The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-06-04
THE PACTFTST.


Blessed are the peace makers, for
they shall be called the children Of
God"
Who said this? Who Is saying II
today? Who is proclaiming from
every vantage of opportunity that war
Is hideous travesty of every nrin-
ciple of Christianity?
II has come to pass that business
has become the greatest pacifist of
the world, so that this sublime ideal
has descended from ethical heights
to a materialistic common level. Well.
IL no one stands up to create world
conscience against the wickeduess OF
war. 1t IS the next best thing that
some one stand up to preach the folly
OF war. 1t hurts business 1t Is a
piece of ~- foolshness.
| When the war fever takes hold on a
nation. the pacifist Is always In the
minority. There are many who be-
| lieve that our civil war could have
been averted by a half dozen sane
people. Some distinguished pacifists
have gone down In history. Robert
Toombs, that most magnificent ora
/ tor and statesman. of Georgia and
the South. was so opposed to any ag-
gressive act upon the part of the Con-
/ federacy that he was not admitted
into the councils which determined
upon that fatal attack upon Fort
Sumter. Robert e. Lee was in IA
vor of removing the primal cause of
friction by liberating the negroes, ana
did. IL / am not mistaken, set the
example by emancipating his own
slaves But the fire eaters were too
much for Toombs and Lee and their
like. so we had that four years of
bloody war to slaughter the young
manhood of the nation.
I have said In a former article that
! pacification is the business of the
church, and Its ministers, a supreme
duty which they have not discharged,
according to New Testament ideals.
Business may put an end to wars,
| but how much better would be this
| result lie attained from the ethical
/ point of view, II conscience against
| its overwhelming iniquity should be
| built among civilized nations? And
who is to do this but the church?
| And who Is to do the work of the
| church but Its ministers? In this
connection let me give you nm fl
Illuminating paragraph from the
monthly chapter on Foreign Missions,
| by DIR. s. III. Chester. published in the
recent issue OF The Missionary Sur
/ vey, as follows:
/ "0f those who were in training for
missionary service at various training
schools in Germany. 493 have en,ereo
the army. In addition to these large
! numbers of missionaries in actual
service on the field have been called
to the colors, and in some instances
are drawn up in the battle line OPP
posing French and English Mission
aries with whom they worked side
by side In the foreign field. 1t is by
such facts as these that the awful
wickedness OF this war Is revealed"
There are many other instances
which reveal the wickedness of this
war. and It is against the wickedness
of war that the church and the min
listers of the church should raise their
voices. IL Is a neglected duty. So
far am I from making any attack
upon the church. l regard 1t as the
one and only divine institution in the
world, and that II Is the salt OF the
earth. What a vast calamity then
arises when the salt loses Its SAVIOR.
And We know that in the past cor
raptien entered the church through
the ignorance, or the neglect, or the
connivance OF Its ministry. and when
corruption entered the church. ca
lamity always overlook the nations.
They are oply asked to preach New
Testament ideals, and stop quoting
from a primitive condition Of society
which existed four thousand years
ago.. The Lord fl not commanding
any Joshua now to go up against any
Jerico. though the war-maid German
Emperor possibly thinks he is spec
tally ana divineiy selected to play that
role.
war must end, or civilization per-
ish, and II Is up to the church right
now whether peace shall be brought
about by righteousness, or whether
business shall accomplish this great
end BY common sense.
BENZ. C. MOOMAW.
Barber. Va.