Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-09-12
Most Striking of
the Many European
War Situations
Religious Faiths Involved.
The Only Remedy and Duty
of Clergymen.

While America is celebrating a
| hundred years of peace with Great
Britain, that nation is in the throes
of a European war. As far as the
great branches of the Christian
church are concerned, all three. Ro
man Catholic, Greek Catholic and
Protestant have many adherents
among those meeting on the battle-
| fields. This is the most striking
situation of the many which the con-
| flict reveals. On the one side are
Greek Catholics. Roman Catholics
and Professionals. represented by Rus
| STA, Servia, Belgium, France and
England On the other side are
Roman Catholics and Professionals as
represented by Austria and Ger
many.
The Mohammedans. as represented
by Turkey. are preparing to enter
the conflict. Indian troops. brought
by England, must include some Bud
dhists and possibly Mohammedans,
while Japan must have already Bud
dhists and Shlntoists in the field.
Russia includes some Jews, while the
Algerian troops brought by France
/
1t is rarely that such meeting OF
variety of religious adherents takes
place in history. But it was especial
ly the sight of so many Roman Cath
olic men divided and warning that
weighed on the mind of the late Pope
Plus X. and FASTENED his death. IL
is this situation that has been parti-
cularly perplexing.
Devotion to country has been
stronger than religious faith, or the
militarist organization has caught
them all and swept them along in the
conflict. For the time being passion.
jealousies and suspicious, appear to
be stronger than the elements OF
faith and the moral courage that
of society and life.
strengthing Religion.
Religious thinkers and leading
churohmen of all Christian bodies are
feeling the necessity of strengthening
, and elevating religious feeling
throughout the world as the only
. remedy for the evils of society so
manifested by the deplorable conflict
! in Europe.
The next step after the war Is like
, " to be a strong world-peace COM
pact of all nations ready for it, The
rivalry in maintaining great arma-
ments in the interest OF peace Is COM
ing to an end. In developing the SEN
timent for a world-peace compact
the Christian church will reveal its
, power. The military ideal and
: method have proved to be costly.
{ The peace ideal and method of the
: Christian church will prove to be q
2 saving force.
$ A first-class battleship costs $12,-
100000 and the maintenance of II
100000 a year. The life of such
t ship at the most Is twenty years,
y making $2S,O00,000, a sum that would
8 endow a university like Harvard, or
e provide farms of 1900 for each of
e 1000 fami les, and thus giving the
: means of support to 10000 persons.
Or. this sum of money would build a
: macadam road from New York to
f Chicago, or construct about forty
q houses for Christian charitable work.
: The militarist spirit Is one that
bleeds people to death by reason Of
I its jealousieS and anger On the
other hand, the spirit of Christianity
would save life and conserve eco
nomic interests and material means.
The individuals of socially needed
spirit and force, the pick of the young
men Of a nation, are marked for death
, or a gripping. Thus civilization is
:
making of the next generation. II
has been claimed that the wars Of
Napoleon, by killing off the biggest
!. and best men physically, reduced the
? average stature of French men by
nearly two inches. 1t has been also
claimed that the United States has
so few poets, orators, statesmen and
3 preachers, because their fathers were
7 killed on Southern battlefields When
! the time shall come that Christian
: thought shall actually direct the ma
lions, peace will come.
Charles Summers Idea.
; Years ago Charles Sumner delivered
n notable grafton on THE True
Grandeur OF Nations" in which he
deplored the presence of clergymen in
| fighting lines or the sanction by them
/ of war He cites Marcellus, the CEN
turion, who threw down his military
belt at the head OF his legion, and in
) the face of the standards cried out
. loudly that he could no longer serve
/ in the army. for he had become
Christian In the present war priests
and preachers are said to be In con-
: tending lines or abetting one side or
! the other. The Pope at Rome and the
, Archbishop of Canterbury have con-
demned this. 1t Is possible for the
2 churches to preserve a neutrality.
, zone of the beautiful pictures
; adjoining the dome Of a church in
Rome, by that master of art, whose
immortal colors breathe as with the
voice of the poet, the divine Raphael
! said Charles Sumner, repre-
i, sents Mars, in the attempt of war,
with drawn sword uplifted and ready
to strike, while an unarmed angel
from behind, with gentle but irresist-
ible force, arrests and holds the de-
scending arm. Such is the true
image Of Christian duty" The labor
and wealth, the strength and beauty
: of nations are being consumed and
hidden In graves sodden with blood
: and wet with the tears Of the bereft
Such is war so inconsistent with
the centuries-long teaching of Chris
!; tianity. Such is war directly con
trary to the thoughts of Christ, who
. declared: BLESSED are the peace
makers, for they shall be called the
children of God" 1t is with these
words ringing their appeal Christian
: churches have now to do.