The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-09-01
nuE SESSION IN LONDON
Nayer Before Has the Need of
Machinery for Peace Been
So Evident but it Is Realized
That Now Disarmament Has
Begun on a Mighty Large
Scale
sidney l.. Gulick, Representative of
the Federal Council of the Churches
oi Christ in America.

~
Wv York. Aug. 29.-At the very
bnur when the 80 delegates of the
rhurch Peace Conference should nave
etthcred for their first formal session.,
fhry were in full flight for England
nn the last train from Constance,
while On the date set for the Roman
catholic Conference at Liege, that
city was repelling a furious attack
from a German army, in which nearly
10000 of the flower of the lane were
Killed or wounded.
But the Protestant Conference was
held nevertheless and was not in vain.
Lovers of peace saw afreSh the ur-
r.ucY of their cause. They realized |
in actual experience the truth of their
utterlnce that civilization gOe for
ward by credit and goodwill among
men. not by brute force. At the first
real suspicion of war, all the custom
ary Convenience Of civilization, nay
even the necessities of life, vanished
a. if by magic. Railroads ceased to
run Tens of thousands of travellers
were stranded in the midst of hostile
lands Banks closed n not a cent
Of money could be had, though men
might have thousands of dollars duly
certified by their letters of credit.
Postal and telegraph service and all
hotels were entirely diSorganiZed, and
tilNl every u tIltI VI lSc, lOI
the orders for mobilization at one
withdrew from every establishment
All the abIc-bodied men liable to mill
tary service. Millions of families
were left without support and have
To look forward to the permanent loss
OF the breadwinners. Fol- the fatal
character of warfare is known to all
surprising that of m past age.
Famine at no distant date stares
many parts ofmany parts of Europe in
the facc-wideSpread and fatal as no
natural famine in Europe has ever
been. Germany is surrounded by
foes prepared either to attack her or
at least to defend their neutrality,
with all their power.
Who Will Reap the Crops?
Ominous. to those who have eyes
To- see. We're the fields Of ripening
grain. many of them partly reaped,
abandoned by the tillers to join the
armies of destruction. Who will reap
the crops and repar the food need
ed by every family in the land, to say
nothing of the armies? Already old
men. women and school children are
ordered to the fields to reap the crops.
But h can ineXperience and weak
ness accomplish?
None BIamelcSS.
No feeling found more common ex-
preston among the peace delegates
Than that of pity and sorrow for Ger
many. while the soldiers may be
fierce the people Were friendly. And
even the soldiers ne doubt believe
mat the war is essentially one of de-
renee of fatherland rather tina that
81 aggression. The responsibility for
the awful situation lies upon the am
bilious and u~nprincipaled rulers OF
the nations, who have been deceiving
the peoples for a score of years and
more. rather than upon the people
wh" want peace. The final RESPONSE
pillty for the war cannot be laid upon
Germany or Russia or even Austria
a'ohe. IT lies rather upon all the ma
IONS who have believed that migh'
makes right. Neither England mol
france are blameless in this matter
Soldiers Dominate.
such were the sights that greeted
our eyes as We gathered at Constance
"h"h the crisis VAS reaching it's eli
may and that we experienced as W.
~ on the last train that left Con
"t'ht" Tor Cologne. At every station
VIZ hundreds seeking in ain TO
p'NSdSe. Soldiers everywhere dOmi
n''rd Several refugees who took GU
p'th told of brutal scenes of, murde
anN blpodShed which they a jus
"i,h"SSed on railway platforms whel
IN"P'c(S protested or resented arrest
az probability it will never b
n"}"a now many were killed eve
""n"ut the formality of a court MAJ
49, III the days preceding the decla
ration If war
ne informal meetings of tn
Inference held on Sunday. i'm
liant business was TRANSACTED
mn" II was certain. late Sunda
-" that We should take the trai
IN 10y morning one regular seSSiO
"r : 'nterence was held. four i'm
mt resolutions were passed, an
we adjourned to meet at TIL