The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-05-03
America Must Be Dominat-
ed by Americans, Says
Rev. Mr.. NObbs
CHURCH MEMS DUTY
IN TIME OF WAR
Government Depends on Churches to
Keep UP Morale of the People
Speaker Scores German Frightful-
ness and Spy System.

ness and Spy System.
| A speaker who should have had
place in the list of those secured for
the enlightenment of the people at the
! Auditorium meetings the past season
addressed the Men s Forum in the
| Unitarian parish house last evening
which was the last meeting of the
| Forum for this season. He was Rev.
Samuel B. hobbs os Boston, who has
| been doing a remarkable work for the
| Massachusetts, committee on public
safety, speaking in the interests of food
conservation and production. The pub
lie is likely to get an opportunity to
hear him, however, as board of trade
officials have taken up with Dr. Nobbs
the matter of coming to Brattleboro
again next fall and he has assured them
that he viii try to arrange 50 that he
can come here then.
DIR. Nobbs spoke on the subject, The
Duty of Church Men in Time of War,
and he thrilled the audience again and
again by his patriotic fervor, his eloquencc
and his thoroughgoing Americanism 1t was
one of the finest war addresses that has
been delivered in Brattleboro DR..
Nobbs came here under arrangement
with the Unitarian and Universalist
men
Chairman L. B. Smith of the Men s
Forum presided, and before the speak
ing began there was discussion about
the future of the organization Rev.
ID. h. Trout, George l.. Durham, Rev.
| K. II. Clapp and Mr.. Smith took part
IN the discussion and it was the sense
of the meeting, voiced by Rev Mr.
| Trout, that the Forum maintain its
/ identity but cooperate with the Won
an S club and the board of trade in ar
ranging for speakers next fall with the
idea of not having meetings come close
together. It was the idea of Rev Mr..
Clapp that the Forum link up with the
national organization. and on his mo-
ton It was voted that the committee
which has managed the Forum hereto
tore continue in office and report next
tall on the matter of cooperation with
the other organizations. This commit
tee consists of f. b. Smith chairman.
William J. Pentland, DR.. c. G. Wheeler,
Arthur F. Roberts, Carl S. Hopkins and
Walter A. Gilbert
DR.. Nobbs devoted the first part of
his address to a justification of the
entry of the United States into the
world war. The country was largely
land naturally pacifst in its tendencies.
It did not believe that such thing as
the present world catastrophe was nos
: slble, although from occasional sources
came warning of Teutonic plottings
The country was not a unit when Pres
ldent Wilson declared that a state of
war existed between this country and
Germany. One of MANY instances of
TINS tact was an occurrence at south
erl conference of Methodist ministers
A resolution was introduced at the con
terence to the effect that the Presi-
dent $ support for a second term was
due largely to the fact that he had
kept the country out of war, and call
ing on him to reccde from his position
) The resolution seemed likely to pass
until one backwoodsman from the
mountains moved that the resolution
be laid on the table ''until we've
crossed the ocean and licked hell out
of the kaiser
The thing that some people do not
seem TO realize, asserted DR. Nobbs
is that there is no alternative but t.
night this war through. We must fight
: whether we wish to or not. To be :
: pacifist today is unthinkable. The onl,
sensible thing to do is to resist to th,
: death the Teutonic aims.
The speaker then devoted some tim,
to the German spy system also to til,
German policy Of frightfulness, whicl
was deliberately planned before tn,
! war as a means of breaking down op
! position but which has had the oppo
site effect, We are fighting a foe VIII,
. has absolutely no scruples, and we ar
, fast getting it out of our heads, he dc
) clared, that the kaiser is capable o
. making a war like this without TIL
ready consent of the masses of tn
p German people.
t DR.. Nobbs said it was perfectly com
patible with religion for this countr,
to take the position that it does. TIL
churches have very significant duty
The government depends upon tn
churches, out of all proportion to thei
: membership, to exert the influence tha
:. viii keep up the morale of the people
and this is no time to be calling upo
Y the people for extra millions to SUP
t port various sectarian movements. Th
t. great problem of the church today i
/, to preach the SOUL the soul that ca
/ not be slain. There are many thing
in our lives today that are signifcan