The Dominion. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1909. MILITARISM AND CHRISTIANITY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 663, 13 November 1909, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1909. MILITARISM AND CHRISTIANITY.

TjfE root .trouble in New Zealand, in tho opinion of those people who pursue thoir thoughts with ears closed to tho sophistries and follies of " progressive " politicians, is the general absence of respect for tho teachings of experienw, which in its turn arises out of tho absence of landmarks and fixed' outlooks. This shows itself in many ways, but its phenomena are all alike in one grand particular: every social or economic issue is settled on a basis of empiricism, and treated as 1 if no light can be thrown upon it by'the experience of older, countries. It has been tho fashion—but it is not now quito the fashion—to boast of tho " bold experiments " of ' New Zealand; when as a matte of 'fact theso "''bold experiments" are usually roversions to ancient policies that dissolved in ruin. That this should be our national condition is obviously very unwise: it has been the constant policy of The Dominion to make appeal for a study of the social and economic controversies of oldor politics. But there is no evil without a spark of good; and New Zealand democracy's contemptuous poverty of tradition is proving advantageous in one vitally important particular. The Government; intends to bring down a Bill to provide for an instalment of compulsory training. The Prime Minister has sacrificed his past views in doing so,, but for the moment that is beyond our concern. What is of spatial significance is the fact that tho Government will havo the nation almost solidly at its back in this mattor. In Great Britain, where the politicians find it quite safo to ask the people to pay for naval defence at a rate so heavy that a similar rate in this country would mean a naval subsidy of one million sterling per annum, it is considered unsafe to ask tho country to sanction a compulsory training scheme. Tho forces that daunt the British Government arc two, but in the final analysis, they rcsolvi

themselves into one. They are, first, tho Socialist objection to the idea that the worker shall become " food for powder "

and " murder " other workers in doing so, and second, tho objection of a very large class to tho " un-Christian " and " anti-social" character of military onergy. Owing almost entirely to the neglect of our people to give serious thought to the fundamentals of politics, the proposal that our young men shall be forced to make themselves profioionl in arms is

sparod tho ncoeisity o£ pvercoming any large body of " anti-militarist " opinion. It is in general very evil that any deepcutting national policy should havo so oasy a road boforo it; but in the present instance it is only a fallacy that is missing from tie path. That there is a minority, however, who will regard the Government's proposal as un-Christian and wioked wo discovered some months back when wo found some correspondents dissenting from our support of Bishop Walmb'b ploa on bohalf of military proparedncsß. As it is possible that this minority may mako themselves audible I before tho Government's Bill is through, i i 1; may not be amiss ,to state a case for the ethical propriety of what 'they will call " militarism," Neither from the history of Christian nations nor from tho history of nationalist movements led by Christian man, nor even from tho teachings oftho Founder of Ohristianity, can

a.brief, bo. prepared against;tjie compulsory training of young men to arms,- Tho London Spectator dealt with; tho, question very, fully lately, and we cannot do better than give a few extracts from one of its articles in reply.to a roviow- that appeared in. the JiriinU. Friend,' tile organ of tho Quakers in Britain.. .These, we are convinced, will appeal irresistibly to all thoughtful men: : ' . •'■ '.' : . ■ ■ "Though tho 'ictorios dE Christianity.worn to bo. victories of tho Spirit, , and though men's hearts and .wills wore to bo changed, Christ never taught that men might not defend them-' stives from attack or take up the swovd to right a wrong, When Ho told men to 'render unto Caesar the things which aro Caesar's' Ho meant that His disciples might live in tho world and-do good in tho world which they found round thom, and were not to tako up an anarchic position towards B ociul institutions. •.■'■■■ w ,-, thr ' st "ncßlit to cohderan all uso « R ™ 3 .' a" employment of', force, surely Ho would .hayo said something different, from what Ho did say to tho soldiers who aro so ■■ wnstantly mentioned in the Gospel. .;■ . . ~ i, , tho , y l un S mt *'i of groat possessions to sell all he had and give to the poor. Ho did not tell tho soldiors that they were men' of blood and sin, and that, their first duty was to abandon : their evil occupation ■ Though Christ preached the brotherhood of nian and peacei and goodwill, 1 and bade men banish hatred, from their hearts, Ho did not mean to put the good man at tho mercy of r°«. eTl i!. or to B iTO tbo POBer of the sword t.. tho transgressor. Again, Hfi did not regard tho saol-iiico of a man's life, like our modern humanitarians, as tho greatest possible"' evil, an-BTiI to'ho avoided at nil. costs.-' If He had, would He have said: 'Greater love hath no man than this, that am on lay down his life for his friend , ? If a man should lay "down his life for hie friend, why is it so groat a crime for him to lay down his life for hIS CPUntry?" ,' ,■■•■■..•■. . .--■ ': ...'■:'

