The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-11-06
Urging Sermons on
National Preparedness

Among the letters from clergymen
who have sent to the Conference
Committee on National Preparedness
their approval of the suggestion that
Thanksgiving sermons be devoted as
largely as possible to national pre-
paredness, frequent reference has
been made to one Biblical warning:
whatsoever hearetn the sound of
the trumpet and taketh not the warn.
ing; if the sword come and take him
away, his blood shall be upon his
own head"
One such letter is from Rev. G.
Eaves of Birmingham, Alabama, in
which he says: Il am fully awake to
the tremendous peril that Is looming
larger in Europe as affecting this ma.
ton and also to the puerilty of Bry-
anism. The b'ast of the trumpet is
In our ears. Our boyhood and our
young manhood should begin at once
universal education. Just as a
boy without muscles and the rough
and tumble struggle with his asso-
ciates is a failure, so must the nation
be which neglects a thorough train
! ing of its physical resources for the
first business of self protection.
What we ought to aim at therefore Is
concurrent educational system stan.
dardized by Federal authority, and
| military training which no boy of
normal heath can escape.
This puts it up to the citizens in
the only logical way and opens the
door of self government by adequate
education. Such an army they have
in Switzerland and in France and
nothing is more sure than that the
armed democracy of Europe would
never have started war nor that ey'
en- France would have passed her
children through the fire unto the
Mcloch of revenge for 1870"
In different parts of the country
clergymen have already preached on
preparedness as for instance Rev.
S. Parkes Cadman of Brooklyn-not
! because they are men of mi.itaristic
| tendencies but because they feel the
| great influence of the church can be
very properly used in helping to re-
solve into suitable action the desire
of the whole nation that the late
history of Belgium and of Poland
! shall not be duplicated in the pages
of American history.
The Conference Committee on Ma
tional Preparedness, representing
with it's allied societies about one
million persons, looks for a very
general response to its suggestion
that clergymen discuss preparedness
in their THANKSGIVING sermons. The
committee feels that a crisis In the
life of the nation is not merely ap
preaching but that it is here, anc
that the crisis may be safely passed
only II the whole people can be
awakened to the fact that American
history has already so repeated itsel
that now it is every mans business
to bear a part In the defense OF the
nation, not for war but against war
Real gratitude is but poorly OK
dressed In words. The requirement.
Of this Thanksgiving, II 1t be sin
cerely observed, call for a universe
resolution which shall embrace TN
safe keeping of our spiritual and civ
Il freedom as well as our lives ant
our worldly goods. give thank
our worldly goods. To give thank
thing to put the harvest under cove
for protection against coming storm
would excite ridicule. The harves
Of civilization in America from Ply
mouth rock down to the present mus
now be put under a cover and civ
en- protection.
The least that can be done In e'
pressing gratitude for national bless
ings Is to take care Of the goo
things that we have. In view OF tha
| self evident truth the murmur
peace at any price is analogous I
the thought, present ease and idi
sos. NJ anu prica "