The Washington herald., 1916-12-29
Two Kinds Of Christianity
by oRIsoN SWEET MARDEN.


In the early months Of the, war,
when ex-President of Harvard Eliot
was publishing his views on its causes
and conduct, he received many let
ters, expressing commendation and
condemnation.
One of the latter is curious doc
ument, expressive of a certain type
of so-called Christian mind. It
reads: Highly Esteemed Sir-I have
read with intense indignation your
un-neutral and, therefore, un-Ameri-
can fulminations. have not forgot
ten any more than other devout
Christians your remarks on Chris
tianity. / have not forgotten that
you have stated that no thinking man
believes that Christ performed any
miracles nor that Christ rose from
the dead. Your insincere war arti-
cles are on a par with your bias
phemous articles on religion. There
fore, | say from the bottom of my
Christian heart, may God Almighty
forever damn you and all your de-
scendants."
Over against this is another type
of Christian Of whom l read in lit
tie story some time ago. | don't
know who the writer is, but he told
of a white settler in South Africa
who, one day, found native lurking
around his stable. The settler ac-
cused the native Of trying to steal a
horse. The native repeatedly denied
any such intention, stating that he
was making his way home to his
kraal. The settler, however, insisted
he was thief, and, in spite of his
frantic protests, dragged the unfor-
tunate Kaffir to tree and there with
one blow of an ak cut off his right
hand.
A few months after, the settler was
overtaken by night long way from
his home. He came to a native kraal
and was admitted by the Kaffir own
cr, who gave him food, and put him
up for the night. Next morning
when he was about to depart, his
Kaffir host stood before him, and
holding up his right arm asked the
man he had befriended if he knew
it. The white man turned pale-the
hand was gone! The Kafir, looking
on his trembling guest, said: you
were in my power. could have
killed you. Revenge said Kill the
man who has manned you for life,
but replied, No; am a Christian,
and will forgive
How many Christians in such cir
cumstances would show the Christ
like spirit of this poor Kafirl How
many of us practice the Christ's doc
trine of returning love for hatel
Yet the Injunction love your enc
mics" is purely scientific To love
an enemy is simply the most scien-
tific way of curing him of being an
enemy. Love is the antidote which
will neutralize hate and make the
enemy friend, a brother. No hu-
man being can continue very long
hating one who loves him, who
thinks of him as brother, and treats
him like one.
Hold the love thought toward
your enemy, and some day he will
stop you on the street; or he will
write you, or will do some deed
which will show that his hatred is
dead. Your love has antidoted it,
neutralized it so completely that
there is no hatred left
Hatred, the spirit of revenge, of
jealousy, cannot possibly live in the
presence of love any more than an
acid can retain its biting, eating
qualities in the presence of an alkali
One neutralizes the other.
Hatred is never cured by hatred.
More hatred simply means more fuel
on the fire. Love is the only thing
that will put out the hatred fire.
And to love our enemy does not
merely mean that we should not have
an antipathy toward him, but that we
should help him when he needs our
help, and treat him always as a
brother. Returning love for love
means nothing. Even the worst of
men do that. But it means some
thing to return love for hate.
1t is scientific to love our neigh
bors as ourselves because our neigh
bors are really one with ourselves.
We are all different expressions of
the one mind, just as the different
electric bulbs manifest different ex-
pressions of the same electric cur
rent that runs through an entire city.
Bulbs are of different shades and COL
lors, but they all tap the same prin-
ciple, the same electric current. We
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