Article March 13, 1915 Issue

Peace and Peacemakers

FLORENCE G. MERROW

To the majority of people, the first thought of a peacemaker calls to mind a person of serene temperament, one who seeks to replace discord with harmony, and to bring about amicable relations between individuals or nations. It may be a self-sacrificing mother who, to "keep peace" in the family, shields her froward child; it may be a friend who never makes objections, or advances any differences of opinion; or a worker in public life who is not aggressive, never takes the initiative, never raises questions, but tactfully avoids all controversy by accepting the opinions and judgment of others, though he may not fully agree with them, and may even think he sees a way by which present methods might be improved. But upon further reflection, we find that smoothing things over in this manner is but the temporary stilling of the storm; it is the mocking cry of mortal mind, "Peace, peace; when there is no peace," and may bring stagnation to progress, prove fatal to the demonstration of divine Principle.

Peace is defined as a state of quiet or tranquillity; calm; repose; absence or cessation of war; general order; a state of reconciliation; concord. From this it follows that the peacemaker is one who makes peace by eradicating fear, selfishness, and sin, all of which are destructive to harmony. This cannot be accomplished by the mere use of tact, diplomacy, or approbation in one's association with the world, by yielding to the stronger will or submitting to wrong conditions, for these methods do not reach the cause of the discord; hence they are but palliative. More than this, they make the "last state" of the offender "worse than the first." Peace can never be established by overlooking, but by overcoming error; and this can be done only by beginning at the root, or first cause of the trouble.

Back of discordant conditions individual forces are often found to be operating through selfishness. The true reformer is the one who sees the error and seeks to correct it at the demand of justice, observing the golden rule, uncovering error in the spirit of love, and for the sole purpose of removing it, of righting wrong. He is thus equipped with the most powerful weapons for the warfare against evil forces,—weapons which are "not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds."

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