The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-12-20
DECLARES CHARACTER
THE PRICE OF PEACE
Rev. j. II. Light in Central Metho.
dist Church Opposes Pre-
parcdncss Program.
ANY BULLY CAN START FIGHT
Natioin Has Acquired Character and
10 CHst II Away in Response TO
UnrcasoniDg Hysteria Would BE
Criminal.

! TO Cast IL Away in Response 10
! Unrcasoning Hysteria Would Be
| Criminal.
/ AT Central Methodist Church yes
! terday morning DIR. j. H. Light
( preached on Military Expansion. or
] Preparation of the Gospel of Peace"
| from Ephesians 6:15. He insisted
| that the question before the country
and in which all citizens and all Chris
! tians were interested, was not ques-
i ton OF proper preparation to meet
/ the ordinary conditions of our ma
tional life, but a sudden and vast ex-
ansion of our military equipment to
meet conditions that existed only in
! the imagination of certain of our
/ politicians, our manufacturers of mil
itary supplies, and of few nervous
! people.
/ We have been spending hundreds
of millions very year OF our army
| and navy. And the normal growth
/ of each has given us "A. most efficient
I standing army and a great aud effec
, tive navy. without extraordinary en-
largement urged by our overanxious
military expansionists.
The influences that make for ex-
pansion are: The party politicians,
! who on the eve OF a Presidential
campaign. are casting about for "A
| paramount issue, on which To run into
| office; certain men who are naturally
ambitious for military distinction and
/! honor. and whose only hope of promo
ton is in large increase in the army
and navy the great corporations who
! have vast sums invested in plants for
the manufacture of military supplies.
and who must have a home market
] for their goods when the European
war is over, and people. number of
/ them. who are afflicted with an acute
case of war nerves.
Working On Fears OF People
/ There Is regular systematic pro-
/ paganda OF frightfulness working on
the fears of the people. Every other
! dav great fleet of German or Eng
! lisi. or japanese battle ships il seen lin
/ the imagination Of the propagandistsb
sailing across the bounding main and
/ landing hundreds of thousands of
/ troops on our shores or standing out
somewhere on the high seas lombard
! ing our coasts. 1t is simple imagi-
| nation of the war experts. What are
! the factsc One important one is that
| two of the greatest fleets of battle
ships in the world have been lying
! watching each other for over twelve
month. kept apart by field OF an
chored or floating understanding
/ like our grandmother's old iron ket-
! Ties. bottom upwards with legs stick
! ing out 1t is easy enough TO sit
! back i'm war office and plan a cam
| paign and frighten the people with
! the possibilities of attack and capture.
But the present campaign i'll Serbia
! and the attack on the DardaDelieS,
shows that 1t Is a very dinerenr thins
when put to the practical test, to
transport an army and capture for
! eign country.
Reasons Against Program.
Some of the reasons against the
program of expension are:
The vast expense of it. II will re-
ouire millions that ought to be spent
In internal improvements, such
as roads canals, schools, churches, that
will make our country habitable for
/ the millions of men and women who
will seek our shores as home for
| themselves and their children other
reasons against II were mentioned; an
increase of the military caste is al
ways inimical to the democracy. the
liberties of the people, the free de-
/ velopment OF the Republican princi-
Piles are always imperilied by the
growth of the military caste; the over
stimulus of the war spirit among our
own people and the stirring of spirit
OF fear and resentment among foreign
nations must result from any extra
/ ordinary movement for military ex-
/ pansion among US
The feelings of resentment and un-
z, easiness that are said 10 exist in the
j breast of certain foreign nations must
be profoundly stirred. IL the United
I States were TO embark on period
or extraordinary military expansion.
! Now, of all times, when the spirits of
men are stirred by the malign spirit
! of war is the time when America ought
to possess her soul In patience and
! maintain AN attitude of fearless devo~
| ton Of the principles of national truth,
righteousness, peace and faith Any
other action at this time will be an
Indication of hysteria rather than OF
repose. 1t viii be counted challenge
! to war rather than an Invitation to
peace.
In answer to those who sneer at
/ the pacitists as peace at-any price"
! men, the preacher said, There is no
such thing peace at any price ANY
| rcwdy can pick quarrel. IL takes a
tgentleman to maintain the peace. Char
acter Is the price Of peace. Any bully
can start fight whether as an indi-
vidual as nation.
/ "A character for integrity, for keep
ling faith, for maintaining righteous
ness for sef-possession in the face OF
provocation, is a costly thing. 1t
| takes generations to build up such a
| character 1t cannot be picked up
| out of the gutter We have measur-
| a bly,, at least acquired such char
acter To cast II away today in re-
spouse to the cry of partisanship. OF
| ambition. of greed or of unreasoning
( hysterfa. would be to commit a nation
4 al blunder, n crime"