The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-05-04
$1,000 PRIZE ESSAY
Written by Rev. G. Glenn Atkins
Former Vermont Pastor.

Former Vermont Tastot'
New York, May 1.-THE prize win
ners in the peace essay contest held
by the Carnegie Church Peace I'm
ion. which closed January lst Of this
year we're announced today The
FIRST prize Of one thousand dollars is
awarded to the Rev. cAius Glenn Az
kins. pastor of the Central Coherega-
tional church, of Providence, Il. /"
well known as leader among the
Congregationalists in New England.
The Judges We're: Robert Under
wood Johnson, former editor OF Cen
fury" Canon George William Doug
las. of the Cathedral OF st. John the
Divine. and Dr. Washington GLADDEN.,
of Columbus. Ohio. The prize award |
ed TO Dr. Atkins was offered to ANY
pastor OF any church in the United
States
Some of the striking paragraphs in
the essay Of Or, Atkins, which is en-
titled "rhe Causes Of War are as
follows:
This war is teaching US first Of all
that humanity has not lost it's fight
ing edge. The hopes and fears OF
those who believed that our old fight
| ing instincts were dead or so blunt
| ed as TO have lost their primitive and
| terrible mower are alike disappoint-
| ed we are offered from day to day
| proofs that men generally are cap
able OF displaying finer and more
desperate kind of courage than ever
before"
80 our world being what it is, we
see how necessary it has been for IT'D
erty again and again. 10 make lis way
with the sword. Religious wars 5re
always quite as truly wars for reli4-
ious freedom as wars OF religious IN
tolerance; a good part OF all ta&i
! fighting which we owe to impe-iai-
ism is only the noble and saving re
sistance to those who refuse TO lac
Unparalleled It is not too much y
say that there is TO real freedom to-
day whether in the administration q.
the state, in the unhampered wor
shin Of God. or in the operation o.
democracy itself, that has not been
won by fighting. The measure Of
religious tolerance which holas ~
Europe today was, to begin with. az
least won by the sword; at the edge
of the sword Holland cut herself free
from Spain: at the edge OF The
sword the divine right of kings was
| hopelessiy and finally beaten down
in English soil; at the edge OF the
sword the better part of the French
Revolution got room and chance Tor
life at the edge fthe sword The
American colonies freed themselves
from their over-2ealous mother, al
the edge Of the sword slavery in
America was ended and paid for.
and no prophet iswise enough to say
that this long and heroic chaDtgg in
the history of humanity is finally
closed
I'VE here in America have main
tanned standing army WHICH may
be dismissed as negligible, haze re-
luctantly built q respectcommanding
navy and have on the whole been
| perhaps too careless of our nat>onai
defense,-not because we are unwili-
| ing to pay the price on fight, il need
be,-there is nothing in our national
| history to prove that we have been
agraid to fight but because on the
whole we have instinctiyely given
| expression to the peace-making,
peaoe-maintaining, peaee-trusting
| forces which are implicit in the life
and temper of democracy.
Republican France left to herself
would have forgotten her military
ideals and ambitions, and have even
foregone her revenge, in spite OF the
menace OF that Gordon of steel lying
| over against her northern frontiers
France was RAPIDLY becoming a
| peaceloving nation, and another gen
GRAFTON without war would have gone
far toward Transforming her national
character
In his conclusion DR.. Atkins makes
a Plea for educational activities tow
ard the end that the causes OF war
may be eliminated, He points out
in this direction the opportunity of
the church. AT the heart of our
American life he says is the Ameri
can church free from enteusiing al
| liances with the state and its parties,
! with no cause to serve save the caus
es OF an ultimate Justice and a reg
| nant righteousness, she has leader
ship, power, influence to feel into
the lite of this nation an idealism
which shall cast its light far down
the futures broadening way and
make plain the path along which the
people shall come 4
A similar contest is now being
hold nv tho union IN close fec 4