[New York (N. Y.) World]

Because religion has gone hand in hand with militarism, millions of lives have been sacrificed on the reeking altars of war. Every church, every great faith, and practically every refinement of creed has been involved in the policies which finally led to a world-wide catastrophe.

This is not to say that spiritual authority has neglected to teach the virtue of peace. Except in Prussia, where some of the state-owned pastors sermonized on slaughter, religion in its authority has been opposed to aggressive war. Popes, bishops, priests, and ministers have thundered against it. But their followers have not heeded them, and the calamities that have befallen mankind have been due in as large measure to the breakdown of religion among the people and their secular leaders in Central Europe as to the shocking moral delinquencies of political and military chieftains.

Contrary to the teachings of the Founder of their religion, Christian nations surpass all others in their haste to seize the sword and in their unwillingness to put it aside. We do not assume that the churches could have prevented this war, but we do hold that the most terrible of all conflicts, which threatened at one time to engulf civilization, even religion itself, coming after nineteen centuries of ostensible devotion to the message of the Prince of Peace, is an indictment of Christianity for its divisions and enmities too powerful to be ignored.

All this, however, is an affair of the past and concerns us now only as an example and a warning. Face to face with a wicked war, rancorous religion in Germany and Austria-Hungary failed. Face to face with the promise and the means of a just and lasting peace embodying the noblest article of its faith, is religion in the United States also to fail? We hear much these days of church union, the difficulties being mainly doctrinal and administrative. Why should not this reformation begin with unity in behalf of the celestial message which ushered in the Christian era and which still is unctuously repeated from every altar and every pulpit?

If the churches cannot come into agreement in regard to peace on earth and good will among men, they cannot harmonize upon anything; even the heathen agree to that. If they do not see in the principle of a League of Nations the very essence of their creed, if they preach jingoism and suspicion, or if they remain silent when statesmen, soldiers, and war-weary men of the world pray and plead, will they not deny Messiah, prophet, and apostle, and stifling every appeal of the spirit will they not make common cause with the materialism which first disgusted and finally destroyed the civilization of the ancient world?

Many of the churches find it easy to get into politics on small provocation. Here is a call upon them from a distracted if not a perishing world to get into a higher sphere. It may be that the League of Nations can be established without the assistance of the churches. It is morally certain that with the churches arrayed on its side it cannot be defeated.

Religions as well as philosophies and schemes of government are sometimes put to the test. The test of religion in the United States is at hand. Is its attitude to be determined by the caucus of timid, doubting, and huckstering senators at Washington, or by the doctrines which, when no great issue is at stake, are expounded from its pulpits? Politics and diplomacy have been confounded. The weapons of a blasphemous militarism have all been broken for the time being. This is the day and here is the opportunity for practical religion of every name and faith. It may be now or never!

[Columbus (Ohio) Journal]

Ex-Governor Herrick spoke to the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce a few days ago and here is one thing he said: "The war has broken down the old order of things the world over. The future success of America depends upon reconstruction and readjustment, upon the successful creation and direction of a new order, international in character and dealing not only with material things but with ideals and value of spiritual things which have lain dormant and have been rediscovered by the shock of the war."

More and more our great men are taking a stand for spirituality in our social and national life. They see what unrestricted materialism is doing for this country; that it is destroying our politics, religion, education, patriotism, and civic ideals. The destruction is going on all around us. Selfishness has grappled with righteousness and the conflict is on. Blind the man who cannot see its ravages on every side. There is not a pleasure but it has infected; there is not a vision that it has not blurred.

[Methodist Recorder, London, England]

The Peace Conference goes well. Its temper is a fine example to any who may meet in conference, whether among churches, trades unions, or masters' confederations. Explain it how we may, in Paris they are striking out a new line—a sane, spiritual, and frankly moral line—for the settlement of the whole world on a basis that can be named by one word only—the basis of the family. It is quite wonderful in the light of history; but it is quite true. Something has happened. For that there is only one word—the statesmen of the world have been converted. Now, the question for us at home is, whether we are prepared to tread that path. All the statesmen on earth cannot save a people who will not save themselves. No amount of new frontiers, governments, liberties, leagues of nations, or anything else, will make up for the lack of right thinking and plain honesty of heart among the people themselves. It is the immediate and pressing duty of every reasonable man, and it should be the passionate delight of every Christian, to teach every man his brother the solemn responsibility of the hour and the joy of walking as children of the light.

[Gerald Birney Smith, D.D., in The Biblical World]

It is no uncommon thing for Christian people to sit complacently in the presence of one of the greatest upheavals the world has ever known and to talk easily of the "application of Christian principles." But let any such complacent Christian become acquainted with the real sentiments of those who are active in the democratic revolt to-day, and he will be startled at the widespread distrust and bitter hostility toward Christianity. The root of this hostility is found in the conviction that the Christian church is part and parcel of a system of special privileges which democracy is bound to demolish. The ethics of Christianity is felt to be formulated so as to uphold "vested rights." We may shrug our shoulders at what seems to us to be an absurd judgment on the religion which we love. But there must be some reason for this feeling. If Christianity is to have a real part in the making of a democratic world, the leaders of Christian thought must make sure that they are in inward sympathy with the principles of democracy.

[The Western Congregationalist, Perth, West Australia]

It is not too much to affirm that had the consciousness of mankind been thoroughly impregnated with the ideals of Jesus, humanity would never have experienced the horrors of the past four years. Prussianism would never have been born.