a

(We Pe Le, #2)

people have less conviction and aggressiveness
for what we call sacrifice for principle sake.
second, on the other hand the disinclination
of people to go to war may come from the fact
that civilization has advanced far enough that
people consider war barbarous, needless waste
and destruction and unchristian, all of which
it is.

Certainly, in America at least, we
are not yet aroused on either patriotic or
Spiritual ideals necessary to carry us into
great sacrifice in a great war. I do not
think it is fair to say a majority of the
people are definitely opposed to our leaders
who are going to war, but they are wishing
and hoping that the leaders are wrong and
Can avoid war. I think very few are con-
Vinced war can now be avoided. If we go to
war, we will go unconvinced as to a definite
thing for which we fight so far as any patri-
otic or spiritual ideals are concerned. If
this is true, our nation is facing a very
great catastrophe because, win or lose, we
lose anyhow.

I am sure a great many people are
thinking along the lines that we are in a
great trend of history. The great trends
of history were never very clearly understood
by the participants, not even by the leaders.
It seems that men cannot in their generation
know fully what is going on in times of great
historic trends. If history teaches anything,
it is that the fundamental philosophy of the
Christian religion has successfully, though
slowly and with some backsets, followed a
dominant course. I am thinking that, too deep
for any of us to grasp convincingly, there
may be a trend now which the Christian philoso-
phy is forcing. For years enough to make it
somewhat definite within your life time and
mine broader and more liberal rights of the
common men have been established. In spite
of all the evil excesses which lead us to
question progress in our generation, I think
progress has prevailed. MIiillions of human be-
ings now have a higher standard of education,
a higher grade of general intelligence, more
personal comfort, more influence as citizens,
broader mental and spiritual outlook than were
enjoyed by comparable millions at any time in
the past.