The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-10-04
PEOPLES FORUM.
Bringing the World to Book.

bringing the Noriu 10 BOOK.
Editor Nirginian:
Sir.--In the economy of divine
providence there used to be time
when community, or a nation. or
even whole world, would be brought
into judgment with every little cere-
mony for open and Afiagrant violation
of the laws OF decency and morality.
Perhaps there are some OF us VINO
imagine that the story of old Egypt,
or of Sodom, or of Babylon. or of
Jerusalem. or of Rome. are myths
go far as any relation may be alleged
! hetweenA their moral character ana
their total destruction These olo
communities existed of course. and
perished. of course; hut in a perfect
" natural and logical way. Old So
dom. like modern Pompeii and Mer-
culaneum. might have had a rather
sudden baptism of melted lava, to
be sure, but taat was natural. and
due altogether to an unfortunate To-
cation. But the priests of that day
saw In the incident an opportunity
, 10 rivet on the people the bondage
of superstitious fear, and so we have
the story of n divine dispensation Of
fiery Judgment.
Well. let US think so who wish, but
| Il is not n matter to make mistake
;
healthy communities In the midst Of
a favored land, units of government
so powerful as to he above and beyond
I the apprehension of any outside
! trouble, and so welded together as to
/ be forever safe from internal disin-
|tegration and revolution~-safe, strong.
able to defy man. ani very much dis
posed to defy God. That Is exactly
the meaning of triumphant vice in our
large cities.
! A feeling OF physical or political
security has never been favorable to
high moral development. but rather
the opposite. Now the point is. are
we SO secure as we perhaps imagine
A little more than one year ago who
would have thought that the greatest
possible calamties either could or
would come suddenly upon the most
! highly civilized peoples of Europe
/ The mightiest military organization
the world has ever seen, the mos,
irespiendent civilization, vast empires
dwelling in security unimag ined al
any other period of the worlds his
tory, suddenly find themselves en-
vironed by a wall of fire. Take little
belgium from among a multitude OF
examples, not strong In herself, but
her neutrality and security guaran-
teed by all the nations, a half dozer
Of which were, each one, stronger
than imperial Rome in her glory But
over night that neutrality violated
that security destroyed.
Suppose there liz suen thing now
as a providential Intervention in the
world to chastise wickedness and up
hold Righteousness. Do we see any
walls high enough or strong enough
to hide behind? Is God unable &c
seek out iniquity until there be none
Witness that "frghtfulness'' practiced
upon the helpless Belglans, identical
in all particulars and all its horrible
details with the selfsame policy oi
"frightfulness" pracaced upon the
| helpless natives of the kongo, just
few years ago. by these same Bel
CLANS under the infamous Leopold.
4 crop sown to the wind nowadays
seems just as likely to bring q har-
vest of whirlwinds as ever before, and
/ it would be q fatuous presumption
i To think that God Almighty either
cannot or win not visit Richmond, OF
Norfolk, or Washington, or Philadel-
phia. or New York, * their unrepent-
cd and uncorrected wickedness should
rise go high and become so conspicu-
fous and SO insolent in the world as
to be equivalent TO a challenge to God
himself to vindicate his law if he IL
able. Perhaps none of them have
reached that depth Of degeneracy and
linfamy. vita its fiery peril. but wht
knows how soon the thunderbolt may
fall? 1t is a time for deep repent
ance, for the cutting down of wick ed
ness, and the conservation of righte-
BUSINESS The judgments of God are
labroad IN the earth; let those who
have defied Him trembie VINO are
you. that you should trampe upon
His law, or that you should despise
His power? You are dust and the
blast OF the breath of His nostrils
! will scatter pes when the security
[ in which you trust snail vanish like
cloud in the night
BENZ. c. MOOMAW,
Barber. Va.