Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-06-17
BOSTON MINISTER SPEAKS
At UNITARIAN CHURCH
Rev. Charming Brown, ID. d.. De-
livcrs Stirring Sermon ON Prin-
CiplcS OF Freedom.

livcrs Stirring Sermon ON Prin-
ciplcs OF Freedom.
DISCUSSES CAUSES or WAR
German Education Faulty. i'm That IL
Does Not Tcacl, True Sportsman
ship, but Craftincss and Worship
OF Brute Strength.
No church in the city has taken the
rah:ca: step that the FRS, Unitarian
Church has taken in Introducing q
special .prn. OF service FOR use in
time of war with icconpa nyinS
h:tnns that Quichcn the pulses of the
congregation. as Of old. with their
thrill o! final victory for right and
truth and justice. Tho First Cn.-
tar.an Church. also. il will be remcm.
hcred. has given its pastor. Rev.
Frank Pratt. to the greater need Of
the Red Cross overseas. and so. with
the conclusion of the service yestcr-
day. the church will be closed for the
summer.
Rev. Chanting Brown. D. D.. or
Boston. conducted the service ycster-
day morning. and the Keynote of hi.
sermon was struck in the declaration
Of principles of the Unitarian Church.
which was repeated by the minister
and the people, all standing. The
declaration was as follows:
We believe that all men have been
endowed with the right TO life. liberty
and the pursuit of happiness.
We believe that governments de-
rive their just powers from the con.
sent of tho governed.
I'VE believe that We should give to
mankind the example of people guild
ed by exalted justice and bencvo-
lcncc.
I'VE affirm that our objec. in the
great war INTO which we have entered
rs II make the world safe for democ-
racy. to vindicate the principles OF
peace and Of Justice. and TO set up
among the really free and seif-govern-
ing peoples of the world such a concert
OF purpose and of action as will hence
forth nsIie the observance OF those
principles
M WORLD CONQUEST
AND no DOMINION
we nave no selfish ends to serve
We desire no conquest. no dominion.
We arc but, one OF the champions OF
thc rights or mankind.
With malice toward none. with
charity for all, with frmness in the
right as God gives us to sec the right
let us strive on to finish the work We
are In, and to 10 all which m.y achieve
and cherish just and lasting peace
among ourselves and with all nations
Bearing these things in mind let us
now as with one voice and one heart
and in a ,aith that makes faithful, re-
new our loyalty to those ideals of
government for which our fathers
pledged their lives, their fortunes and
their sacred honor"
From the ancient prophets joel and
Micah. in the stern and noble phrasing
IN which the seerS of old wrote of
battle DR.. Brown read passages, re-
markable in themselves in their rela-
ton to the present war. to prove that
the conflict was only renewal OF that
which has gone on down through the
ages between brute strength and might
regardless OF any claims OF justice
mercy or reasonableness--the rights of
dynasties and kings to control the
lives Of people, and that the most
significant battles OF history have been
fought for freedom of thought and
action within The law.
The speaker cited the battle OF Mara
thon as thrilling example, beacon
light in history-as we'll as that OF
Runnymedc, and he read the famous
excerpt from Magma Charta," written
700 years ago. which was the begin
ming of Anglo-Saxon freedom
FIGHT FOR FREEDOM
INFORM IN AMERICA
Coming down to contemporary his
tory. DIR. Brown digressed to relate
an incident in the history OF the little
Massi ,huSetts village In which he was
oorn-how the town records state that
on May 81. 1876. at town meet
ing, the plain farmers of this commun-
ity met together and in stern and SOL
emn conclave passed vote to dedi-
cate their lives and their fortunes to
liberty and the freedom from tyranny
OF the German King then upon the
British throne. Later. the town clerk
went home and ground some ink. and
sharpening quill pen. recorded this
fact, and it may be still read in tho
town records.
The same thing Is upon us now"
declared the minister. 1T is the same
old challenge which has been flung us
Shall the world be governed by force?
Is IT still. as I-ongfellow put the words
into the mouth OF the old Northern
King. that force rules the world still
and meekncss is weakness" DR.. Brown
expressed his emphatic belief that the
fundamental cause of the German
atrocities which have been committed
In this war. even TO the shrewd cal
culation by the Germans OF how far
other countries could be expected to
abide by the principles of International
law which they themselves intended
TO ignore. was due entirely 10 the early
training OF German children. particu-
larly to the training of German boys.
and he quoted William Heyliger's views
on this subject. which were recently
very forcibly expressed In a speech
before the Booksellers Convention OF
New York.
GERMAN BOYS TRAINED
FOR BRUTAL WARFARE
Mr.. Heyliger writes boys books. and
is an authority on the psychology of
the mind of a boy. In an interview
just published. he asserts that there Is
nothing in German literature that can
lead the German hoy to proper un.
derstandinE that life Is something bet
ter than a display of physical prowcss.
Germany has no national sport
German boys have no conception OF how
to play game fairly and s1uarely."
declared tho speaker They don't
know what true craftsmanship Is.
Athletics only interest them--the de-
velonmcnt OF brute strength and
muscle. and duclins - tho only sport
they indulge ~. Having no c"nccp-
ton OF fair sport. they are up TO all