The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1917-06-21
AS TO PACIFISTS
Rev. E. H. Peatfield of the Princeton
Congregational Church Dis
closes Cloak of Some 49,,
To Submit to Wrong is Un-American
as Well as Extremely Sin
ful-DO Your Duty.

Establishing the fundamental posi-
ton that real peace is that condition
which exists when the conduct Of the
Individual, community or nation is in
harmony with the principles of true
righteousness, DR.. Peatfeld said last
Sunday evening, among other things:
Real peace, therefore, demands for
its establishment first vigorous pro-
test against what is wrong. 1t de-
mands second aggressive action in sup
port of what is right. Let US then
apply this fundamental proposition to
the fact that America is at war. With
the outbreak of the European confag-
ration we had nothing whatever to do,
but very early in this war the
world witnessed the cruel trampling
of little Belgium, because she would
not act the part of traitor, and per-
NIT herself to be used as a highway
over which Germany might attack
France. And as she lay bleeding, and
almost dying, thousands of Americans
protested in the name of justice and
international righteousness. We saw
next the awful destruction of Louvain
with all its university treasurers. Lat
er Antwerp was shelled with big guns,
and for the first time Zeppelins
dropped their internal bombs on help
less citizens in the streets. Soon this
was repeated on London and Paris,
and undefended seaside resorts like
Scarboro were shelled from the sea.
Again a storm of just protest surged
through the American heart. The next
item on the program of brutal bar
barism drawn by the Prussian butch
ers was the use of poisonous gas,
which sent thrill Of horror through
all decent nations. Just about this
time news came through of the bestial
treatment melted out to Belgian
women and girls, all of which was
confirmed by the official report of Am
bassador Bryce. Then the world was
shocked by the Lusitania crime, and
again the blood of American manhood
boiled hot and furious, and it may be
that had we struck the blow for right
eousness against German deviltry at
that time, the war might be over by
now.
And to this list of horrors we must
add the sinking Of hospital ships, the
wanton destruction Of property such
as Rhiemes cathedral, the sinking of
relief ships carrying food to the starv-
ing in Belgian, and when you realize
that all this brutality is but a part
Of the purpose to cram down the
throat of civilization the German mil
itary regime, and to fasten on the
neck of humanity the yoke of German
autocracy, the question came up every
week, almost every day, "In the face
of such horrible crimes, what attitude
will America take?"
First, thank God, we did not seek
to preserve the semblance of peace by
keeping silent. Protest after protest
was sent in, each one more stern than
the former. But in January of this
year, it was made plain by a procla-
nation of the German government
that all protests were to be utterly ig-
nored, that all rights of neutrals and
of humanity were to be trampled upon,
and that a murderous campaign of
"Sink on Sight," was to be put into
immediate effect. Whereupon our
government very rightly sent the
traitor Bernstorff home. Another
warning, and the last, was dispatched
to Berlin, to which Berlin replied in
her characteristic brutal fashion by
sinking three American ships in one
day. Thus in the name of brutality,
murder, and cruel piracy, Germany
made war on America, and thank God
we as a nation replied by taking up
the cudgels in the name of justice,
liberty, and the democracy Of the
world. To our protests we shall add
our money and our blood, our brave
men and noble women, and as before,
so again, the road to peace is the road
of anguish, struggle and death.
In the light Of all these facts, what
shall we do with the pacifst? Notice
at once that this term needs some ex-
PLANTATION, for it refers to men all the
way from enemy sympathizers to
those who are genuinely pacifist.
First of all, the pacifst may be pro-
German, anti-American, and the term
pacifst is but a cloak to hide his real
intent. 1t is the same deception that
is found in connection with the So
called "Neutrality Associations" that
existed before we were at war. These
are simply convenient names to cover
up pro-German activity. And what is
to be our attitude to this kind Of a
pacifst, man who is really a pro-
German, anti-American? What shall
we do with this man, who has left the
old despot-cursed country, and come
here and established himself in pros
perity, raised his family and educated
his children, and then in time like
this, under cover of pacifsm, is a
traitor to his adopted country? Mill
tary law would put him before firing
squad, and that may be his proper
place. Certainly the country from
which he comes would not hesitate
nay they took and shot Edith Cavel]
without even a trial. Such worth
less ungrateful creature who has not
pluck enough to make known his real
intent, but who pretends to be a paci-
fist, and under the cover of pacifsm
strikes the country IN the back that
has given him and his family all that
they have, the severest treatment is
none too severe for such. Of all the
contemplate characters, none is 50
unworthy as the pro-German, anti
American, who under the cover of
pacifsm is traitor to our country.