Norwich bulletin., 1919-12-26

morning. The floral decorations were beautiful. It was an ideal Christmas morning, a flood of sunshine from the clear skies sparkling on the light fall of snow that covered the ground. The congregations were large and the ser- vices were impressive
 VERDICT OF HISTORY
 INDICATES ANGELS MESSAGE
 And on earth peace among men of good pleasure, was the text of the Christmas morning sermon delivered at Trinity Episcopal church by the rector, Rev. J. Eldred Brown. There were two services at Trinity church. The first was at o'clock for holy communion and sermon. There were vices. A programme of Christmas music, especially arranged, was eff fectively carried out at the 10.90 o. clock service. The quartette com- prised Mrs. Lloyd Buckingham, sopra- no; Mrs. Reuben Potter, alto; Arthur Blsckledge,' tenor; James J. Moore, baritone and director, Miss Mildred Wrightman was the organist.
 In his sermon the rector said:
 During the last four years we have been hearing a great deal of the ex- pression '"The will to power It was, as you wiA rememher, a favor ite expression of the former emperor of Germany, as indeed, it was of all the great German philosophers and leaders. In Germany it was the re- suit of the general adoption of the philosophy of NietZocke, who insisted that it was the right of the strong to overcome the weak. But the thing for which the expression stands is ap- parent not only in Germany, but in other lands also.
 In Russia for example it mapifests itself not so much in the self assertion | of a state as in the self assertion of a class. It is tE will to power in either case. But in Germany it is the will to power of a state, whereas in Russia it is the will to power only of a part, only of a minority of a state. Even in this country, which we chant l as "the land of the free" we have been experiencing recently various at 1 tempts of a. minority claSss to control ] the majority.
 | I am thinking now not so much of l the radicals among us, who are preaching the overthrow of our gov 1 ernment by violence. Their case is very evidently an example of the will
 to power, for they aim to break down the existing government and seize the reins for themselves. No, l am think 1 ing rather of labor of those who hitherto have not been accounted rad icals, of those labor strikes and propaganda which would dictate tc the government what it's policy must be, unless it would see itself powerless to control the great utilities and pro- tect the interests of all the people
 Here, too, we see a plain instance o1
 power at the expense of people. at t price of violence, either openly ex- lpressed or covertly hinted at.
 l Animal Nature Predominated.
 Now, all this was very natural ant to be expected in the early days O.
 mans history. For,>in the order oi civilation the graces and reffnement' of life come last Science assures u!
 that in primeval man the animal na' i ture predominated. First and fore
 most came the brute instinct of self
 preservation. To the first members O.
 the human race nature seemed to pre-.
 sent an open front of opposition ant
 defiance. Before man could built himself the simplest kind of shelter from heat and cold, wind and storm
 he was forced to do battle with gian forests Before he could feel to trus
 himself to his rudely built shel
 ter, he was forced to devise means O
 defense, not merely against the savag' beasts, but against his fellowman
 who, in the fierce contest for exist ence, acknowledged no rights bu
 such as could be won and held b! brute force. In those rude time and circumstances naturally the on1.
 right was might.
 Every man was for himself and tn
 ruling principle of action was tha the fittest, i. e., the physically ant mentally strongest, alone had righ
 to survive. Beside all this there wa forced upon the early man one, un
 ceasing struggle for food, health ant clothing. The ground had to b cleared and titled; animals had to b
 slaughtered both for food and raj | ment. Marshes had to be drained
 rivers and seas dyked. and an innum
 erable host of hostile natural force
 opposed and brought under eontro
 before man could fell free to enjo, |. even bare subsistence.
 All this naturally tended to mak
 the earliest men feel that everythini they acquired must be won by con : quest. It necessarily made the ami maj side of man predominant. Ther Twas neither time nor inclination fo
 the softer and gentler virtues whic'
 were latent in his makeup. Every thing tended to develop and emphaSiz the stronger, the self assertion, the he roic qualities it made man fighter , 1t is not surprising therefore bu simply in the natural line of develop ment, that fe should find it a fact his : torically that when men first bande together into clans for mutual protec , l ton and defence, they should hay 5 considered every other clan their mu |, ] tual enemy and lawful prey. For a L the clan multiplied in numbers, r multiplied it's wants. desires ssl 2 ambitions, and looked for a supply ( 7 it's needs to its brute superiority e strength and prowess over other clan Similar standards prevail as advanc l is made from the clan to the trib 0 and the tribe to the nation. Tn . earliest national histories we ca f trace are simply histories of batti }, slaughter and conquest. Nation wal n with nation, kingdom with Kingdom e. empire with empire. Even in a con r paratively advanced stage of civil e zation the standard of the people, z s seen in their sports and amusement f are of the same brute order. IT ]. favorite amusement of even u 7, Romans was the bloody and brutl e contest in the circus between ma . and beast Yes, the heroes of antiqu s. ty are, first of all, and for long D, d riod, the physically strong and bray t the athlete and the warrior. TT s moral standards always follow 8 Tor
 way behind the physical The grac,
 and reflnements of life are built upe 7 rough and unpublished foundations.