Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1916-03-24
FEAR BRINGS
sELF-coNscIoUsNEss
Rev. Charles n. Ricketts, Gives Practi
cal Talk at Radiator Plant.

cal Talk at Radiator Plant.
Fear is the only force that can hiring
certain type of mind to self-con-
sciousness, said Rev. Charles II.
Ricketts,. pastor of the GreenevilIe
Congregational church. in his address
at the Richmond Radiator plant. on
Wednesday noon at the shop meeting
conducted under the auspices of the Y.
NJ. c. a.
It is doubtless true that human ac-
ton is greatly modified by fear. In
certain directions it acts as a power
tul deterrent: along other lines il is
an equally strong incentive. said
Rev. Mr.. Ricketts,. But i'm the sum
total of its activities can X be looked
upon as a worthy or unworthy motive
Taken as a whole is fear in the hands
OF intelligent and cOnSeCreated people
who have higher and nolSCr motives
AT their disposal. ever iUstifiable2 II
it is. how far ought it to he used in
urging to action. or refraining from
action. when its application never
arouses a sense of right and wrong?
These are fundamental questions
that lie at the base of human con-
duct an dare not to he settled bv any
snap judgment In discussing this
question Of fear we must always keev
clearly in mind the end to be reacrcd
II life and property can he saved or
protected only by the exercise of fear
then the end justifes the means But
fear is never to be used for the mere
purpose Of causing uneasiness and
pain.
There are many individuals, and. T
am sorry to say. many nations. SO lost
TO the sense of honor so pcrmeated
with the old pagan doctrine that
might makes right so eager 10 gain
selfish advantage over others that they
would resort to any means to gain
their point. if not kent hack ny fear.
In the last analysis wh1t does all this
talk about preparedness mean It
means putting the United States into
such condition of defense that any
other nation will fear to attack US.
Filing up olive branches as high rs
the Alps will have no effect on nations
whose tgCrish appetite for blood has
only been whetted thus far NIonarchs
horrors of pagan savagrv. linking their
names with Sargon and Tamerlane.
will not keep their greedy eyes from
us merely by the sermon on the
mount. AS q fact Of history we were
Kept from attack on the Pacific in
1898 by the ugly look of our battle
ships. Fear keut us from war
Suppose it was known throughout
the earth that in the United States
there was I citizens army of at least
100000 men. trained, determined. pa
tr1otic, ready at a moments notice to
take up arms in defense of their
country-what effect would Il have
on Sreedd militarism? Fear, not
moral suasion, not christian princi-
pie, would save us from invasion. To
my mind there Is something repellent
about a battleship. so there is about
1ails and penitentiaries. but we must
have both for some time to come. All
right minded people wish that we
were living in the era of Golden
Rules, and we would like to see
swords beaten into plowshares and
spears into pruning hooks" but we
must face some ugly facts just as they
are, for christinity thus far has only
touched the outer rim of human
savaGry. The reign of good will is not
in sight, and the millennium is still
in the far country of the stranger.