Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-11-15

CHRISTIANS AND THE WAR.
Teaching Of the Nazarene Does Not
Make Cowards.

riddled by Rev. DR.. Francis L. Patton.
president emeritus Of Princeton semi
nary. in a lecture Gstitled The War
and Christianity" last Tuesday evening
In Philadelphia, in Calvary Presbyte-
rian church. Doctor Patton took vari-
Gus texts advanced by the pacifists and
showed that they could not be applied
to the situation created by German
brutalities.
Z Whatever else Is true Of Christiani-
ty, il has not made men too cowardly
to fight" declared the veteran theolo-
lgan. He added: with all Difference
to the pacifists. I think the trend OF
Scripture is in favor Of war under GER
tain circumstances"
War was forced upon the world by
Germany. he declared. and the large
iaudience applauded as he continued:
I'VE know the name of the man upon
whose shoulders rests the guilt OF this
colossal crime"
The war, DR.. Patton said, must 60
On until tho ri~htoous ends for which
the Allies are striving arc attained. He
called attention to the spirit OF ma
tionalism that his sprung up in central
Europe among the Czecho-Slovaks and
Jugo- -Slavs. necessitating, he said. -
reconstruction of the map OF Europe
(which makes the removal Of the French
frontier TO the Rhine a matter Of mi
nor Importance"
Are Christians cowards?" asked DR..
Patton. Let England, Scotland. Italy
France and Belgium speak. 1t is not
only true that Christianity has not
weakened courage: it is pretty safe to
say it has given courage. The men
who have gone forth from this country
to fight the battle Of liberty, think
will testify that their Christianity is
the very inspiration Of bravery.
Some have gone forth out of love OF
adventure, but these men do not con-
lstitute the rank and file of the soldiers
lof the Allied nations. Men with wives
land children do not risk their lives for
love of adventure The real inspiration
is to be found in the wave Of indigna-
ltion that swept the civilized world be-
cause of the gross cruelty that has
been enacted in the name of warfare.
lit has been their Christianity that
made them go.
Answers for Pacifists.
Still there are those who do not ap-
prove of war; men who think we have
Violated our charter as Christians. We
call them pacifists. Some are in SYM
lpathy with the Teutons, but they wise
lly disguise their sympathy by pro-
lclaiming against war. There are pa
Icifsts who are worried because of the
taxes, which grow heavier as the war
is prolonged. There are some Of these
in Great Britain.
"Others feel that this war has pre-
lcipitated against the terminus Of the
lpresent social order, and they are i'm
4 patient to see the war end in order to
launch their social revolution. There
lare, however, paciflsts. good. honest
lGod-fearing men, with whom we can
lsympathize.
They have taken their arguments
from the Book Of Books. They refer
Ius to the text, If thine enemy hunger,
feed him, and II he thirst, give him
drink That doesn't trouble me. Put
him in the right place and will feed
him and give him drink. Place him
where he has not bayonet in his hand
or n bomb concealed ip, his uniform
and 1 will see that he is well taken
arc of and Ccts three meals day.
Il think it is greatly to the credit of
the British, French and Americans
that they have under great provoca-
ton taken such excellent care of the
lGerman prisoners. Many of these Ger
mans would rather be taken prisoner
than continue to light.
Il might be member of the Society
to Protect Animals From Cruelty, but
it would be the height of folly for me
to go into an open field to feed beast
y. prey. All. Dut IL hc IS proper!
Gagged, 1 will see that he is well cared
for. An army Of noncombatants would
accomplish little against an army that
was deaf to reason. An army armed
| .,t tuviIuus DuIIIvs Moulun | accom-
plish much against the hosts Of Ger
many. They would reap death, moth
ing more.
But the pacifists quote the text
about loving your enemies. y, yes, but
there are many kinds Of love. There
are essentially two kinds-the love OF
benevolence and the love of compla-
cency. What kind are we to exercise
toward our enemies? think the Brit
ish, French and Americans are illus
: ..a,lng pretty well considering all
they have to deal with. a love Of be-
nevolence toward their enemies.
II Does it seem rational that Chris
tianity should require us to abandon
the principle Of self-defense? Should
GU amoM Il rulilan To p.llaSe your mouse
and take your property. while you sit
idly looking on? This may be the case
with nations, as we'll as with individ-
uals. An army advances to destroy
you. 1t is deaf to every argument You
stand in the way Of being crushed. Is
there any logic to meet the situation
other than the rifle. the bayonet the
bomb and the cannon?
q. S. Good Samaritan.
DR.. Patton said that while many pa
cifists concede the propriety Of waging
war in self-defense. they persist against
engaging in a war 5000 miles away.
He asked what we would have thought
Of the Good Samaritan had he arrived
on the scene while the robbers were
beating their victim and refused to
help the unfortunate man.
II would think he was a better
christian IL he jumped in at the start
land drove the robbers away" he con-
tinued. Thank God. the United States
played the part Of the Good Samaritan,
Supplying not only the money and the
u 90 xr-t, a o.