Norwich bulletin., 1916-02-23

in the Town hall on Tuesday evening under the auspices of White Cross Council, No. IS, K. of C., David M. Goldstein of the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus said that the Catholic church holds the key to a world peace today.
 The meeting was called to order at o'clock by Grand Knight Francis p. McNamara and alter extending a vel come to the large audience he intro duced MT. Goldstein as the speaker of the evening.
 MT. Goldstein dealt with the sub Ject of peace and was as it applies to the individual, the family, the indus trial life and the government relation ships-giving the Christian position in contrast to that held by radicals. In dealing with national and information al peace MT. Goldstein said in part: Bad will, denying Gods law and set ting up our own in our domestic and commercial relations, is no founda- tion for national peace. Just so long as there is national greed. envy and jealousy just so long shall the clash of arms be heard and the only peace we shall have will be armed peace. with it's ever increasing burden of taxation. This being so. the main tenance of an army and a navy is a necessity today. But every time we see a regiment or a battle-ship it should be a reminder of our personal and national disobedience to the law Of Christ. It is indeed an evidence of Mans inhumanity to man that makes countless millions mourn
 No Peace at Price of Peace.
 The world will not have peace at the price of peace. and so nations are deluged with blood. It is interesting to note that those who deny the power of the church, cannot forget her claims. Ever since the outbreak of the European war, I have been ire quently questioned as to the contra diction between the law of the Catholic church and the acts of Catholics. They want to know how it is that the Cath olic church says: Thou shalt not kill" and yet, in the armies of the op- posing nations at war. Catholics are found killing one another? Why, as the law of the Catholic church is against killing, does not Rome put a stop to the war by calling upon the Catholics of the several nations at war to refuse to fight?
 Questions of this character as oft ten show a sincere ignorance of the law and the power of the church as they do some genuine lovers of peace to be a plain contradiction between the law of Catholics and the acts of Catholics quickly gives place to common sense view, when the facts in the case are pointed out to them. Of course the insinCere man holds the self-same perverse opinion ever after the plainest of answers. Thou shalt not l1ilr' is indeed the law of God, and the church is tre divine interpreter of the law. The church says. Thou shalt not kill" But. interpreting the law. the church says that you and I have a right to our life: that, if an enemy. out of revenge. or if a mad fhrpafnnc nIiCfnnpp cut him down, and the law Thou shalt not kill' is violated. The church teaches that the state has a rigkt to it's life: that the state has a right to maintain and perfect that life. If then, the state takes in bat tie the life of an invader, the law "Tkou shalt not kill' is not violated. The state may enter the territory of her enemy, making war to compel the settlement of her just claims. and the law Thou shalt not kilP' is no vio- lated. So ii is that the interpreta- tion of Gods law meets with the as- sent of right-minded men. For it rests upon the principle of justice, not upon sentimentality more or less sound or sickly. The mind of the Catholic church is robust wholesome, sound. While the church says there is such a thing as a, just war she knows that some day, some way, God will punish those nations that wage unjust war, for the state is morally bound to obey the law of God.
 Is The European War Just?
 Is the European war a just war. to answer belongs to the state. The justice of her resort to arms the state herself must determine. The church will not be tempted. It was the enemies of Christ who asked. Shall we pay tribute to Caesar ?'- faVl 7TNfS IiVo, TITCf an emy question the church today. And the same answer is given that her Di- vine Founder gave nearly twenty cen turies ago; Render to Caesar the things that are Caesars. and to God the things that are Gods" Then, one thing that belongs to Caesar is obe- dience to the call of the state. for loyalty to our own colors is not alone a civil claim upon us. it is the law of the church.
 IL is the irony of fate that though the enemy professes to see in the man who gives allegiance to the Pope of Rome a traitor to his country, the Catholic church teaches highest possi- ble order of patriotism. While the self-styled guardians of liberty froth at the mouth when manufacturing facts that are not so. the real facts tell the tale that Catholics are to be found amongst the bravest of the brave in all thearmies of Christen- dom.
 Besides, 1t is most interesting to note that those who have cried the loudest that a man cannot be loyal Englishman, Frenchman, German. or American and pay tribute to the Pope, because Rome interiors with matters of state. are now insistently asking why the Pope does not interfere with matters of state and stop the war. The strict neutrality of the Holy Father throws back the insult that the church is a political machine. And the pa- triotism of Catholics should for all time silence their traducers, for while they are cbedient to the Pope, in mat ters of faith and morals, Catholics are