing to do
with actual humanity. As for that
moral force in the world which he
thinks stronger than many persoas
suppose and which, III we once trust
in IL we shall find very effective
force" what external sanctions has II?
W
enforced? Looking AT Europe must we
not say that moral force Is forcrless
And when this supreme clash OF mighty
physical forces is over will not moral
force br Of even less account than now ?
VIII not the victors no even more con.
fident in themselves, the vauquished
seek Ia better the instructions which
their stronger adverse rles have given
them?
The notion that war, Il periodic phe-
nomenon. is 10 disappear because the
losses Of this war are so severe. may
acute prophecy in 1913 or thcreabnut
that there would never he another great
war May there not he. may this cOun-
try in particular he able to avoid II ;
and yet how close II has skated to the
edge Of war. what possibilities of Il
must he always present, possibilities
perhaps 10 he increased by the Euro
pean conflict: will It he moral force
that will win, II war comes? Appar.
-.n.ly there sill - small other resource
if Bishop GRrrR's curious dictum il
followed
THE way 10 prevent war Ii not to fight
II you prepare FOR war II Is almost inevi-
table that sooner or later you will have
war"
War can always be prevented by sur
render. The United states ls not ready
70 prevent war in thai way, what
would have happened 10 France and Il
Great Britain II they had followed tn,
Bishops theory, as the latter country
did TO too great an extent on land? Wan
81 sometimes inevitable, no matter how
much nation may be averse to 1t. BE