The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-04-15
Dr. Mcfarland Tells of At titude of Germany in Ref erence to League of
 Nations MESSAGE OF HATE
 SENT BY LEADERS Opening Address Delivered at the First Methodist Church to
 Capacity Crowd
 Yesterday

'T hold in my hand wireless mes sage from the German chancellor, Von Bethmann-H Hollweg," said pr. Charles S Mcfarland, secretary of the Federal council of Churches of Christ in Amer iea, who made the principal address of the opening session of the South- ern Sociological congress, which con vened in the First Methodist church at this place yesterday afternoon. Tn , 1916 I was requested by ex-Presidert Taft in behalf of the League to En- force Peace to rake up correspondence with the chancellor relative to the attitude of the German government and people toward league of na- tions.
 This message expresses approval of
 such a league. but it contains two sig
 nificant limitations which I think we
 can now understand better than we
 understood them then. Participation in such league is put over until after the war. It states that then Germany will be proposed to take the leader
 
 will do so in order to restrain dis
 turbers of the peace. That is to. say: It is to be a league between victor and vanquished, something like the present league between Russia and Germany.
 GERMAN CHURCHES T have here another document It was conveyed to the government of Germany through the German churches 1 late in January. 1917. It is signed by nearly thousand of the most rep ! resentative religious leaders of Amer. ica. It states three proposals which. had the German nation been ready 70 accept even at that late moment | might have made possible the cessa- | ticn of conflict.
 I have still a third document of which you never heard. It is ascopy of a wire less message which, in widely repre- sentative capacity. sent to the chancel- Tor and to Foreign Secretary Zimmer- ! man in December, 1916. It urges that Germany reply to the note of the allies without reference to causes and responsi- bility as to beginning the war; to omit I all references to victory: to offer to leave the territorial adjustments and indemni- | ties to be decided by conference, but to | express the purpose of Germany to en- ter such conference ready to provide I for general disarmament, a league of nations or other provisions to assure l eternal peace. It was an appeal which, If needed, might again have saved us | from the present hour.
 T mention these things because they indicate our efforts up to the last moment and, indeed, beyond tho last moment, to | SO a rd J,tS here still another message which you probably never saw. It was sent out at the beginning of the war to the churches l of the world, from representative church leaders in Germany. It's spirit may be in- dicated by such sentences as these:
 SWORD IS KEEN " Our sword is bright and keen The conflict is laid at the doors of those who have long secretly and cuningly been spinning web of"conspiracy against Ger
 many. which now they have flung over us in order to strangle us therein. It is a message of hate"
 Dr. Macfarland spoke on the topic "The
 Moral Causes and Aims of the War;" and delivered powerful message on this subject, weaving his talk around the argument that America had done all that she could to prevent the war, but that ias religious men and women it was to pc COHSlueFed today.
 T want you to understand me-" said Dr. Mcfarland, that while one may criticize the government, I have three
 rules for such criticism: First, it must be loyal; second, it must be sympathetic,
 and third, it must be constructive" pr. Mcfarland spoke with stern convic- tion and in manner that was ex- pressive of the highest religious thought, yet patriotic to the last word He closed as follows:
 Thus we are engaged in the defense of the very principles and the ideals by which we live and move and have our be- 1 ing, in conflict between the sword of lautocracy and the spiritual weapons of democracy, in war against war, in the liberation of enslaved nations and peo- l ples, among whom are the very people
 who blindly consent to their own en- slavement.'
 GOVERNOR DETAINED Gov. Charles H. Brough of Arkansas,
 president of the congress. did not ar rive for the opening session, due to mat I ters of state connected with the war
 which detained him. Tn his absence, aft l CT the meeting was called to order by Rabbi M Newield of this city, and pr.
 N. A. Barrett, mayor: Capt. Frank s. White and Dr. George R. Stuart had well
 comed the convention delegates to the city ana 10 the cnurcn where tHe SoIi-
 vention session will be held, Dr. w. D. Weatherford, chairman of the board of
 directors of the congress, made the arl- nouncements, stating that pr. e. W. Stiles of the United States public health service would address tho convention
 this morning on "A Community Pro-
 gramme on Health During the War" pr. P. F. C1axton, United States conn
 missioner of sducations will also speak m .Nhnt tho School Can Do to Con-
 serve Health" and Maj. Bascom John- sons topic vii be Keeping the Army Fit to Frght'' Major Johnson is
 member of the commission on training
 camp activities.
 l Sectional conferences will be held this afternoon and the fourth general session
 will be held tonight at the First Meth