Evening star., 1940-12-25
Christmas, 1910

murderous strife among nations is
obvious enough. A second Yuletide
marred by the cruelest and most
costly OF wars brings home to every
thoughtful person the contradiction
between the religion which the world
accepts in theory and the denial of
righteousness and charity which
few societies practice at the expense
of their helpless neighbors and to
their own everlasting diScredit. The
truce ordered by Adolf Hitler yes
terday is a concession to the moral
standards of a civilization which
traces back to the teaching of the
Saviour. When the German Chancel-
lor agreed that there should be no
raids upon Britain the while the
inhabitants of that beleaguered
island kept, as best they could under
prevailing conditions, the anniversary
of the birth of Jesus, he acknowledged
the spiritual power of the Galilean
preacher martyred at Calvary nine
teen centuries ago.
But Der Fuehrer, it must be admit
ted, can plead a precedent of high
authority for his willingness to spare
England a few hours of rest at
Christmas. The so-called Truce of
God which the universal church
imposed upon the belligerent mobiles
of the Middle Ages was, in effect,
such a period of tolerance and such
recognition of the superior claims
of humanity at large. Under the
terms of an ecclesiastical require
ment, all private feuds were sus-
pended from Thursday evening to
Monday morning. The custom, says
the Century Dictionary, "fell grad
ually into diSuse as the rulers of
the various countries became more
powerful"
No self-respecting community,
however, willingly can permit the
character of Christmas to depend
upon the whim of any tyrant. The
conscience of the race is outraged
by the circumstance which gives the
Nazi overload a license to dole out
to his foes stipulated number OF
minutes of exemption from destruc-
ton. 1t is to the people of Britain
that he grants an approximation OF
an armistice in 1910 What COM
munity will he deign to favor year
hence when perhaps his control of
the destiny of millions of innocent
men, women and children may have
been increased by further conquests?
The answer to this inevitable ques-
ton almost certainly will be decided
by the citizens of the United States.
If they are sincerely concerned about
liberty, if they truly are devoted to
the institutions of democracy, if they
really are grateful for the sacrifice
of the Great Apostle of fellowship
who gave His life that those who
accept Him might live, they will apply
their intelligence, their strength,
their courage and their determination
to the solution of the problem which
now challenges their attention. They
and perhaps they alone can save the
world for the peace envisioned by
Pope Plus XII-the privilege of living
in "a new world order" based upon
principles of justice, equity and
honor.
AS an alternative, mankind has the
prospect of dictatorship, regimenta-
ton, coercion of mind and heart,
economic serfdom, political slavery,
social degradation. That His brothers
might be saved from such fate
Christ was born, suffered and died.
Upon the day especially pledged to
His memory it will be the choice of
those who gratefully accept His
leadership to rededicate themselves
to His purposes.