The Washington herald., 1917-05-13
Christianity and War.
BY REV. JOHN e. BRIGGS.

Christianity and war! There is much
confusion concerning It in the public
mind. Therefore every Christian should
study the matter In the light Of the
Bible teachings and should have clear
conceptions and definite convictions con-
eerning it,
Christianity and war. Not Christianity
and any particular war. be 1t revoIu-
tionary, civil or pan-European, but war
as a tribunal. for the settlement Of DIS
putes and as means of working out
moral purposes and securing moral ends
What shall we say OF war? Is 1t right?
Is 1t necessary? Is 1t Christian? Or is
it everywhere unnecessary, un-Christian
and wrong? The world gives a divided
answer.
There are those who say that It was
alway, everywhere and in every way
wrong. At the head of this school stands
Leo Tolstoi. For years he made war on
war. He entered the army at % and
won distinction as a soldier In the Cri-
mean war. and later made himself
famous by the publication Of War
Sketches"
For thirty-five years Tolstoi believed
nothing. But at the age of 81 he says
faith came to him. He has said, Il be-
lieved in the doctrine OF Jesus and my
whole life underwent a sudden transfor-
nation" Since then till his death. two
years ago. he taught that according to
the teaching of Jesus: The employment
cf force TO work out moral results is
un-Christian and wrong"
Jesus came not primarily to build up
a state. but to create a new disposition
in the hearts Of men out of which future
states should come.
Jesus said to PLATE: my kingdom is
not of this world. To this end was 1
h,NV.V sW4NA =
witness TO the truth" Jesus was a teach
er, not a state official Men who follow
Jesus must give up the savage principle
of retaliation. They must forgive their
enemies and obey the golden law of love.
But is this the law of states? States
also must come under the law of love,
but may not love sometimes employ
force? Must a community do away with
all Of their processes and compulsions of
government? Must a state go unarmed
and submit to every injustice which its
own citizens or foreigners infict?
Jesus never discussed that question and
so we are left for guidance to an en-
lightened Christian conscience.
Is it right to secure order and justice
in Washington? What makes Washing
ton a desirable place for decent people?
Schools and church do, you say. Well,
they help, but are not alone SUFFICIENT.
We need schools and churches plus
public opinion and police force As
things are now We could not live with
out policemen. Insane men, brutalized
men, defective men, ruffians and despera-
does come here and these men would
be kept from outrage and violence only
by the iron hand Of the law.
Take the police force from here and
we would have pandemonium in twenty
four hours. What is a policeman but
a soldier? His value lies in the fact that
he Is armed. Wherever he goes he car
ries club and a gun. The club is made
inconspicuous but It Is a club-heavy
enough to crack q mans skull. The gun.
though shortened and carried in his
pocket is a gun just the same and q gun
that can kill
Let the word go out that there are no
policemen in Washington and what would
happen in twenty-four hours? The Treas
ury would be robbed, banks broken into
and safety vaults rifed. The seven
thousand policemen OF New York are
an army. without policemen teachers
and preachers could not do their work.
Under. the present stage Of develop
ment and progress they seem to be as
necessary as teachers and preachers.
But in more places than in the city
policemen are needed. The State and
the United States possess the right OF
self defense. This Government must pro-
tect her citizens wherever they are. In
large cities or in small ones. In viii
lagos, cross roads and isolated farm
houses. All of these must be protected
by the State. The lives OF men. women
and children and their property must
not be left to the mercy of rioters and
mobs.
we must have State policemen. A
body of men under command OF the Gov
ernment, everyone OF whom is trained
to shoot and capable OF using steel In
putting down frenzied mobs.
II the State must protect itself so
must the nation. Not one locality must
be unguarded nor one citizen left eX-
posed. In other words the nation must
have policemen.
A body of national policemen are