AFTER THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2873, 11 September 1916, Page 6

AFTER THE WAR

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

THE CHURCH'S TASK MORALISATION OF PUBLIC OPINION lu the course of a striking sermon .at St. Paul's pro-Cathedral yesterday morning, tho Anglican Bishop of Wellington (Dr. Sprott) reforred to the part the Christian Church should play in the creation of a highly moralised international public opinion which, he hoped, would gradually abolish war. The Bishop said that there was a feeling abroad that at the close of the war something would be done to render impossiblo, or at any rate improbable, the recurrence of such a conflict as that in which we were now engaged. The manner in which the world's best wealth—bravo and noble men—was being hurled to destruction was compelling men to ask themselves whether some better way could not be found of settling disputes between nations. Many minds wero now endeavouring to discover a solution of the problem of finding a practical substitute for war. The principle of arbitration had already been put into practice to a considerable extent, but questions affecting the vital interests of a nation—its honour and independencewere generally excluded from the scope of arbitration treaties. This was a tremendous exclusion, for each nation remained the judge of its own cause in deciding what were matters of honour and vital interest. The general opinion seemed to be that there was not much hope of getting this exclusion removed m the near future. The most practical line of advance appeared to lie the general adoption of the view that when a disputo cannot be settled by diplomatic methods it should be referred for investigation and report to an international commission, and that neither party should go to war before the commission had prcsonted its report. This principle had been embodied in the arbitration treaty between Britain and tho United States.

Generation of Moral Power. But something inoro was needed— some sanation adequate to secure the observance of treaties. Some people thought this could be provided by tho formation of an international army— an international police system. Ideas of this sort wore floating before men's minds as alternatives to war. There were many difficulties in the way. Bofore a general and effective system of international arbitration could bo established it would be necessary to create a highly moralised national and international public opinion. Most of the writers dealing with this question of arbitration did not lay much stress upon the part which the Christian Church might be expected to play in placing international relationships tipon a better footing. This did not prove that these writers thought that tho Church could do nothing. They dealt with the question from the point of view of governments, and tho energies of the Church were not under Government direction. And yet this highly moralised international public opinion, without which no substitute for war could succeed, could not be generated by governments. Whore, then, was it to come from ? , The peoples of the world must be .made to realise that they-were not merely members'of national societies, but also of one and the same international society. Now, the Church was in essenco and idea- an international society, whose members were bound by one and tho same moral law, and tho same spirit of fellowship, worshipped ono and the same God, and looked forward to tho same destiny. The Church seemed to be tho very thing that was wanted—tho source of a strongly-moralised" international public opinion the existence of which was essential to the success of any scheme for the abolition of war.. But tho Church itself was divided. The fundamental cause of its division was not theological disputes, but social, political, and racial differences. _ The Church had not yet succeeded iiu removing these decisive forces—it had not yet succeeded in unifying mankind in God. Yet this was tho great task for which it existed.

The Church's Mission. Amid all that was unhopeful at the. present time nothing was so hopeful ns tho fcct that the Church now saw the vital importance of this task more clearly (i than ever before. Christian men wero realising with increasing conviction that disunion and division were the negation arid stultification of the Church s mission, and many of them, wero doing their best to remove this reproach. The' wonderful response which had been evoked by the appeal for free and frank discussion of religious differences made by the promoters of tho world's conference of all the Churches, was a slriking illustration of this growing desire- for unity. Another impressive' proof of the growth of tho spirit of unity was the endeavours which wero now being made to establish, a more friendly understanding between the Anglican 'Church and tho Greek Orthodox Church—the Church of the Russian people. The Greek Orthodox Church of the East bad a' membership of 134,000,000, and would' probably bo tliodominant Church of the Continent of Europe within iho nest fifty years. The efforts of Churchmen, both in Britain and Russia, to establish closer relations between the two Churches bad undoubtedly contributed to that better understanding between the two nations which was standing us in such good stead to-day. "Think Christianly." -The Bishop was of opinion that tho Christian Church as an international society would have some part to play in finding a substitute for the horrors of war. He believed it would play an important part—possibly tho decisive part. But Churoh people must realise their responsibilities. Mr. Chamberlain had taught us to think Imperially. This had led us to feel Imperially, and to-day we knew what it was to act Imperially. We ought now to learn to think internationally. The war had shown us what comes of thinking in an exclusive, narrow, and aggressive national spirit. Christian people must loam to tfifftk in terms of their membership of an international society, tho one Churoh of Christ, bound by one common moral code, subject to one common law of conscience, sharers in one common spirit of life and fellowship, children of one Father, and moving to ono common destiny. If we so think Christianly we would in timo begin to feel Christianly, and to act Christianly. .> Tho harmony from -which man siverved Jtaclo his iifo rule once more. Tho universal order served— Earth ihappicr than before.