The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-02-28
Confession of a Quaker.
George A. Barton, In tho Outlook.

In these p~erilous days, when intrigue.
which seeks to debauch by treachery
everything that brutal armies. Zeppelins,
and piratical submarines cannot reach, Is
seeking to use the I. w. W.. pacifists n
even Quakere. for the attainment Of GER
tain ends. 1t appears to be the duty OF
every loyal man who can say anything
to hearten those who are struggling for
the preservation Of our liberties ana
civilization. and to preserve in the world
some sort Of ethics higher tina those or
the Jungle, to speak out. 1t Is this sense
OF duty to the nation and to humanity
that calls forth the following confession
Of faith.
The writer Is a birthright Friend. and
has been also a Friend by conviction. For
years he has been a minister IN the So
ciety. He has until recently. with the
leaders OF his denomination. held the view
that all war is unchristian. In the man
ner Of many intelligent Christians, he held
his tenet without ever having thought the
matter through In a completely search
ing way.
The present war has, however, caused a
REORGANIZATION. Evidence accumulates
that the war was started by what DR..
Van Dyke has happily called the POTS
dam gang for motives of international
robbery and murder. with unexampled
patience and Christian r"rbearance, Presi-
dent Wilson for nearly three years sought
by moral suasion to deter this gang
from Its fell purpose, without avail. They
ounted on his patience as an instrument
for the accomplishment of their ends and
went steadily forward enslaving small
nations. giving their women over to rape
and slaughter, making war on non-com-,
Blatant, wantonly numbering with Zeppelin
and submarine. systematically subverting
almost every detail OF the slowly evolved
code Of ethics as understood by Christian
peoples. This condition compelled the
writer to ask himself the searching ques-
ton whether II was wrong FOR his country
to Join the vigilance committee Of the
allied nations In restraining this interna-
tonal bandit. In seeking the answer he
naturally went to the scriptures, to the
scientific study OF which he had for many
years been devoted.
The corner stone of the defense of the
Quaker testimony against war has been
the command, Thou shalt not kill" This
Is taken by them to be a command OF uni
versal sweep-a that admits OF
no exceptions. 1t Is a part Of the deca-
logue. But scholarly research makes Il
clear that this decalogue was, when given,
meant for Israelites only. No old tesla
ment saint dreamed Of applying it beyond
the nation. This is the meaning In every
instance OF the thou" 1t was addressed
to the responsible heads Of families TO
regulate their conduct within the nation.
As the heads of families were responsible
for their women and children, the deca-
logue may nevertheless be said to have
regulated ideals OF life within Isreal. 1t
was, however, never understood to forbid
a community from removing an individual
who threatened the integrity OF its life,
for the law provided that these SHOULD be
put TO death by stoning-a process in
which n whole community shared. What
the decalogue was understood to forbid
was killing to crafty private grudges.
Just rs II did not prevent capital pun
ishment within the nation. so no holy man
OF the old testament period thought that
II applied to war. War was by them
cheerfully wagcd In the name OF the very
God who had. as they believed. given
them this d~ecalogue.
This command Jesus quoted I'm Matthew
v, p, not to say that its application is Of
universal scope. but that hatred IS sin!
The taking OF life without hatred incident
to the restraining OF Q murderer from his
criminal act or Of a robber nation from
subverting the institutions and ethics Of
the civilized world Jesus does rot here
condemn.
Later Matthew v, 3S), Jesus quotes tho
law Of blood revenge and after the quota
ton says: "But I say unto you, Resist not
hin that Is evil: but whatsoever smiteth
thee on the one check turn to him the