The Drama Of Three Hundred & Sixty-Five Days: Scenes In The Great WarCaine, Hall, Sir
History
The Drama Of Three Hundred & Sixty-Five Days: Scenes In The Great War
Caine, Hall, Sir
World War, 1914-1918
“Stand aside in a benevolent neutrality, and we undertake not to take
any of the possessions of France in Europe,” said Germany to Great
Britain, without allowing herself to be troubled by so much as a
qualm about the iniquity of asking us to trade with her in the French
colonies. And when we rejected Germany’s infamous proposals, and called
on her to say if she meant to respect the independence of Belgium, whose
integrity we had mutually pledged ourselves to protect, her Chancellor
stamped and fumed at our representative, and said, “Good God, man, do
you mean to say that your country will go to war for a scrap of paper?”
A GERMAN HIGH PRIEST OF PEACE
Nor did the theologians, publicists, and authors of Germany show a more
sensitive conscience than her statesmen. One of the theologians was
Adolf Harnack, professor of Church History in Berlin and intimate
acquaintance of the Kaiser. Not long before the war he published a
book entitled “What is Christianity?” which began with the words, “John
Stuart Mill used to say humanity could not be too often reminded that
there was once a man named Socrates. That is true, but still more
important it is to remind mankind that a man of the name of Jesus Christ
once lived among them.” On this text the Book proceeded to enforce the
practical application of Christ’s teaching to the modern world, and
particularly to propound his doctrine of the wickedness and futility
of violence, which led the author to the conclusion that it was “not
necessary for justice to use force in order to remain justice.”
Somewhat later Professor Harnack came to this country to attend, if I
remember rightly, a World Missionary Conference at Edinburgh, and the
memory of him which abides in our northern capital is that of a high
priest and prophet of the new golden age that was dawning on the
world--the age of universal brotherhood and peace. But no sooner had
war come within the zone of Germany than this man signed (if he did
not write) a manifesto of German theologians which told “evangelical
Christians abroad” that the German “sword was bright and keen,” that
Germany was taking up arms to establish the justice of her cause and
that ever through the storm and horror of the coming conflict the German
people, with a calm conscience, would kneel and pray: “Hallowed be Thy
name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
“WE SHALL NEVER MASSACRE BELGIAN WOMEN”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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