Norwich bulletin., 1917-10-22

A peace now. a peace by negotiation
 would simply be a truce, said Arch
 deacon J. Eldred Brown. rector Q
 Trinity Episcopal church, in a patri
 otic address before his congregatio,
 at the Sunday morning service. Arch
 deacon Brown went on to say that i
 would only serve to give Germany time to prepare for another and ever greatest and most imperative duty a this time to buy Liberty bonds.
 This patriotic sermon was but ont
 of many delivered in churches all ovel
 the nation on Sunday. Promptly at Il
 o'clock, in common with the churches
 of the city and country. The Stal
 Spangled Banner was spiritedly sung
 In his sermon Archdeacon Browr
 said:
 America entered into this war to use
 the words of President Wilson. in
 order to make the world safe for De-
 mocracy.'' Under the circumstances
 greatest importance and value tOs the
 the world. For the endangering of it
 has drawn into this awful war this na-
 tion of ours which is notably devoted
 to peace and was just as notably un-
 prepared for war.
 What Democracy Is.
 What. then is Democracy? And what is it's transcendent importance to the world that it should have power to draw into the war a nation SO
 
 States? Perhaps, no better single definition of Democracy can be found than that immortal phrase of Lincoln, Government of the people, by the ed earlier by the celebrated Boston preacher, Theodore Parker Govern nlent over all the people, by all the people, fo1, all the people" It means, of course, that the people themselves, through universal suffrage, have the determining voice in settling their own affairs. affairs which affect and con- cern them all- It would seem that the real statement of such a thing should prove it's fairness and its rightness. And so it approves itself to the vast majority of our modern world. But why should democracy be of such inn portance and value to the world as to simpel the larger part of the world to sacrifice everything for it? In the first place. because Democracy itself is the outcome of centuries Of evolutionary struggle and endeavor on the part of the people, to release themselves from slavery to their rulers and acquire the right to a voice in their own affairs. we look back over history, we find the government of the people in the hands either of one man or of few men, i. e.. either a monarchy or an oligarchy. Kings were for centuries supposed to rule by divine right. They were re- sponsible to no one but themselves and God. But, for centuries the prevailing conception of God was that of a des- pot. stern, averaging judge. And this conception colored all the the emperor was not supposed to rule in the interest as for the welfare of those he governed, but in the interest of himself and the governing class, i. e., the nobleS and power-holding classes whom he associated with him. Of course. this meant that the people, the masses, the majority, were at the mercy of the ruler and his nobles. The death over his subjects. Particularly the masses of the people had no rights but such as pertained to them as serfs or slavs. The land was in the hands of few. and carefully kept so. The people could get the use of the land only as they bound themselves out to the owners, the nobles, who de- manded as rental not only a large part of the produce. but pledge to mili-' the people, the masses, did not like this l sort of thing. They did not consider it | right and fair. Nor were they dispos- l ed to bear the miseries and sufferings | it caused them submissively or with | out a struggle. 1 Thousands Perished Building Temple.
 As an example of those miseries and ] sufferings, we have only to consider | that 150,000 people are supposed to | have perished in the building of a ] single Egyptian temple. There have | even came down to us some of the pit iful songs and cries uttered by these | Egyptian laborers well nigh 4,O00 | years ago, in which speaking of their | masters they cry "They starve us, they |! but there's some one above who will | punish them we'll" Yes my friends | man has never been wholly without an | innate sense of justice and fairness. And along with that has gone the con- viction that wrongs must be righted, l If not in this world then in anoher Mans belief in Gods providential | oversight of the world has never per God is on the side of justice and right. And so, we find very early in history and continuing up through the ages, B struggle of the masses against the struggle of the people to free them selves from conditions of slavery and despotism, and to acquire rights and privileges long denied them. And on on the part of kings and the ruling classes to retain their despotic powers and keep the people slavish and abject. As an outcome of this long struggle, suffering and sacrifice. have gradually, but progressively triumphed. Grudg- Ingly. but steadily, kings and the tra- ditfona1 power-holding classes have cfal privileges before the advancing march Of the people. Absolute mon l archy has given way to limited mon archy, and limited monarchy to con- stitutional or popular government In 3 word. all over the world, with few the rule of the people has come to be esteemed as the fairest l and only Just form of government Under its being influence there has been a steady growth of peaceable and humane sentiment. Whenever it finds sway. war and injustice and everything that tends to brutaHze men and nations are fast losing ground and giving way to their oppo- sites For. Democracy involves some hing more than a transfer of power from the crown to the crowd" There I $ what may be called the democratic deal That ideal may be described as he recognition of the average. mans worth as a man, irrespective of the ength of bis lineage or purse, or of lis power. position possessions l There is not only the recognition of the ! mans worth 1