El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-01-19

/ l do not say "a necessary evil" be-
| cause that would be surrender OF
my faith in a better order which
sooner or later must come,-but war
/ has its justification in a condition
where worse evils must be removed
before the reign Of peace is to be es-
tablished.
In other words. TO use a colloquial-
ism: There are wars and wars" and
the ethical determination depends not
on the thing itself but the motive
and the character for which and in
which II is Waged. The pacificist may
! be honest, but 1 feel that he is mis-
taken, not only from an ethical but a
( Christian standpoint Are you a
Christian" he asks land give your
heart and hand to the killing Of your
fellow men?" The Prince Of Peace
bids you put up your sword, and yet
here you are sanctioning a campaign
which brings to the earth hGtred and
violence, tears and broken hearts.
Forty millions Of men under arms
the flower Of the worlds manhood
and back Of them the mothers, sisters,
wives and children, yes and countless
graves with 100000 sleeping in
them.
The pity, the horror, the insanity
Of it all Would not any price be
cheap to avoid an entry. into such a
holocaust" I rerly@.Almost any
price" If all the wealth in our ma
tional Golfers could pay the price, let
it go. II the mere humbling Of ma
tional pride could satisfy the de-
mand, let it be humbled. II the sac
rifice OF a mere form or system OF
civil government would save the stu
ation-even that I would be willing
to relinquish. But to barter honor
power to purchase. And that seems
to me to be the issue involved in the
present emergency.
Cannot Surrender Honor.
The Christian. patriot refuses to
surrender honor and conscience by
standing mute and inactive, while
fragrant Injustice, fnfamy and wrong
are being done in his very presence
and humbly convinced of the right
eOusness Of his cause, determine that,
though war is horrible, there is some
thing more horrible, viz, a nation
that would sell herself to the devil
Tor compromise OF peace which is
no peace-while a national bully rides
roughshod over smaller and weaker
states. in utter defiance OF all agree
ments and principles Of justice, and
commits ruthless barbarities on de-
fenceless women and children, in the
lust for world conquest. at the same
time defying the Lord God jehovah.
by setting up a German made God be-
fore whom every knee must bow.
should Be No faint Of Malice.
But there must be no faint Of malice
in a message from a Christian pulpit.
II I detest the hideous thing which
would menace the progress OF the
Kingdom Of Peace, I want no feeling
of hatred for the immediate victims
of that mad Authorization, to mar the
Of my effort to destroy
1t, and as a Christian, look forward
to the day when these present enemies
may once more be friends on the
OF that commonN ealth
laid down by the Prince OF Peace. And
what are those foundations, what are
the bases for which we are to strive,
that the kingdom OF peace may be es-
tablished.
Look at the Christian message; in
the more accurate translation Of our
American revised edition: Peace on
earth, among men in whom God is
well pleased"
Peace, world peace or national
peace is, after all but q part OF the
entire program OF the Saviour OF the
World. He is the Prince Of Peace
but together with this ascription go
those other titles-"Wonderful,
Counselor" Mighty God"-the titles
cannot be separated. Peace comes
only when the majesty OF Christ is
something more than a mere form OF
for Christian hearts. Peace
can only endure among men "Of good
will" Wars cease commensurately 1
with the progress OF honest obed- |
fence to the laws OF God. The world OF
today IS better than when Christ was !