The Detroit times., 1915-04-15
TROGGLING.
~ On. FRANK CRANE
(Copyrisht. 1918. by Frank crane.)

Enters now into the spot light one
Philip Marshall Brown, one time min
ister to Honduras, and at present pro-
lessor Of international law at Princeton
university. Addressing the clergymen
attending a luncheon of the Auburn
Theological Seminary, he said, as quoted
in the newspapers:
THE clergy have made a mistake in
dwelling too much on the propaganda OF
world peace. Affairs of state should be
left in the hands of statesmen. Any SEN
timental, ideal propaganda for peace re-
suits in derision that hurts the whole
movement of Christianity.
"You should preach Christ and leave
aside problems Of labor and world con-
flicts. God will work out plans and we
have no right to protest against the
great features of His plan.
War is not indefensible or irrational.
but the most rational thing that can hap
pen. War is not brought on by the evil
in mems hearts. II Is not frsm malice
that men in war fire at other men, but
for a national ideal"
This is refreshing. When rare troy
lodyte energies from his cave and frogs
his prehistoric troggle the neighbors
ought all turn out TO hear him.
Mr.. Brown is out of place. He belongs
on the official board of Second Church in
Podunk, along with the able harness
maker and stove dealer, who insist that
the pastor should confine himself to the
pure "gorspil," and not allude to gam
bling, graft, and bribery in the town; that
he should bang away at card playing and
smoking, and, il he wants an occasional
excursion, lambaste the Mormons. He
should not NEEDLE with politics.
Mr.. Brown would have Joined with
the committee in the colored church who
warned the pastor that IL he said any
thing about chicken stealing he would
''jes' nachelly bust up the revival"
The Brown point Of view is not so
uncommon. however.
There is strong sentiment that
preachers should. stick TO expounding the
probable route of Paul on his second mis-
sionary journey, should confine them
selves to platitudes and pastoral calls,
and should never, never allude to the
little children stunted in factories or inn
bruted in mines, to women killed in
sweat-shop labor, TO organized robbers
looting the city through public utilities,
to unsanitary tenements, to grating poll
tlSldiiS, w tiey oiitioio ih ASekeS Wssss
gunner and red-light proprietors.
Above all, when the world Of men 10
cursed with the most hellish and wicked
crime conceivable-that is, numbering
and destroying each other by platoons
over question that might easily be set
tied some other way--clergymen who
want to hold their jobs should devote
themselves studiously to discussing the
Trinity, the mode of baptism, and to diff
ference between tweedledum and tweedle-
dee.
II the Church had done its plain duty,
if every Christian pulpit had Numbered
I its denuneiation of the present insane
havoc, and If every Christian had re-
fused to take part in the settling of polit-
ical questions by organized butchery,
4 there would have been no war.
Mr. Browns allusion to war as one OF
the great features Of Gods plan" and
as "the most rational thing that can
happen" are choice bits of old red sand
stone cerebration.
It's far cry from the heroic message
of Savonarola or John Knox to the
tweet tweet Of the nice, pretty preach
ers that twitter applause to the troy
Cling of Brown.