The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1917-06-21

Cne TdnkS. why because ne does
not believe in war, because he is a
pacifist? Listen, he is a mean, low
down, dirty, liar. Pacifst? He is no
pacifist, but he is wretched coward
who has not grit enough nor man
enough to go fight for his country, the
country that has given him all that he
has, and which holds out before him
a prospect more promising than any
other country on earth. And what are
we to do with him, this creature who
at. heart is no pacifist, but coward,
and who assumes the attitude of pac-
iism to escape his duty. There is just
one thing to do. Let all true patriots
shun him, and let the recruiting
officer take him by the back of the
neck, and send him to the front line
trenches. And after he has been half
suffocated with poisonous gas, or in a
German prison camp has been bitten
by dogs set on him by German children
! for sport, or after he has been filled
with disease through drinking from
wells that have been poisoned by Ger
man huns, then he will probably be
cured of his pacifsm, and become a
respectable American. Here is the
second type Of pacifst, the man who
at heart is mean coward, too coward
ly to fight to defend mis- own flag, but
| who tries to hide his cowardice under
the cover Of pacifism. But let him
know that we can see through his
trick.
Finally, there is the true pacifst,
who must have our sympathy and re-
spect. He loves his country as much
as you and I. He loves liberty and
justice, but he feels that war is al
together out of place in modern life.
He looks at social and community life
and argues, eve do not fight our
neighbor if we have dispute, we go
to the courts. Duelling has almost
| vanished. The resort to actual fight
ing has been superseded by the JUS
tice of the courts. Why not give this
widest application, and settle inter-
national disputes by a court of arbi-
tration." This type of pacifst is a
true, genuine man. He feels that war
is so out of harmony with modern life
that he cannot bring himself to hon.
estly support a war program. At
heart he is real patriot, and he
proves his patriotism by keeping 81
lent. He is not an agitator. He does
not hold mass meetings. His letters
of protest do not appear in the papers.
While he feels that he cannot bring
himself to support war, yet he will not
hinder his president nor his country
| by his opposition. He makes no dis
turbance, but in his heart there is a
deep anguish, and a profound sense of
wrong in the world.
Listen, friends, there are few men
of this character. They are not trail
tors nor yet towards. If you could
once succeed in changing their view
point, they would become stalwart
soldiers, and the question comes, GLOW
shall we treat them-these few who
are sincere, honest and genuine paci-
fists ?" We must deal with them kind
ly and respectfully, because their at
titude is due to two things: First,
they are idealists who are living many
years in advance Of their day and gen
GRAFTON. The high ideals and princi-
pies of true paciism will in some fu-
ture generation be adopted and prac-
ticed by all civilized nations, but at
the present these men are too ideal
istic, and far ahead Of their day.
| Another thing to remember is that
these real true paciists do not realize
that the ideals they have in mind can
not be applied to the nations under
present conditions. So long as you
have power which today is represent
ed by German despotism in all its
cruelty and barbarism, a power that
will suffocate it's enemy and then
pierce him with the bayonet while he
is half stifed, power so hellish that
it will murder women and babies IN
crowded cities and on the high seas, a
power so blood thirsty and cruel that
it will sink hospital ships without
warning, even though it knows that
the ship contains it's own soldiers, just
so long as such a power remains to
endanger and threaten our nations,
just so long will it be impossible to
apply the ideals and principles Of true
pacifsm.
| When Jesus, the Prince Of Peace,
saw what kind of people He had to
deal with in the temple, He took a
whip and drove them forcibly from the
holy place. So too, there is but one
way by which the merciless power of
Prussianism can be crushed, and that
is by the gun and sword. Then let us
stand by our president and our glori-
GUS flag. The war of the worlds des-
tiny is being fought, and for the sake
of our children and our children's
children, let us fight bravely and we'll,
and in this awful crisis let US
| Be strong.
We not here to play, to dream, to drift;
We have hard work to do and loads to lift;
Shun not the struggle-face it, tits Gods gift
Be strong.
| Be strong.
Say not the days are evil-who's to blame?
And fold the hands and acquiesce- shame;
Stand up, speak out, andbravely, in Gods name
| Be strong.
| Be strong.
It matters not how deep intrenched the wrong
How hard the battle goes-the day. how long
Faint not, fight on. Tomorrow comes the song
l Be strong.