Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1917-05-24
Spiritual By-Products Of Arma-
geddon: ASermon BY MI. White

= o0AN0AA
Rev. Gay 6. White, discussing ssThe !
Spiritual By-Products Of Arranged
in a sermon in his pulpit in the
Methodist church last Sunday. took
TOR his text the nineteenth verse of
the fourth chapter of | Peter. Where
fore, let them that suffer according
TO the will Of God, commit the keep
ing Of thair souls to him in we'll doing,
as unto a faithful Creator
It was a discussion Of the present
world conflict and the relation Of such
events to humanity. He said, in part:
Optimistic Interpretation.
The present world conflict compels
a constructive, optimistic interpreta-
ton. Otherwise, humanity would ap-
pear to be hopelessly lost and doom
ed to extinction not many generations
hence. We must believe that God is
mightier than all the combined evil
and wretchedness in the world. and
that ultimately righteousness and
peace will prevail as the heritage of
every nation.
There is no excuse for war. War is
always a crime, or more accurately,
always the result of crime. But it is
no crime for men to take up arms in
defense Of loved ones and of country;
neither is it a crime to unsheath the
sword in answer to the call Of out
ragged justice. We do not consider
that the Grand Army of the Republic
and the Army of the Confederacy
we're organized bands of criminals,
and yet war is always somebody's
crime. In most cases there is a large
share of guilt and intrigue on both
sides, only we must remember that it
is usually the crime of the compare
lively few.
Sometimes a Cruel Necessity.
Since war is a crime, it would be folly
to seek to justify such an infinite
waste OF life and property. Armenia,
Poland, Serbia, Belgium. and all the
belligerent nations, will carry their
scars and sorrows for half a millen-
ium. This mornings study is in no
n an attempt to justify war. Wa
is at times d cruel necessity, but al
ways it is the worst way possible,
Duelling among individuals is outlaw.
ed; duel1ing among nations must re-
ceive the same stigma. The arbitra.
ment of arms is national suicide, but
when a nation or group of nations are
determined to have war, there must
be some killing on both sides!
However, in war as in Nature, an
infinite Providence begins subtle pro
cesses of healing. The broken bone
is welded more securely than ever
Nature never intends that the arm
shall break twice in the same place
In the darkest hours of human histor,
there have always been the brightest
gleamings of a better day. Just as il
the Industrial world, the %by-products
frequently represent the margin be
tween failure and success, so there
r certain valuable moral, economic
and spiritual by-products in the pres
ent world conflict that has been liken
ed to the Armageddon of ancien,
prophecy. The main output is a holo
caust Of death and destruction, debt
famine, burning of cities, ravishing q
women and murder of little children
The main output Of war is all on thu
side Of destruction; we must seek /;
basis for faith and hope in these by
products.
~ S,S.'sIis ~rTOu
Three significant moral by-product.
may be mentioned. First, the vast re
forms in temperance and prohibition
"A decade of prohibition among til,
nations would almost compensate th1
terrible loss Of life and property oe
casioned by the war. Without a doub
the warning nations have been driver
BY al stern necessity to- adopt meas
ures Of restraint and in most cases D
actual prohibition drunken giant
though q giant, IS not capable an,
efficient soldier. Second. the. science
Of medicine and surgery have receive,
great attention. Numerous discover
fes, born IA the emergencies Of bal
tlefelds and hospitals. will prove 8