The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-03-13

tons steal from each other and are not
condemned. Rather, do we praise those
nations as great nations, empire build
ers, who can steal the most. Nations
still settle their disputes on brute levels
with slaughter, cruelties, guns. shrapnel
gases ana every conceivable invention OF
devlhsn Imaglnations, and it is all consid
cred civilized and proper.
60 there we have it-one set of com
nandments Ton men, families and states
/ another Tor nations. Thou shalt NOT
steaI Tor men; Thou shalt steal all tbo,1
canst lay thy hands upon" for nations
1hou shait not XIII for men; Thou shalt
XII ana destroy ANYBODY and everything
within thy reach for nations s.Thn,,
shalt not covet for men; HThou sbalt
covet everything in sight for nat;nns
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as tbw.
SELF for individuals: "Thon shalt bato
thy neighbor with all thy heart for the
nation. Thou shalt forgive thine enc
my for the individual "Thou shalt taLa
revenge upon thine enemy for the nation
This is the double standard OF ethics in
the kingdom of God This is where we
are, an individual morality on one slide. n
totally opposing morality for nations on
the other
The great task confronting the twen-
tleth century Is to lift up the relationship
between nations to that high Christian
level now pertaining between individuals
Once individuals settled all their DISPUTES
by force. Once a state of feud existad
between families which led to continual
bloodshed. But individuals under the in.
huence of the gospel, the growth Of law
and the development of the social con
science, gradually passed through such
stages as trial by battle and the duel nnt;I
they established courts, and finally settled
all their disputes by judicial methods and
lived toward each other in mutual helm.
fulness and peace. Now is the time-wben
tins great war is over-for America and
the American church to demand that at
last the nations leave their pagan nast and
establish world court, bird themselves
by league or by treaties to take their.
disputes to this court, and use methods
of concllatlon where disputes arise that
are not justiciable
We say America should lead in this.
Europe is too stricken to lead in ANYTHING
Tor many years All of us ought 10 he
studying and thinking over these things
Study the progress of the League to En-
force Peace, of which Mr.. Taft is the
head; study the progress which the World
various suggestions that are coming from
Holland and other neutral states: study
the propositions for Pan-Americanism that
are filling the press; study all these plans
carefully, so that you may be ready at the
close OF the war to support any great
proposition this government may make TO
Europe.
And as for the church. what a task
what an opportunity! Let it begin to
proclaim, in voice that shall be irresist-
IDLE, that there can be but one morality in
the kingdom of God; that killing is lust
as much murder when done by a nation as
when done by man; that stealing does
not become anything better than stealing
when nation does it; that nations be-
come brutes when they fight with guns
and gases, just as much as man does
when he fights with knives and pistols;
that the gospel of goodwill, cooperation
orotherhaad was meant by Jesus to apply
to nations as well as men. and that
Jesus gospel that truly great man was
not thinking Of rights but duties was
equally the test Of great nation