Norwich bulletin., 1916-03-23

4He meeting or the Men-S League of Norwich Town was held Tuesday evening at the First Congre- gational chapel The president, Fl. L. Warrington. was in the chair. The meeting of Feb. l2. was reported by l.. Stanley Gay, secretary, who also read the constitution. Five new mem bers were admitted by vote.
 Religion and War.
 Rev. J. R. Danforth of New London was then introduced and was greeted with applause. He spoke upon RelIg- ion and War. l am not going to talk upon preparedness. he began, for twice lately when speaking on that subject it brought about blizzard and we have had snow enough already! Re ligion touches nearly everything that concerns the life of man. Civilization has had storms of war before, which ever side wins civilization will remain. There are Protestants, Catholics and Mohammedans on each side in this war. The line of cleavage is not along religious lines at all. There is a quickeninE of religious faith on the part of those engaged in conflict. In the trenches men come to think seri- ously on religious matters They have not chansed their religions but have taken hold upon immortality, each keeping his own creed.
 Value of Character.
 This war has led the world to diff ferentialiZe between religion and civ- iltzation. The two work together. Civ ilization Is a great producer of effi- ciency. It has stimalized invention, enlarged education, prolonged life. The product of religion is character. Char acter and efficiency are not hostile to each other. Religion leads the man to do the right and to avoid the wrong thing. How would you get on with out character or without efficiency ? A criminal has efficiency without char acter. Character without efficiency is want character and efficiency. religion and civilization.
 When a Treaty Counts.
 The value of a treaty is in the char acter that is behind the treaty. The | expression of the treaty depends upon whether the nations behind it are keeping faith. National character is behind a S5 bill. whether the gov ernment be democratic or republican. Take the treaty of the neutrality of Belgium. that of the Triple Alliance. | how severe the strain upon the latterI | On both sides are treaties that did not | fail between England, France and | Russia, because the nations that made the treaties wanted to keep them. | The Future Not Plain.
 Not even men whose study has been l that of other nations and their move ments can tell what are the resources | of the nations or how long they will | hold out. You might as well try to | foretell the weather as try to be a successful diplomatist. There are too many possibilities for one guess. Some say. Do you think this is going to | be the last great war; Has the loss of life in previous wars prevented this | one2 Humanity is like water, it comes | together again and forgets. War makes immense destruction, fin a very little time. a new generation does not | think of the wrecl<age-
 | Advance of civilization Is merely an advance in efficiency. It is an impar- | tial kind of efficiency. it makes a gun and a hospital each more efficient. Is | there anything in religion to lead one | to think that wars will be less fre- | quent2 In the fact that religion has | greater reality in the trenches where men face life and death, in the fact that men who are supposed to think more of money than of anything else are willing to lend their gold as never before. The realization of the Father hood of God will not do away with all war but 1t is working gradually and steadily against war. The real