Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-11-05
WAR: ITS PRIMARY CAUSE.

WHICH Is hHoWn 10 all travellers, In de-
scribing what she saw at the north
railroad station in Paris while she
vas doing relief work there, said that
the station presented the aspect of a
shambles, and that it seemed impossi-
bic to believe the tortures and cruel
ties which the refugees arriving
there had undergone. She saw many
boys with both hands cut off, so that
it might be impossible for them to
ever hold a gun. Everywhere was
filth and utter desolation. Helpless
little babies lying on the cold, wet ce-
ment floor, and crying for nourish-
ment; mothers Vainly--beseiging the
authorities. One with twelve chill
dren said, What is to become of us?
l saw my husband bound to a lamp
post. He was gagged and being tor
tured by bayonets. When l tried to
intercede in his behalf I was knocked
senseless with a rifle. I never saw
him again"
We call it illogical to criticize
Christianity when those protesting it,
act in fragrant disobedience to the
generally accepted rule of justice be-
tween man and man, yet, if the fol-
lowers of Buddha, or Confucius, or
Mohammed should today arraign as
inadequate a system of religious
thics which after the opportunity of so
many centuries, fails to restrain ma
tions living under it from engaging
II: m~urderous conflict, who could
gainsay them? Does the fault lie in
the principles of Christianity? Any
one familiar with only the Sermon
on the Mount will answer emphatica1-
ly no. Does it lie largely in the man
ner in which those principles. have
been interpreted and taught? En-
phatically yes. The core and essence,
the entire sum of Christ's teaching
and example was kindness, love,
mercy, the practice of the Golden
Rule; even the returning Of good for
evil. He taught the brotherhood of
all mankind, and the need that the
children Of one Father should love one
another, but we do not read that He
ever said n word about love of
country-of some special part Of the
world in which one might; have hap
pened to be born-the thing common
" termed patriotism. Patriotism is
lauded as though it were a Christian
virtue. 1t is not necessarily a virtue
at all, and can very easily become a
vice. Greed of territory, love of pow
er, determination to take advantage
OF the weak-forcing them to wars of
resistance, have often figured as pa
triotism. From the Christian stand
point 1t is as wrong for an aggregation
Of individuals in one part ofathe earth
to Cypress, or defraud or muredr an
other aggregation OF individuals In
another part of the earth, as 1t IL for
one individual to inflict these evils on
another. Nations are aggregations of
individuals, therefore the primary
cause Of war III st lie in deficient
training of indi1 %laafs-in - neriod
Of greatest recepti=:tv-yo-
And where does the responsibility
for this deficiency rest? In no spirit Of
faultfnding or of captious criticism,
but with infinite regret we must an
sweF. largely with ministers Of the
gospel. If ministers of the gospel of
Christ had devoted their time during
the Christian era to setting forth the
literal, practical, commonplace, daily
'Hepplication of the principles of Chris
tianity, not only war between Chris
titan nations would 10Y be, an. impossi-
tbIlity, but cruelty and injustice among
individuals composing the nations
would have been much less prevalent
than it now is.
War could not be conducted without
nipple If destruction. Why have not
ministers of the gospel preached
against the making of them? Would
the Master whom they profess to
serve the Prince of Peace, have ap-
proved of guns, and b~attleships and
other engines of cruelty? How many
ministers are there in this country
who preach even once in a year on the
subject of general humaneness? There
are very few, we here desire to ex-
rress our gratitude to the few, be-
cause such work is fundamental; it is
practical Christianity. The child
should receive it's early lessons In
kindness to every living creature first
in the home, but the parents though
they be protesting Christians, are not
likely to teach fundamental principles
on which they have never been en-
couraged to bestow a thought. !
Another important class Of persons
who should regard the teaching of un-
iversal humaneness as a fundamental
need, as absolutely Indispensable are
educators. Would that the motto
KINDNESS TO EVERY LIVING GRE
AZURE could be writ large on the
walls Of every church, and college and
school-house and public building in
our land! ~
To be speedily killed is the least
terrible fate in war. Like Longfel-
lows ghostly Viking, the victims
would say that death was grateful
1t is the CHASTITY wounds and the dis
ease: the madness-in this war the
uncomfortable noise has driven men
insane-the drunkenness and de-
~bauchery; the Incredible waste and
~wickedness of it all. 1t is men who
make war and who are eager for it.
and its unspeakably wretched victims
R.4 women, innocent, helpless chill
dren, and unfortunate dumb animals.
Let us of the United States, the
Great Renuh1ic manifest the true pa