Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-11-28
-FOUR CAUSES OF WAR AMONG
THE NATIONS CITED BY POPE
The Materiastc Phosophy-How to Overcome In
justices and Foster Brotherhood.

I life, it is ever on the side OF the
| triumph of good and the progress OF
| human life in the better things. Who
ever heard of faith in the triumph OF
evil and the downward way?
Whenever there Is war 1t Is because
of some injustice economically. ra-
cially or otherwise. committed by one
nation or race to another; or by some
blunder of judgment, or deliberate
offense offered by one nation to
another. 1t Is obvious that the way
to overcome an injustice Is not by
committing further injustice. but by
removing as rapidly as possible the
cause Of war, in the meantime hold
ing rising passion under control Of the
national judgment and will. Selfish
ness, the Pope declares. is the root of
evil. The ambition of one nation 70
seize the land and economic advan-
tage of another nation causes to
rankle a feeling OF injustice in the
heart OF the maltreated nation, which
II will avenge at the earliest oppor-
tunity The lust OF power that leads
one nation to make subject another
nation, or one race to conquer another
and to rule it, is another way to lay
a powder train sure to be fired when
the time is ripe
In controverting materialistic
thought with its series OF disasters
il is not to be understood that ma
terial things are regarded with dis
dain. These things are a necessity
and have their proper value and in
f1uence in advancing civilization. It
is essential that there be material
basis for human life but material
things are not the sole nor chief end
of life. They have their proper place
and value when they are subservient
to the moral and spiritual life.
Suppose that the nations Of the
world could come together in a
deliberate assembly and renounce
their motives of selfishness, mutual
| jealousies and suspicious of one an
other, and proclaim that their search
and efforts henceforth will be after
| the ends of Righteousness and inter
national justice it would be the great
est conversion Of all times. Who can
doubt that the increase Of material
| things will be greater and its dis
| tribution the more equitable? Who
will doubt that the very powers of
material things to advance moral
and spiritual thought and living will
| be raised 10 the highest degree? That
/ il will be so is within reason, be-
cause material things will be put in
right relation to the things Of the
| spirit
An Untried Principle.
! It will be so. too, because there will
come a practical realization Of the
principle of the Christ who urged
| that men should first seek the king
| dom of God and His Righteousness
and then will the material neces-
stiles of life be added. Here is a
principle in economics and political
| science that has never been tried. Is
| there any justification for calling this
principle chimerical, when 1t has not
| been tried in any material or racial
way?
The Pope deplores the present war
| because il Is a struggle of souls as
well as a struggle of bodies and is
| therefore more terrible. War is a
| debasement of the attributes, the
! faculties Of mind and the potential
| qualities and capacities of the soul OF
man, created with the divine stamp
upon it. War is a wrong, abnormal
use of these faculties and qualities.
! To speak Of war as scientific, and
civilized and justifiable, where
Christian nations are involved is a
most singular distortion of words.
| The soul in higher nature of man is
| Illuminated When II Is dragged down
TO the level of the brute, for whom
there is some justification when he
strikes with claw and tooth. for he
does not know any better. The soul
of man is hurt. too. because on all
sides are Christian men, including
the clergy, it is reported. engaged in
deadly fratricidal strife, who were
wont to pray together. Because of
the extent OF the spiritual damages as
well as the material waste. the ways
| of peace cannot too soon be sought
CLERICUS.