The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-12-05

4ADIUM AND SUN-TELEGRAN
that they are few in number and not
as other men.
Soon after the beginning Of this
world war few voices came up out
Of the deep distress OF humanity,
why does God permit such cruel
tragedy" AS though He was respon-
sible. Human beings are free agents,
even to saying mo" to omnipotence.
Israel once wanted king against di-
vine approval. The Lord through
Samuel told them the consequences.
They still insisted and the Lord grant
ed their petition and even chose them
king. A divided kingdom. the lost
ten tribes, crucified Christ and the
dispersion of the remnant is the ans
wer to their request.
1 have an address delivered in
Poughkeepsie, New York, by Prof.
George Kirchway in 1912. He shows
conclusively that by our civilization
and advancement there can be no
great war in the future. Had we
been there we would no doubt cheered
his utterances with the ardent hope
that it might be true. He was fol-
lowed by the chairman of the meeting
who stated with confidence that there
never could be a great war between
England and Germany because Of the
dominating influence of the Bank of
London as financial center.
Three years and half of the war
has dragged heavily by. Our angle of
vision and thinking has been changed.
This war looks to us today as natural
harvest as was ever gathered from
field or orchard. If we identify our
selves with the worlds life we must
confess that we have planted and
nourished the things that foster and
produce war. With the hand of d.
vine sovereignty yet upon the helm
of the worlds administration we read
again Whatsoever a man sows that
shall he also reap" It would have
been doubly strange had this war not
come.
Years ago had brother who lived
in Howard county, thirteen miles from
Kokomo. He had large family with
six or seven boys. One day he decid-
ed to 60 to kokomo on business and
one of the little boys wanted to go
along. The father could not grant the
privilege. The next Sabbath morning
they all got ready for Sunday school.
The little fellow still wanted to see
Kokomo and persuading a still young
er brother and straying from the Sun
day school path they turned their feet
toward the county seat. They never
had undertaken a journey and knew
little the distance to be covered. Their
legs were short and their weary steps
grew shorter. 1t was evening when
they reached the city. They were
hungry and tired. They were remind
ed that they had had no dinner. They
had no place to go for dinner or sup
per. They had no place to pillow their
heads or rest their bodies. They
thought Of home as never before. Lost
dogs and lost boys alike betray their
confusion and are soon detected A
kind officer found the lads and heard
their confession. gave them their sup
per and conveyed them back to their
country home thirteen miles away.
From the temper of the father I would
have expected little local discipline
for emphasis, but he did not He said
it was enough. The boys had learned
the worth of home. The leader has
now grown to middle life but he still
clings to his mothers apron strings
and lives at home.
And SO God permits wavward, will
full world to wander from the path and
after being torn and bleeding by the
brambles of the forbidden way, to
come back discounted by the losses of
transgression. when thy judgments
are in the earth TIE inha bitants of the
world learn Righteousness" But what
providence has brooded over us in the
past to prepare us for this hour?
NInety-slx years ago my father drove
an ox-team along this National road
from New York state to western Indi-
ana to enter and establish a new home
in the forest. He built a saw-miII
and cardfng machine. He was CAPT
talist and laborer. He worked alone.
The rolls were taken to the homes
where the hum of the spinning wheel
and the bang Of the loom prepared the
dry goods for the home It was the
day OF individualism. One man built
a house. One shoemaker measured
the feet and made boots for the whole
community. A blacksmith made a
wagon and delivered 1t entire to the
purchaser Men were Independent of
one another and met the needs of the
simple life. Steam p over invaded the
realm OF industry located in the cities
and men rushed to the cities to find
employment. Factories grew up. Di-
vision Of labor increased the product.
Now it takes twenty men to build a
house: sixty men to make a shoe,
a hundred men to make a wagon and
thousands to make an auto Men of
hundred dialects jostle together and
must learn the courtesies OF co-opera-
ton. Dependence grows out Of divi-
sion of labor. Brotherhood and fra
ternity and mutual confidence and
trust becomes the solution Of united
effort. Men are forced to study the
problem of others. Self aud selfish
ness fades in the degree in which we
provide for and recognize the rights
Of others. These changes have come
upon US not fro our choice but the
oncoming evolution of Industrial and
commercial life. America has had a
supreme opportunity for extinction of
race prejudice and the triumph of
brotherhood. If an Anglo-Saxon should
vent his spleen on race prejudice
q ai,7ct tho To- lat III