Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-11-29
Friday, November %, 1918.
The Moral Dangers Of Soft Peace

many is not fully punished for her
crimes. The dangers TO individual
and national morality are greater
because more subtle and insidious
and therefore less easy to guard
against
Tie following article from the
Manufacturers Record views the
psychological effect of punishment
and non punishment OF crime in gen.
eral. ard applies the logic of 1t
to the case Of Germany with
its effect on her and on the rest
Of the world The article is deserv-
ing OF the sober, thoughtful consid-
GRAFTON Of every citizen of the world.
the more 50 because the moral phas-
es Of reconstruction have received so
far but slight consideration.
In our belief. no organ Of the
church. no member of the press. no
public sjesker or I'cturer has thought
so far or analysed SO carefully the
moral issues of peace. 1t is fact
of some significance and powerful
challenge to our leaders OF thought
that we have to go to commercial
Journal for a real glimpse Of national
morality:
The moral fibre of the world will
now be strengthened or else weak
ened for all time to come.
II. from any unwise. neurottc sym
pathy for the criminal, we fail 70
punish crime. by this very act we
commit n crime.
In failing to punish the criminal
the moral forces of any community
are weakened and encouragement IS
given to others to commot crime, not
merely because in this way they are
led to believe that sin will not be
punished. but because the hideous-
ness of sin is not driven home to
them.
Every unpublished crime condoned
by a weakly sentimentality is dir
ect stab at the very heart OF that
moral life of a community or coun-
try.
Every unpublished robber is an en-
enlargement to others to rob.
To condone sin and to permit
crime TO go UNPUBLISHED. would be the
most forceful blow which civiliza-
ton could make at the moral law
OF the universe.
Justice. stern. unbending justice,
in the punishment of crime is pre-
requisite to the strengthening OF the
moral forces OF a community or Of a
nation.
Unpublished crime breeds more
crime. The unpublished, unrepentant
sinner is an encouragement to bring
forth other sins, not only in the sim
ner himself but in the whole COM
munity.
without the punishment Of the
criminal no community could be
saved from complete moral degreda-
ton and ultimate rottenness. The
community that condones and over
looks blatant sin is doomed to moral
death.
Trite as these statements are they
are of momentous concern. as civil
ization now faces the great question
as To what punishment shall be in
Bicted upon Germany.
To condone Germanv's crimes by
n neurotic sympathy for the suffer-
ings,of the German people would be
criminal 1t would SOW the seeds OF
moral degradation in the heart of the
whole world and for generations to
come there would be moral weak
ness. gradually sapping the whole
strength of the worlds sense Of hon.
or and integrity.
To save the German people from
punishment. because they are now
suffering in poverty from four years
of their hellish warfare would be
ten thousand times n great sin than
TO permit vile criminal to go un-
punished because his criminality had
brought poverty to his wife and chill
dren.
II we should fail to mete out to
Germany and all of its allies a full
measure OF punishment, we would
plant in the heart Of civilization the
seeds OF rottenness and millions and
tens OF millions yet unborn would go
TO ruin morally because we did not
do our duty.
When tempted by the sufferings of
the people of Germany and its allies
to weaken our determination to make
them Pay for their crimes. we must
remember that without atonement
the Almighty himself found no way
TO save mankind from full penalty
or its sins, and there can be no atone
men without a penitence so deep that
the criminal will be willing to accept
the penalty which the law imposes
upon him for having violated its
sancity.
II the people Of Germany and Aus
tria and Bulgaria and Turkey are in
deed at heart penitent and changed,
they will willingly recognize the re-
sponsibility which they owe to God
and man to bear through generations
20 come the burden Of paying the
fearful cost OF their war.
An American Of German birth, but
who has forever foresworn his ma
tive land. in his youth while living
In Germany attacked and manned
for life n fellow-student in order to
take from him something which he
desired. but which belonged to the
student. When this man came to
America and learned to understand
the civilization IT this country. he
realized that he had committed a
great crime. For more than 20 years
he has voluntarily supported the
crippled student and his widowed
IL