New-York tribune., 1919-05-04
Pacifist Churchnae n
To the Editor of The Tribune

10 the Editor of The Tribune
Sir: A headline in The Tribune for Anri1
80 seemed to most alarming: "P. r.
Churchmen See No Glory in Winning the
War; Had the church of my baptism lost
its mind-or its soul? l soon realized, how
ever, that the church congress, which is a
forum, not an official assembly, had simply
offered an opportunity to a group of pacifsts
to air their views.
But this is the amazing thing Bishop
Israel, of the Diocese Of Erie who has served
as chaplain at the front comes back with
no clearer perceptions and no nobler senti-
ments than these:
through all my service 1 was haunted
with the question-Should we have met niqht
with might, horror with horror, slaughter
with slaughter?' And further on he spoke
OF rivalry between man and man, corpora
ton and corporation, nation and nation" as
IL that had been the cause of the war
Back IN 1914 Owen Wister wrote: 81 want
no better photograph of any man than his
opinion of this war" Now here is a bjshon
OF a great Christian Church who sees in the
war no great struggle between the forces
that make for ultimate good and those that
make for irreparable evil who classes to-
gether as rivals" those who try to serve God
and those who defy him. and who thinks
that the civilized nations should have crinced
before the spirit that murders little children
and wounded men; commits unnamabe cruel
ties and indecences, particularly upon the
poor and helpless; steals DESTROYS deiles and
then calls upon God and processes fine senti-
ments with hypocrisy beyond the express
sion of disgust, and yet knows no repentance.
nor sees the need for it.
The Rev. William Austin Smith. editor of
The Churchman," and DR.. John F. Moores
president OF the Boston Associated Charities.
went even further in spiritual blindness. DR.
smith raved against war without distinguish
ing between the aggressor and the defender
and denied all spiritual benefit to those who
zlsked their life for righteousness. And DR..
Moores asserted that the United States had
entered the with selfshness, ,N) and had
come out Of it stepped in hatred As to the
latter shameful sayings, we may leave. as
inaccessible to truth, mind that is-as an
other man of vision has said-"neutral be-
tween Heaven and He'll" To these minds
the Apostolic saying, "Neither give place to
the devil" might be reversed, if therebv
ease and comfort could be assured
This is not Christianity Christ left M
place for repentance for those who injured
little children. He bitterly and uncon-
promisngly denounced the cruelty and hvnoc-
risy of Pharsees who were much less oni1+,,
than these mysterious brutes Of TODAY wbo
have sold their souls for power, who now cam
not repent His idea of the bodv's lifa os
contrasted with the souls is not onlv ex-
pressed in His own death, but also in His
saying: He that saveth his life shall ,oso
it, Christ was no paci6st as we know tho
term to-day.
1t is tragic that men should lose tho ro,,,ox
of righteous indignation! I take heart for
my church when think of Dr. Manninr and
others like him, and of the brave chanloina
VINO have heard testify to the deep sn;rit.
ual import of this conflict against evil md
It's mark upon mems souls. To those ,vho
cannot see these truths I would recommo,a
ooningspy Dawsons war books, but nrob-
aoly they could not even understand b;,n
nor any other spiritually enlightened wr;ter
from st. John down.
MARION COUTHOUY SMITH
East Orange, n j., May 8, 1919.