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Show sports VICTOR HUGO'S STORY POINTS I LESSON IT THIS TIE The services In the First Presbyterian Presbyte-rian church last evening, in acklowl-edgement acklowl-edgement of the mayor's proclamation regarding the state of war and preparedness, prepar-edness, had for the subject of the sermon ser-mon "The Relation of Pacifism and Military Thought to the Present War." The sermon, which was preceded by a musical program in which Messrs. Saville- Domlney and Rockfellow took part, traced the rise of (he pacifism trend and I ho military spirit. In part, the pastor said: "Victor Hugo has tho story of an old woman who was agent for some who desired to secure the condemnation of a young girl during the reign of terror in tho French revolution. Believing that the girl should bo put away for the good of tho 'cause,' the old woman succeeded in having the girl condemned, con-demned, when she learned that she had aided in the condemnatipn of her own daughter. Then she fought and plotted for her rescue and at last perished per-ished at the base of the scaffold on which her child died. Hugo describes the mother's struggles for the girl she had plotted to condemn, as only Hugo can. and in the application we see that the lesson is the destruction of those in war who have aided in fostering that very war. There are two despicable despica-ble classes of men. One is the man who is ever looking for a fight, trying to pick one, and plotting and scheming schem-ing for war. The other is the man who is devoid of manhood and who tries to cover his fawning spirit on the plea of principle as he denies the brotherhood brother-hood of man and refuses to admit that ho is his brother's keeper. Militarism and pacifism are two doctrines that vie with each other in being un-American. They are each utterly at variance with our past and our ideals. Pacifism would have continued slavery in a land that was not free and militarism would have swaggered into the wars of Napoleon, meddled in all our border trouble and kept us in constant trouble. trou-ble. War is as holy as aro the end of the conflict. There have been times when political and religious liberty, justice and mercy, humanity with its best have been made real and by war alone Treaties have done much, but when one party breaks a treaty, stern measures are imperative. From 1496 B C to 1S61 A. D. there were 3358 years of war and 227 years of peace. One reason for this was that in this long period there were over S000 treaties trea-ties of peace signed by nations that were meant to remain in force forever, but the average time they did remain In force was hardly two years. Tho breaking of these 8000 treaties gives us real food for thought, as we are asked to depend on treaties for safety. On the other hand, the billions spent for war have not secured either peace of safety. NeiUier militarist nor pacifist paci-fist have solved the problem. The middle of the road man who thinks and in mercy maintains his manhood must solve tho problems as they arise." |