Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-06-05
Why Most Enlightened
Century Has Produced
Most Terrible War
BY BISHOP w. A. GAMBLER.


Many have expressed surprise that
such thing could have come to pass If
what is called this enlightened age.
But i'm truth the awful war which is
now raging could not have occurred I'm
any other century. and II should not sur
prise any thoughtful person that 1t has
come just at this time, and in just the
way I'm which Il has broken forth.
1t is a war of chemistry and machin-
cry more than Of military science" as
that phrase has been understood hereto
fore. The awful destruction of human
life could not have been accomplished
by any of the agents Of warfare used in
former times. Artillery of irresistible
power, poisonous gases. burning oil and
, other agents of destruction have been
brought to bear by the opposing forces
upon one another. What former age
could have devised these diabolical
instrumentalities for manning and kill
ing human beings? The invention Of
gunpowdeT did not add more deadly force
to the implements of war which had
been used before the date of that inven-
tion than modern science and mechani-
cal art have added TO the arms used in
the wars of the last century.
We have thought that the battles Of
the Civil war in the United States were
fell immeasurably below the deadliness
of the battles which have been fought
during the last three years i'm the Euro
pean war There is no record of three
such awful years I'm the history of the
human race, and this record of death
and destruction could not have been
made in any century less enlightened
than than in the twentieth century.
Again. no century could have supplied
he ,F,T ,gy,I,t
required 10 carry on this war. and no
part of the earth could have furnished
such vast sums except that part occu-
pied by the christian nations. Wealth,
as we know it, is a modern thing, and
has been confined for the most part to
christendom. Heather nations are too
poor to have waged such a war, and
christian nations could not have carried
on such a conflict century ago. 1t is
said that the belligerent nations are
spending S75,0OO.0OO a day i'm this hor-
rible conflict. Such an expenditure
seems almost incredible. and one won
ders how long such waste can con-
tinue. But modern science and modern
invention i'm christian lands has vastly
increased the productive powers Of men
and so industry has been quickened and
the fruits of industry multiplied a mill
lion-fold.
One hundred years ago the world did
not produce cotton enough to make the
high explosives which are being used in
this war, even if men had then known
how to compound such explosives. In
like manner the amount of iron, steel
and copper consumed has been too. great
for any former age to have supplied.
The automobile for transporting COM
mandtng officers, hurrying forward mu-
nitions, serving as ambulances, and i'm
other ways promoting the rapid move
ments of forces belongs to this century
The submarine, that assassin of the sea,
is a product of our times and to keep
the submarines and the chasers of sub
marines going costs vast sums of mon
ey. 1t is thus manifest upon the slight
est reflection, that only this immensely
opulent century could have supplied the
means to finance such a war.
But some will say, Ought not en-
lightened men to have been controlled
by motives more benevolent and less
malignant than those by which this con-
fiict has been brought to pass?" This
question proceeds on a false assumption,
namely, that enlightenment of the intel
lect results in the purifying of the heart
and the softening of the sensibilties.
No such saving power belongs 10 mere
intellectual enlightenment. If knowl-
edge produced good character and in
spired kindly dispositions, then the devil
himself would be a saint; for some six
thousand years ago he is recorded to
have been most subtle The most dia-
bolic forces of mankind have always
been most intellectual
If the education OF christendom, by
which it's power in science and art has
been so greatly augmented, had been
truly christian education, then we
might be surprised that this war should
have broken forth at this time. But
the type of cudCation which has pre-
vailed during the last fifty years has
not been christian. II has been thor
oughly secular and selfish. 1t has in
creased power without supplying chris
tian motives for rightly employing the
power which it has created. As Sir
Francis Bacon taught long ago,
knowledge is power" but knowledge
may be bad power as well as good
power: and knowledge separated from
high religious character is always
selfish and malignant power.
The power of Germany i'm this con-
flict is most conspicuous, and it is in
tellectual power so divorced from moral
principle that it repudiates the most
solemn and sacred treaties as mere
scraps of paper" Teutonic state-craft
is most intellectual, but the astute
StaIemen VINO are directing the affairs
in Germany do not hesitate TO say that
they may break international law and
carry on assassination at sea by sub
marines, If they find it Necessary to COM
init these crimes in order to triumph
over the Allies. What other century
could have supplied enlightenment so
great coupled with unscupulousness so
shameless?
Moreover, the science and art which
have produced vast treasures in CHRIS
tendon have inspired covetousness
which was bound to bring on conflicts
between nations. Greed and ambition
are always forces which give rise to
strife and contention. And these
malignant passions are excited in our
times as never before, because the
earth is crowded with people and the
nations are contending greedily for ev-
cry commercial advantage and colonial
opportunity. The expansion of trade
mas run to the uttermost parts of the
earth by means of the moern methods
or transportation and communication.
but the expansion of trade carries with
II inevitably the collision of traders. and
IN turn the collisions of traders draw
atier them the conflicts of nations.
Gold fields and diamond mines brough.
on the war in South Africa a few wears
ago, and commercial considerations
upon the part of Germany have en+aroI