These words were written many years ago by the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, yet in this hour they clearly and concisely present the one safe and wise plan to which humanity may adhere in reasoning and working its way toward a lasting and universal peace. To live "the love for God and man," is rightly named a "battle-plan," because adherence to it requires a constant battle with the arguments of material sense, which today, as of yore, insist that evil is real, powerful, and inescapable.

Here is a plan which everyone can support, from the wisest statesman to the humblest citizen, and in forwarding this activity each one can know that he is doing his part in laying the foundation for the structure of permanent peace. Right now is the time to recognize and begin to prove that questions of race and nationality do not constitute insurmountable barriers to peace and progress for mankind. It matters not where an individual may have been born; his character and the quality of his citizenship are what count. Nationality should be relatively as unimportant as the color of a person's hair and eyes, or his height and weight. Paul comprehended this in his day, and wrote of that renewed state of consciousness to be gained as we resolve to "put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: where there is neither Greek nor Jew,... Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all."

It is invigorating to rise above the atmosphere of earth, befogged with its material concepts of human relationships, nationalities, and creeds, into the pure realm of Spirit, where we become conscious of the real man, the image and likeness of God, Spirit, who is wholly spiritual and dwells forever in the spiritual universe of God's creating.

The battle for peace can be strategically waged in thought as we analyze some of the everyday conditions which seem to have power to incite war. What is war? It is a supposititious opposite of love and peace; a lack or absence of harmony. Where is its origin? In the human mind, or the carnal mind, as Paul describes it. War originates in insidious arguments and aggressive suggestions that existence is material, or both spiritual and material; in selfish pursuits; in hatred, envy, greed, and competition among men. War breeds in habits of malicious criticism, arguments over nonessentials; in petty jealousies, covetousness, and resentment; in personal attacks on those with whom we may not agree, or who do not agree with us in theory and practice. War is a mental state which is the exact opposite of "love for God and man." The Scriptures make it plain that love for God and love for man are interdependent—neither exists without the other. Love for God implies love for man, God's representative, and without love for man there cannot be love for God; and if we cannot and do not love man, then we cannot say that we love God. (See I John 4:20.)

Where is the world citizen to start to end war? In individual thinking and living, day by day. Within the family circle is ever-present opportunity to seek a purer, higher love for God and man and to demonstrate it hourly in association with the members of the family group. Praying that we may manifest grace and wisdom in our daily contacts opens the way for giving practical proof of our love for God and man right where we are. In business, in church affiliations, in social activities, we can keep clear our vision of man as God's representative, loving and lovable. It is this kind of right thinking which enables us to see, in Science, man governed by divine Love alone. Since divine Love knows nought of hatred and strife, those war-breeding conditions are seen to have no Principle to support or perpetuate them. Such conditions cannot control man, the idea of Love. Our "battle-plan" furnishes a mighty weapon—spiritual thinking—and when we are faithful in wielding it against every least suggestion of hate and animosity, we are doing our part in pulling down and utterly annihilating that strong hold which hatred and its culmination, war, has held for so long on the nations of the earth.

Christ Jesus, our Way-shower, steadfastly adhered to this "battle-plan" —"the love for God and man"—and he was victorious over sin, disease, and death. We bow in humility as we realize the depth of the peace he demonstrated. Mary Baker Eddy, our great Leader, lived according to this same plan, and was victorious over sin and disease. Her writings reveal the poise and peace which were hers because of her love for God and man. Under the heading "Universal brotherhood," she writes on page 276 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures": "When the divine precepts are understood, they unfold the foundation of fellowship, in which one mind is not at war with another, but all have one Spirit, God, one intelligent source, in accordance with the Scriptural command: 'Let this Mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.'" Small wonder that the resistance of humanly established systems of religion and medicine did not prevent the founding of her great discovery.

What does it matter that there are many nations and races of men on this earth, when all have the priceless privilege of recognizing and living the universal brotherhood of man, above race and creed! In living according to our "battle-plan," we are following the trail marked with the victories of prophets and other outstanding individuals, who discovered in their time, as we are discovering in ours, that God is the Father of man; hence, all men are brethren.

A young woman from an enemy country, a student of Christian Science, attending college in the United States, gave a testimony one Wednesday shortly after the Pearl Harbor episode, saying, in effect, that she was not at that crucial hour thinking enemy thoughts or American thoughts, but was thinking God's thoughts. Such a helpful testimony showed that she had already enlisted in support of our "battle-plan" for peace. In these stirring times of world history, let us be of one Mind, and let our thoughts be thoughts of love for God and love for man. "Love never faileth."