Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-06-24

Peace. myself 4 man Of Pc foe' pu
become a man % var, beliey hs Wiz
an my heart in he righteOuSn 'ess @
our cause. sure that there vas 10 ON
or attitude possible for Us as IA
tion than the one we have aken
moreover sure that bad We faile "
take our place side By side with II 'os'
whose ideals are like our own VI
would have proven ourselves false u
and unworthy of she heritage which l.
ours in the history which has be, Il
written by This Eco ie. Like tvs'.S
other believer in the conquest OF the
teachings of Jesus Christ | had
thought time had come when wars
could never be again
Rape Of Belgium.
But from the day that Germany set
foot in Belgium | was never for one
moment a neutral and though | hoped
against hope THAI We would not be
come involved in il. yet felt then as
now that there was at stake great
moral issue which in time would
show itself as The supreme issue OF
the war. When We ask ourselves
therefore what it is that has changed
The man Of peace into the man OF
war and that has caused the voice OF
The church OF the Prince of Peace 10
be so unanimously and SO enthusiast
tic5lly raised in = most conscientious
support OF the war, this is the ans
wer: The supreme issue at stake Is
not the rayaging OF Belgium, though
that were enough, nor the deSpoiling
Of France, though that is iuiquitous,
nor the sinking OF the Lusitania,
though that was deyilish, nor the
treacherous robbhg of Russia, though
history will never be able to forget
or excuse the spectacle OF nation
formally signing a peace treaty with
conquered nation on terms OF its
own dictation, and then continuing
the hostile invasion of that country
and the despoiling OF its territory
and people. Though the war can new
err end justly until Germany is com
PEELED to see that not one foot of
Belgium or France, and not one foot
Of her treacherously stolen land in
Russia can she retain, yet this is not
the supreme issue We are concern
ed with what in my judgement are
bigger questions than those OF terri.
tory, for there are at issue great
moral and spiritual question which
concern today and all the future And
what has turned me into a man of
war. preaching war and believing in
! this. and what has caused the voice
of the church and its ministry to be
50 generally heard in support OF it as
the firm unshakabe conviction that
there are in life certain great moral
issues without which life Is not worth
much. and for the preservation of
which we must be ready to die II they
can be preserved in no other way.
firmly believe it wbuld not make
very much difference to us or to our
children whether we lived in democ.
racy or an autotracy, under self
chosen president. or under an herdi-
tary king, il these moral principles
are destroyed II right and truth and
| justice and libefty perish from off
the earth BECAUSE we are in any meas
ure unfaithful toll our tasks, our chill
dren will have right to ask as they
read history and learn that there was
a time when men believed in those
| things. why theyt were born to such
an evil day, why we allowed their
heritage to be destroyed
Birth Determined by Force.
| And make no mistake, this is the
issue. If Germany could win this war
she would have proven to the world
md established for ever, that human
relations are determined not as we
| had supposed by right and love and
truth, but simply by force; that in
deed 1t doesn't matter at all whether
! your cause is just or not or whether
| the carrying out Of your desires con.
siders the rights Of other peoples, il
only YOU have force enough at your
! command to compel the acceptance
Of your will by others AS someone
has said very forcefuly lately. Ger.
many does not uphold a doctrine that
might mikes right, as we have said
she did. As a matter of fact she sim
ply says that the question of right
doesn't enter into the discussion at
all DO YOU and 7 want to live in q
world dominated by such immoral
principles as that? This is what has
turned The man of peace into the man
OF war Today All the advancement of
he world in civilization has been
marked by the progressive substitut-
ing of moral and spiritual forces for
physical forces in the relations of
men. This progress must continue
until this world becomes the moral
Kingdom of the King of Kings, and
when Ne see all the future hope of
he realization of that end at stake
| IS II Is iNdAN We IRE reahY IN Npht