The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-14
N E N, w OM EN
 A N D T HINGS


 There art times of peace when is- sues as great as any ever fought out on the battlefield are lost or won in the field of diplomacy; and the coming conference at Washing ton in which the question of disarm- lament or the limitation of arma- ment is to be faced is fraught with significance that cannot be easily appreciated or overestlmated.
 
 Tho advent of Jesus of Nazareth synchsonized with what is admitted ly the greatest crisis in all history,
 the coming age of the human race" when all that men had struggled for during the long centuries seemed likely to disappear from earth, when chaos threatened to reassert it's pri- meval reign. The dreaded fear of the dusk of the gods seemed imminent.
 It's commonplace in history, and pointed out by many students and historians that never before or since has the world been so utterly ex- hausted. The internecine Greek strife, the incessant conflicts of the Diadochi, the rebellion of oriental nationalism, the bloody riots of the hellenistie cities, the increase of mercenaries and outlaws, the ruth less conquests and yet more savage civn wars of Rome, the reign of terror under the bad emperors who executed the judgment of heaven upon the wicked oligarchy that had wrought such havoc, the decimation of population and the fearful in- crease of slavery. had made the world weary.
 It is never safe to push anaolgles in history too far, and those who do it generally fail to be convincing, and yet here in the twentieth cen- trry, nearly 2,00O years after the coming of thes Christ, we find man drew into its vortex the smaller as we'll as the greater nations gasping for breath and praying for a peace which may be a lasting one. The people of all lands are striving and that grim visaged war will not be permitted in the future to walk in his bloody path until the nations shall have had time to coun- sel together and the people them selves, and not some modern Caesar. has given him license to piunder, de- stroy and kill.
 The simple fact that council to study the matter, composed of the i civilized nations of the earth, are to meet in America, whose traditions in spite of it's war is for peace, 1 means much at the proper solution of an international question upon ! which the happiness of mankind 1 hinges Many issues, political. social, 1 religious, racial and economic, are | to be the subject of arbitrament which will call for wisest statesman ship and the display of an unselfish- ness which heretofore has been con spicuously absent when diplomats sat around the table to arrange the map of the world.
 Speaking now from religious standpoint, but merely as a student of history, l make bold to say that unless the spirit of tue Master, the worlds greatest Teacher, Jesus, Of be carried into the discus sions and the points in dispute. be settled by His golden rule, the de- and conclusions VIII never bring permanent peace. Ma lions. like individuals, will have 10 adopt the Christ idea of neigEborh~ ness if they ever expect to dwell ,orether in friendliness winch makes for peace. Is it therefore ,,miss to hope and pray that at the conference the silent guest may have an influence greater than the noisy of delegates who sell their own and not another's goodF