Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-04-10
U.S.: FOR
TAKING STAND

DR.. DAY IN HIS SERMON EASTEi
NIGHT DWELLS ON DIVINE
DESTINY OF AMERICA.
Characterizing the part that tn,
United States is to take in the wa,
with Germany as the fulfillment of 1T
divine destiny in taking up arms TO-
the triumph of democracy over autoc
racy, DR.. F. r. Day in his regular ser
vice Easter Sunday night delivered
patriotic address. The words Of the
pastor of the First NJ. E. church rams
with the spirit Of the Americans love
OF liberty and the price he is willing tc
pay for it for himself and his neighbor
A big congregation attended the ser
vice and listened with rapt attention
throughout the discourse.
DR.. Days address in part follows:
The bolt of war has fallen. What
seemed impossible nearly three years
ago has become a necessity. Then 1t
seemed that 5000 miles of sea would
render Americas participation in this
gigantic war an act Of madness. But
the flight of time has revealed to us
that wars are not matters of geography
but rather the ~irrepressible conflicts
between great principles and In the
desperate resort Of German autocracy
to piracy upon the high seas and a ter
rOr1zlng war on wOme and children,
the mask has been cast aside and the
war is now seen to be a conflict be-
tween liberty and slavery, Imperialism
and democracy, brute force and human
ity.
The Social Compact VS.. Liberty.
President Wilson thrilled us all in
the utterance of that idealism which
declared that "a nation can be too
proud to fight" But bruised and bleed
ing democracy in western Europe has
brought US the other and companion
truth. "a nation must be too proud to
be enslaved." And that is our alter
native.
1t is the social compact against the
Declaration Of independence. The so
cial compact asserts as an ex planation
OF government that the masses surren-
der a part Of their inherited rights to
the rulers who agree top rotect them
IN the enjoyment Of the rights remain
Ing. Democracy has faced this force
from the tribal system of the Jungle
to the efficiency and repressive system
OF autocratic imperialism in Germany
and the Declaration Of Independence is
the climax OF democracv's lofty creed.
All men r created equal" Not
that all ore OF identical mental caliber.
nor that equal genius is universal. But
this rather. All are entitled to an
equal chance. This chance is In reach
Of all only when government exercises
no power without the consent Of the
governed.
The social compact ~surrenders irdi.
vidual rights to the pleasure of the
war lord for the privilege to live in
peace and the OBLIGATION to fight in
war. But that philosophy of govern
ment Is wrong. In justly organized
states no rights are surrendered. No
man possesses a right other than the
right to do right and democracy guar.
antees that right in its entirety.
Hence, when this greatest wal of
history, en'istjng now over one billion
members of the human race, was clear.
" discovered to be a struggle, the last
desperate struggle Of the autocracy of
the social compact against advancing
democracy. = II Of war, worthy"
as Premier Lloyd George of England
said. "of our great traditions" there
was nothing else for our giant republic
to do but what our representatives
have done and we thrill as we cast In
lot with the domocracies of wertern
Europe against German imperialism.
the relentless foe Of Germany itself
and the giant enemy of the rights Of
man. It has not been Americas choice,
but 1t is Americas divine destiny.
But One Duty Now.
And in this course, but one duty
upon Americans. Noble has been
the closing debate Of the German.
American newspaper press. With one
its editors now declare that
It breaks the heart, duty is
than family ties" and from
this moment the German editors urge ,
that every German who has foresworn
allegiance to the fatherland shall keep
lnviolate their oath Of allegiance to
.he great republic under whose flag
they have found an asylum of defense
the imperialism under which
hey fled in youth Of early married I
life.
The German-American editors have
sympathy as they have
a duty which arrays the
0eutchland from Americans in war
against the brothers and fathers. And
hey have said, mo other Americans
know the tragedy of this heart
breaking duty" But they are mis-
AIKEN. Some Of you. my countrymen,
Who wore the blue in the SOS knew.
Many then entered q deadly strife in
which brothers fought with brothers
n the war for the union, and as you
'ore your cross l am sure that Ger
nan-Americans will bear theirs.
There is no middle ground, what
yer may have been III dread of war
n our hate Of savage, brutal force,
low we know but one duty, the duty
o our country, and there Is no room In
III vast domain for a citizen who
or falters, much less for him
Who sympathiZes with our ruthless
oe, German miltarism. A minister in
city in a recent meeting OF the ,