THE PRIEST IN AVAR

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXV, Issue 31, 10 December 1897, Page 4

THE PRIEST IN WAR

At a recent banquet in Buffalo Archbishop Ireland replied for the toast " The chaplain." His Grace is reported to have said :—: — '• The Civil War awakened all the latent energies of the American people, revealed to themselves and to the world their strength, exalted their confidence in their own powers, and secured to them the respect and the admiration of other peoples. The whole range of American life was intensified by the war ; the wondrous era of material industry and exploitation through which the country has been passing is itself very largely due to the quickening of American brain, and the stimulating of American courage, which were produced by Civil War. New America was born ; the great nation which the world admires to-day is the child of the victories of the Union soldiers. THE CHAPLAIN. " la there wonder that American veterans are proud and exulting 1 Is there wonder that whoever loves America and rejoices in her greatness delights to pay them reverence ? The United States owes to them life, honour, and prosperity. But why in an encampment of veterans mention the army chaplain ? Has he had a part even most slight in their achievements ? Apparently the part of the chaplain was small if a part is at all credited to him. The chaplain bore no gun upon hit. shoulder. The chaplain was a noncombatant, a man of peace, whether in camp or on the battle-field. In fact, however, the part of the chaplain was most important. I am making a plea of my own patrinti-m. lam a chnplain. I did not fight but I made others light. My preiehing to the soldiers of my regiment was, ' Make it hot for the rebels or the Lord will make it hot for you.' And whenever opportunity was afforded, they did make it hot for the rebels. How much my preaching contributed to their valour I will not examine too closely, but it was of the gallant Fifth Minnesota that the brave ILosivsrans s.iid on the evening ot a terrible battle : ' They did more killing than any other regiment engaged on the field.' " The chaplain invested the soldiers fighting, the soldiers' whole round of labour and suffering, with the halo of moral duty. Under the spell of duty the soldier was submissive and brave, and to place the soldier under this was the office of the army chaplain. Was the part of the chaplain so small in the achievements that have made the new America / " The appeal of the chaplain to the living God as approving war and consecrating battle-fields is in fullest harmony with the teachings of religion. God is, indeed, the God of love and of peace while love means no violence of justice, and peace implies no surrender of supreme rights. The servants of God must ever seek peace so long as it is po&sible to obtain peace. They must never proclaim war so long as war is not absolutely necessary. But times come when war is absolutely necessary, when naught but war can avert great wrongs and save the life and honour of the nation. Then the God of peace becomes the God of armies ; he who unsheaths the sword in response to country's call finds favour before God, and the soldier who is a coward on the battle-field is a culprit before heaven's tribunal. " The chaplain— let him remain to America — to America's army and navy. It is sometimes said that the chaplain is an anomaly in a country which has decreed the separation of State and Church America has decreed the separation of State from Church — America has not decreed and never will decree the separation ot State from morals and religion. To soldiers upon land and sea. as well as to other citizens, morals ai.d religion are necessary. The dependence of soldiers upon the Government of the country is complete. The Government of the country must provide for soldiers, teachers of morals and religion. "In provi ting for them such teachers the country performs a duty which she owes to the soldurs and she serves her own high interests. For the best and the bravest soldiers are men that are not estranged from morals and religion. A lUOHTEOUS WAR. ''Never in the history of peoples was there so much at stake for a nation and for humanity as when, in I*6l, Abraham Lincoln summoned Americans to defend the Stars and Stripes. Never in the history of peoples was there a wsr more righteous, more necessary, more worthy of Heaven's blessings than the war which Americans waged three decades of years ago to maintain intact and unsullied the Stars and Stripes.

" May war be never again necessary for America ! If dissensions arise may they be composed by peaceful tribunals. But alwayß and above all else America's life and honour must be safe from peril and stain. If to maintain the life and honour of America war is necessary, let there be war, and when war is declared may soldiers be as ready, as brave, as true, as heroic as those who quickly replied to the calls of Lincoln, ' We are coming, Father Abraham to do and ' , die!'

"Seldom as this evening has the thought of my country bo possessed my soul. The President of the nation honouring us with his presence, 50,000 veteran defenders of American unity thronging our streets, vivid recollections of the great war surging up from memory's stores — must not all Americans to-night realise as seldom before the grandeur, the beauty, the value of the American Republic ! Seldom as this evening has the love of my country so inflamed my heart. I crave the honour to be for a moment your chaplain.

" God of nations, I pray thee, bless and save for years unnumbered the United States of America. Preserve to Americans their liberties, maintain among them brotherly love, give rewards to their toil, build up within them the love and fear of Thee, lead them to the observance of Thy supreme righteousness, O God. bless and save America."