The Washington herald., 1916-03-09

defense OF their country at any cost
4 Whether the report was true or not no one
could tell. The king said nothing.
! Meanwhile the great countries lighting
Other countries coming in. In few
months it looked as if the whole world might
be destroyed. Cries of anguish and horror and
despair were echoed and re-echoed. There were
those who said that God, in his wrath, had left
men to work out their own destruction.
AS year after year passed. all the countries
were drawn into the war, with the exception Of
the little kingdom. There prosperity still regned
The people, looking out the desolation around
them, marveled that they should have been spared
They turned to their king in wonder and awe
Though he was still young in years, they saw
that he looked old and worn. Then they knew
how he had suffered, both through them and
through the suffering of those outside. They
whispered among themselves that they had done
him a great wrong. They had not understood
They had been blind. But for him their country
teeming with prosperity and singing each day in
its activity PAGAN of thankfulness to God, would
be desolated. Most of the men would be dead
The women would be stricken, many of them
de6led.
They began to swarm around the king, speak
ing their gratitude with protestations of affection
and with tears Presently from the whole king
dom rose cry of gratitude and Of devotion.
Then the king issued another proclamation
| He thanked the people He said he priced most
OF all their pledges Of affection. He knew how
much they had suffered and he bad suffered with
them; but not for one moment had he doubted
that their love for him remained in their hearts;
lit had merely been hidden by their suffering
Now they could see that their shame had come
only from their misunderstanding Let profit
Iby the lesson" he said. Let US Gods bounty
Ito help our brothers of the warning nations and,
even in their misunderstanding, have shown
much loyalty to what they believed to be right"
Among the warriors, those that left,
the story of the little kingdom spread rapidly.
lit moved them to wonder Had they, after all,
been the real towards? Had they, by fighting
taken the easier part? While they debating
the problem there overtures from the king.
depressing pity for them and his desire to be
OF help Would they let him, representing
nation so small among the great nations of the
world as to be almost insignificant would they
tlct him act as mediator: And would they let
him do what he could to bind up their wounds?
After a long pareying the nations agreed.
They sent delegates to the king. To him they
dictated their terms, each nation demanding
special advantages for itself. The differences of
opinion were so great, the question involved so
complex, it seemed as if compromise would
be possible The world wondered what the king
would do Would he be able to meet a response
blity so gigantic?
At last the king made his report He paid
no attention whatever to the demands of the
different nations. He merely called attention to
the simple prcccpts of the faith that the nations
Iprofessed They alone could lead to real solu-
ton Not only must the warriors lay down their
arms, but they must drive hate, and bitterness,
and greed from their hearts. They must see that
they had all been wrong in refusing to obey the
laws of their being, identical with the laws OF
God.
At first the report caused general disappolnt-
ment The warriors prepared to fight again. The
world was dismayed. 1t seemed as if the mes
sage sounded the doom of the great nations; but
here and there, from every nation, there rose the
voices Of prophets. The king right. He had
merely expressed the truths that men had known
| for thousands of years and had refused to live