Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-01-04
THE BIBLE AND THE WAR.


'em-meeting in annual session for
the election Of officers for their local
chapter, are quoted by the reporter
who sat among them as having crltl-
cised Colonel Roosevelt's declaration
that every man either is Tor the
kaiser or against him." and as hav-
| ing agreed that the commandment,
Thou shalt not KILL" supersedes any
demand for military service the Unit
ed States government may make up
on any Of its citizens.
A murmur of assent, the reporters
story says, greeted the remarks by the
solitary one of the seven who admitted
having contributed to war fund,
when he spoke of men in the army as
having been forced to co.
The announcement was made that
the newest socialist journal is to be
distributed through express compa-
MES, to evade the postal departments
ruling against seditious literature.
These seven, and the seventeen
others who, according to the report
made at Sundays meeting. complete
the list of active" socialists in Of
tumwa, claim citizenship in the Unit
ed States and the protection OF It's
laws. The extent to which they are
at heart in sympathy with the gov
eminent and with the efforts it is
making to protect their citizenship Is
evident from the report of the pro
ceedings of their meeting which was
published in The Courier yesterday.
Their reference to the Biblical In
junction is of interest as throwing
light on the reasons which evidently
are assigned, at least by some so
cialists, for their attitude OF obstruc'
ton and their lack of loyalty. In
view of the well-known trend to athe-
ism OF which so many Of the clan ap
parently are so proud, it is but an.
other evidence Of insincerity and
twisted logic to cite conscientious
directors" grounds for opposing the
governments war policy.
But aside from that, the quoting OF
the commandment in defense OF an
anti.American attitude can not but ap-
peal to the observers sense OF the
ridiculous. The Bible is so full OF
justification for war in defense OF
right that the most devout Christians.
who study the scriptures with under
standing and sincerity, have no slight
est hesitation in espousing the war in
which the United States is engaged
and in participating in it.
There is another commandment,
beginning with the words, Thou shalt
not covet," which strikes at the very
foundations Of the socialistic creed OF
destruction. If that were followed so
literally, socialism would have but a
small peg to hang its slender faiths
upon.
If it were true that socialists oppo-
sition to the draft was founded on the
commandment which was quoted at
Sundays conference Of the faithful
seven, the reasons for regarding So
cialism as menace instead Of joke
would disappear. The truth is that
the opposition to the draft, like the
opposition to the principles for which
the war is being waged, is founded on
destructive, cleverly-phrased creed
of anarchy and opposition which Is
inimical to organized government, or
der and sanity. Many who call them
selves socialists do not know this; few
who permit themselves to be coerced
by disloyal, socialistic sophistries
know it. It is in the fact that social
ism thrives on ignorance. discomfort
and promises Of impossible idealism
that it is dangerous to organized gov
eminent and to society. 1t is destruc.
tive always, never constructive. II
tears down always, never builds up.
It opposes always, never proposes that
which is practical. 1t is species OF
mob insanity which is inimical to the
perpetuity of American institutions
particularly at this time of crisis.