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Show CHRISTIAN ETHICS OPPOSED TO WARS Contemplation of a Millenium Where Strife is Unknown and " Peace to All : Men" Prevai.s. i ("Written f..r The Inlermountain Catholic.) Should ihe iweiiiieih century create or bring forth iri ;, sentiment in ihe civilized world !i ;i demand for 1I10 cessation of wars and the l establishment of a curt of inleruation arbitration, then ihe. jiiiUcniuiii of lhat Christian principle which underlies (lie teaching of Christ "Peace to all. iiu-ir would be established. To roach this ' desirable ond ili- study of man in t lie concrete I ' 3lH' l-c talon into consideration, for nations, ' 1 whether weak or powerful, an- only an aggregate : I i i"di iduals; and men. whether civilized or bar- f barons, possess the same natural instincts, viz., f Jealousy, spite, revenge, pride and greed. The lu ll I dian wield-; his tomahawk and exults in his victory i 3 ( hy displaying the seal)) of the white man. He is t 1-arbarojis. A powerful nation, -with gliltering I 1 guns and bayonets, mows down an army of fellow- beings. That nation is civilized iind Christian. Such are the. two verdicts. Why not apply the same ethical code to the barbarous Indian and the . civilized nation.' The natural instincts of th" I,.- dian that led him to seek for the trophy, the white 1 man's scalp, were jealousy, spite and revenge. These two. phis pride, greed and the acquisition of i:ew ' territory, are. were 'and have been always ihe nio- lives that underlie all modern wars. It may be dis- guiscd. but the facts remain that when war is do- l -la red the civilized soldiers, rigged out in all ihe I I paraphernalia of modern warfare, are as anxious to j ' slioot. crack skulls and wipe out of existence their would be enemies as are the savage Indians wh.-n ' they don 'their war paint and go to meet their ' ; woubld.e enemies. The same passions and senli-. ' ; menis loiuina(e both, Bevengo is the war cry. The ) - scalpina: by the Indian is no less a crime of von- - geance lhan ihe mowing down in the field of battle of contending armies for some frivolous cause, but : mainly through jealousy, wounded pride, and for 1he sake of gain. The same ethical code applies to i 1'oth. "Whosoever shall shed man's blood, his j blood shall be shed, for man was made in the image ! of Cod." These words- addressed by the Creator to Cain after ihe murder of Abe, are not confined to I ihe singular number. They apply to nations which J engage in unjust wars and sacrifice its best citi- i Z' lis for an apparent insult and vulgar greed. Trance sacrificed i?."o.' m m t of its best and ablest j men beciiuse the king of Prussia did not observe j ihe ordinary rubs of etiquette at a reception ten- , deivd to the- French envoy. The proud French 1 blood, would give no time to repair the supposed i in-ult. but with his gun upon his shoulder and j knapsack on Ids back, rushed "to Berlin." His I hat v dci-iiou cost France the loss of Alsaee-Loy-raine. Kvi--ce. and today. France is maintain ing ;t liic army for "sweet revenge,' whilst (Jer-luany. (Jer-luany. to coiilinue her yirestige by consolidation. I! Jii:i!t;;iii also an equally big army. The only ethical code to prevent further sacrifice sacri-fice of hniiiau lives is ihe school bovs' motto, "T J . dare y-!U."' Xo one tloubts ibis. The? jealousy. I I soil'', reveug', ride and greed mIhcIi are man's J ?. rmrrai inheritance, enter into the very existence J I of nations, just as much as it governs the conduct ; !' it;.- iii:iividuals. t Tii!' causes for a jut war rarely exist in mod ern lime-, when nations, through jealousy, hatred, r. voi i go or for annexation declare war. According 10 Cbri-iian principles, for one nation to declare, w-" - u another, some injury must have ''leen in-ri.-'e.l. ;,nd the guilty narty is not willing to make .:;v .Seni ni' iit. Another ethical lrrinciiial is that br j',,.,. ihe declaration of war that ample time s!io!i,; l. uiviu 1o oomicnsate for ihe injury. A ";"io:: before declaring wjir should submit the. Vcai;-.- To the KMfile. through lis re)resentatives. A '. ') for .ninexation of new territory i-; not justiii-abic. justiii-abic. '! In -e princi)les adhered to in the old law, :'- em'oo'lied in ihe ehtical code of pagan morals, are y.i'ely complied with in modern wars. Abra- "!ain. a i 'er inuering Ids enemies who entered iv.io. ; -it unju-l war. told his peojile that thev should tak :io -polls, "from the woof of thread to the : -b . laii-bct." Aristotle ruled that "war could not be made wilhout a just caus"' and Cicero wrote., ' "-lu-iice being wanting, war is not courage, but .ferocity." AH Furopeau wars during the last ')00 years nre noted for their absence of a just cause. In Kn.-daiid the people, through their representatives in parliament, are not consulted. They are simply :4;ed to grant supplies for an expensive war which In' cabinet" h.-is" lecided upon. Who are the member-, of ihe "cabinet t" Xo one knows. Lord Ma- I o.vday write : "It still continues to be altogether iii:k)iov:i to the law. Tin1 names of the noblemen I and g !iteiiicn who compose it are never officially :.v. u:;ee.l to the public. Xo record is kept of its I nie linus and resolutions, nor has ils existence ever been reeocuiz(d by any act of parliament." Then. l' a constitutional government, it is an illegal . body, ar.d its secret sessions, which may declare an xp. nsi. barbarous war for the benefit of its bondholders, or to acquire new territory, are illegal, uuiti'-t and therefore barbarous, because for paltry p n i 1 1 she is willing to sacrifice the lives of her best ili.ens. i Kii"ia is no better. In all her wars, prestige, uned. revengp or jealousy were the motives that s ; promiited her to display h r power and skill to ;; slaughter her woubbbe enemies. By intrigues her V averts starlel an aniarent cause for war in Bul- I garia. That jeaceable little count rv was subjected I t' jdl the horrors of an unjustifiable war. France iMid Cermanv. for a most trivial cause, measured !' swords ami diminished their populations by nearly half a million of soldiers, to redress an insult. So it goes witli European nations. that boast. most civilization. The nation that kills most and ! fastest in a scientific manner is the most civilized, I while ihe gun and bayonet are for the great powers 1 1'i ilv court of arbitration. Would that human- could hope for a peaceable solution of iirtema- Y ih'iial lu-iuls. that Christian princi)les were adont-'"'l adont-'"'l :"d that, instead of letting the dogs of war slin i from the leas!!, love and peace would dominate na-. tions, as well as individuals, and put an end toall wars, which cause so many human holocausts, bring so much pain and sorrow to the individual and the family, and which, in this enlightened and civilized age, remain as the last monuments of barbarism. ' . F. D. j |