Penistone, Stocksbridge and Hoyland Express, etc. — 1914-11-14 (Penistone, South Yorkshire, England)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.  MR. GEORGE BLAKE WALKER ON " ATHEISM AND THE WAR."  (To the. !Attar).  Sir, - Last Sunday Mr. George Blake Walker was airing his views on athoism and the war at Flayland Compton. It was my privilege to be present, and I meet candidly say I was somewhat disappointed. From a gentleman of Mr. Walker', intellettnal attainments I certainly expected something better. The burden of his discourse was that atheism was at the bottom of all our present troubles. Atheism is a had thing and atheists are a had lot. Of course. it would never.oreur to him to tell his anthem* that POTDA of the brightest intellects this oountry ha, produced have been atheistic and some of the vilest scoundrels that have ever polluted the earth lincluding the liaise, have been atheists.  Dealing with Germany first, Mr. Walker toll 118 it was the prevalence of atheistic teaching and atheistic philneophe that brought about the war. Ile leaves out the Kaiser, whom sonic deluded people regard as responsible for the war. The Kaiser is on very intimate terms with God! He believesa he has beln his help in ages past. his help in the pisseent, and will continue to help him in the future. There is not rani+ sithaiism about that any way. Atheism is even worse in France. it has mule the French so wicked that they are actually fighting and sacrificing their lives to resist the invasion of their country by the ange:ic Kaiser and his hordes. _ .  When Mr. Walker turns to Belgium lie Fi,MS to give his else away. He has no charge of atheism to urge against them. and yet they have suffered the worst of all. But if there is any connection between atheism and war, what about the religious wars? You cannot find a single century from the first to at least the Iflth that has not been disgraced by.some religious war. Take the Crusade; tir instance; the atrocious acts of these religious fanatics put is the shade anything done by the Huns of tiermanyt Then there is the massacre of St. Bartle;lames— one set of Christians murdering another set. Sir Hiram Maxim tells us that over a thousand million lives have been sacrificed in Christian wars! God. says Mr. Walker, does interfere in human affairs; nothing happens without HiS permission: Be wills it so, or it would not be. This means that the devastation in Bel'glum, where people were driven from their Ihomes. robbed of their posseesion,, women and children subjected to the. most harharims treatment. even bui!dings erected to His own  worship Were destroy,cl, with His oeignismon. As an ever-oresent helo in our hour of need. I should non.ider a God of that kind a hit of a failure. What should we think of a human father who acted so when he had the power to prevent it 'rho 'hit who sees no difficulty in reeonciling these things with reason and common sense can hardly be gifted with groat thinking powers. One would think the God who hardened !he heart of Pharoali eou'vl as easily soften the heart of the Kaiser, and transform him from a German •ultura to a human being, with the heart of a man instead of the soul of flevil.  Mr. Walker told on of a question nut to the scholar in the French sehools, "What in God?" and the answer of the echoiar is "I don't know." Of mune Mr. %Yalker eons eidered this very dreadful. What hi• own arswer would. hare been he did not tell us. !Mine would be something like this—" What :is lied?" Yon ask me what is tiod? and am in no :say puzzled to reply. knd though hut a finite creature say "What ia God. and what is Nature?" All that of maul, we can believe, All that the mind can conceive. • All o'er where fancy Pier trod In Nem». All the rent is God. —Yonrs truly, O.