Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-12-22

Honor has come back as king, 70 eart4l'
And paid his subject with royal vase;
And Nobleness walks in our ways AGAIN
And we have come into our heritage
War wages, my friends, but the
spirit Of the Prince of Peace is still
with us Back Of the battle lines IN
France in a ruined cathedral in ruin
ed village. Though often shelled, the
cathedral altar is untouched. and ev-
cry Sabbath morning in the midst OF
the tumult of war, the altar lamp is
lighted, the Host uplifted, the blessing
of God invoked In all this may we
not see a smybol-that in the hearts OF
the nations, even of those at war;
there is a secret place, where aAnlost
the turmoil of the conflict the lamp
of gentleness and honor and brotherly
love is kept forever burning?
To Make Peace Permanent
We are fighting for peace, my
friends, and we are going to make
| that peace permanent. Every great
struggle recorded in history has been
a struggle of ideas. This general war
in which we are engaged is war for
a new world an international world,
that shall surely rise upon the ruins
of this conflict. We are witnessing
the passing Of the old conception OF
nationality, the nation as an end in it
self. We are standing at the bloody
grave of an ideal that is a thousand
! years old-that Of a nation, all-pow-
erful. unrestrained. superior to the
| laws of man or God pursuing its
! selfish ends by force. We are<Wltness-
! ing the awful travail that marks the
birth of a new ideal of nationality
that of a community of nations, each
| standing a; the equal OF the other'
whether great or small, weak or pow
| erful, all engaged in the Coop
erative task of advancing the world 5
| civilization. This war IN when 'iey
| are making common cause ana coinNioh
| sacrifice, has drawn the clVlilZed lid
| lions of the world together IN great
democracy of mutual respect ana nu-
| tual forbearance. It's close VIII see Ing
| formation Of an alliance OF free, uehi-
ocratic, nations, pledged to use theit
| combined forces, diplomatic, ecohoiiilc
| and military, against the beginning VI
| any war by any nation when mas lio'
| previously submitted its cause 10 ~
ternational arbitration, an aSsulale
for generations to come OF the accepr-
| ance among nations OF the pflhclPles VI
national conduct which TINS war i vs.
ing fought to onforce-the prlnclplc9
that no nation shall dominate the eareh'
| that the great nation snail not ueNou'
the lesser, that cruelty and treacherv'
friphtfulness and deceit shall not gam
| their desired ends. When tins DAY
comes. as come it shall; when these
n,incinles are established among men
and among nations, then America VIII
give and place on the stairway Oh
Honor in the Temple of Peace at me
Hague that statue, so long delayed, y
| Peace through Justice. linen Cile
custodian, in that great library at Inc
| Hague. will wipe the dust from the
pages Of those books on internauofdl
| law. and the affairs of nations Will De
| guided by the law of Right rather IMAM
| the law of Might
| Tt requires little imagination. az
| times, my friends, to transmute the
actual and material into the ideal IN
| fancy, tonight. this palace at ihe
| Hague becomes that great spiritual
Temple of Peace, the goal of humanity
/ the prophecy of that first Christmas
day. its foundations those principles
of peace, forbcarance and brotherlN
love taught by the Nazarene~ in the
DAYS of old Each step in that star
way Of Honor ever leading upward.
represents the weary cost of the CEN
| t,lries, the development of mans NOR
al sense. his clearer understanding or
the duty which he owes his fellow man.
q greater reverence for life. a finer idea
of service, until finally, at it's summit
we find that contamination among ma
| tons Of the individual progress of man
and before us is that beautiful figure,
now being wrought in tears and blood
and sacrifices, peace through Justice.
Peace without Justice is low estate
A coward cringing to an iron Fate.
But Peace through Justice is the great
ideal
Wen pay the price of war to make IT
real.
The coming of peace will present grave
problems my friends. unless out of this
war shall come a spirit Of helpfulness OF
conservation and of service, as great as
the war itself. That which was wasted
must be replenshed; that which was de-
stroyed. restored The starving must be
fed the homeless, housed the desolate,
comforted. The widows and orphans
must be provided for; the crippled and the
blind cared for and instructed. The
great problems of capital and labor arts
ing out of the reimbursement OF economic
conditions must be faced and wisely
solved. The eye of faith that today looks
out across the battlefields of Europe and
sees Justice mercy and peace coming
back to us across the war-wrecked lands,
looks with hope and confidence to the
successful application of those principles
to the great problems that shall confront
US with the coming of peace.
! TwiIuht of the Morning
! Noitaire once said that he lived in the
twilight Of Christianity He meant a lie.
He spoke the truth. He did live in its
twilight, but it was the twilight of the
morning and not the twilight Of the eve
ming as he meant to say. This age also
has its NOltaires. its skeptcs. its doubt
ers, but we who have the broader view.
the farther vision. see and believe
that the darkness and gloom which sur
rounds us today is not the twilight of The
evening, but the twilight Of the morning
Of the morning of a new and better day
| for Christianity and humanity.
what Of the night? Q Waterman set
! TO mark daWns earlies; ray:
| The wind blows fair from the morning