There was recently published in ' England a reprint of The Sermons of Thomas Mavis, 1 ' called 'by; 'SorjiUEY "the Shakespeare:. of;. Puritan . tbeologians'," One of Adams's sermons was upon " The Soldier'B Honour," , and .so.mo extracts from it will riot only help to reassure the timid people who shrink ; from ." niilitarism ■" ■ as a sin, but will, please alike tho lover of noble prose, and the friends of that national; honour, that snows itself in readinoss to defend the natipn'R_ life..'., Tho keynote ,of this great sermon is iii the following passage: -

_ Shall- war march against us with thunder-ing-steps, and shall we only .assemble ourselves., m tho temples, lie prostrate. on the/ pavements,. lift up our hands and eyes to heaven ana not our weapons against our onemies? Shalb we beat tho, air with-'our voices'and not their bosoms with our swords? Sure.yr religious conscience never taught a man to neglect-his lite, his liberty, his estate, hi 3 pfcaee.. l'iety. and policy are not opposjtes, Hβ that.taught us to be. harmless as doves, bade us also bo as wise as. serpents." ;. '

For those who think that military preparedness is unnecessary Adams has a vigorous warning: "Fight, say you; why, who strikes us? . . i When our security hath made us weak, and their policy hath made them strong, -wo shall find them knocking at our door early in tho morning, before wo are up. . . , Lot us therefore, liko good housekeepers, when such unbidden guests come, have always a breakfast ready for them; which, if we give them heartily, they shall have small stomach to their dinnors." On the general question, we aro given these wise words:

."That war at some'times is just and;'necessaryrjust when it is'necessary, as here; For shall it : come to the gates, and shaU' we not inept ■it ?, Yea, shall wo ' not. meet" it before : it comes near the gates?: There is, then,- a seaspn when war is good'.and'lawful. , St. Augustiiio 'observes' that'.when the- soldiers, among the rest of -the-- peoplo,. camo to' John •the, Baptist,to. be catechised,.,', What shall we do?, he did Hot/ bid' thorn' leave off being scjdiers, but.taught them, to be good.soldiers." The.following passago, directEd,against those ■;. wlio, laugh...at,, ■: condemn, '/or look" idly upon the soldior, is not .without its use-to-da.y,: , ' ■• ':•■•■"'■■.•■•.■. ;:; .■ •■ : ;.'Y ;•.'■.■ I "If \ykv - should "be': in tho Bates; 1 whither' would you nn for defence, wliero - shroud yourselves, but under the colours Vliich'you' havo despised? Who : should keep the'usurer's pilli\ginsf -Who: untold' kemv the foggy mMiis soft chnir ; after a 'full mbal fast .asleep?,-. '.-■, r\vW should save virgins from, rayishment, children from faniisliinent,: mpthers; from 'astonishment, "city, and country,: temples .and places, ..traffics- and- markets, ships and shops, Westminster Hall and the, Exchange'.;; ■-.■}: ; from having it said;' corn , i{rowDth:ivhere' London , stood—all 'from ruin;- , ? Who but'tho soldior'under, Ggd?" :. We coneludo'than with one more.oxtract from this sound.and vigorous Christian sermon, ;an extract ■ that' should; silence forever the.; windy ''.'patriotism " that until: lately'opposed compuls6ry:training with the.•'aßßurancc'thaf when trouble • camo the last man■'■ would ; 'die, firing-; the; -last'■; ■ shot •"■ in . tho, last •ditch:— :■•.;'•; ;.;,■■■'.■ :•:; :■;■;. ■ '^. ■;.

■ Tut;: wo say, iii' that' day ■ conies, ; .we shall have fiplUieys '.enough; wewill all fight. ■< 0 dulce bellum inoxportiS'r-They that never tried lt> thmk it a pleasure, to" fight, Wo shall fight strangely if we havo ■ no Sveappns, and use our weapons morp <■ strangely if wo ;have .no- skill, Non de pugna, sed do fuga cogitant, qiu;nudi in aoie exporiuntur ad vulnera—Their minds aro not so much ,011. 'fighting as on flying,- that aro exposed'to the fury■ of war withont weapons; neither will all'be. soldiers that dare talk of war. . . ... . ■' ~ ..