"A MAD WORLD"

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2284, 19 October 1914, Page 7

"A MAD WORLD"

AND ITS ALTERNATIVE ADDRESS BY BISHOP SPROTI The Anglican Bishop of Wellington (Dr. Sprott) made some very interesting comments on the presont war in the course of an address at Victoria College on Saturday night on "Tile Message of the Old Testament for this Generation." Tho Bishop said it was instinct rather than reason that caused the Early Christian Church to retain tho use of the Old. Testament, the permanent and uniquo value of which consisted in the way it dealt with tho principle of nationality. Racial distinctions ' seemed to be ineffaceable. Nationality iwas a permanent fact in human life, and ancient empires tried to obliterate it, but failed. up one after another, and the national spirit which they had endeavoured to crush reasserted itself., Our own conception of empire as a free confederation of nations was a new idea, and one of tho most striking features of tho history of the nineteenth century was the "revival of the principle of nationality. The Old ■Testament showed the religious meaning of national life and character,, as illustrated by the growth and development of the Jewish nation under Divine guidance and discipline. Tho special fea- , ture of the Old Testament was its treatment of the wonderful, mysterious, and potent fact of nationality in its religious aspect. Every nation had a character of '•its own—a moral life and moral responsibilities—and was the object of Divine -discipline and judgment. This belief made for sanity.-The present'war might ■ yet become world wide, and it was impossible to sly how it would end. How did it begin?' "Ladies and gentlemen," said the Bishop, "a schoolboy began this war?' Principe, a high school boy, shot an Austrian Princo and Princess, and'the war was the result. Was this not madness? Was this not a mad world when a schoolboy with a pistol could start a war that would not ,onlyalter the map of Europe but might al6o affect the life of every person in the nations concerned? If that was the whole truth —the wholo explanation of the war—it would indeed be a., mad world. The Old Testament gave an-' other view of history. It declared that the fate of nations was controlled by the moral Governor of the universe. A great divine purpose was being worked out,, and the world was being led to a goal worthy of .the God who was guiding it. - This view gave stability and sanity to life. The Bishop went on to illustrate his subject by a reference to the Assyrian crisis mentioned in the ■Book of Isaiah. Israel lay between Assyria and Egypt, like Belgium between Germany ana England. Assyria was a | great robber nation, the embodiment of flamboyant materialism. She was nevertheless the instrument of God's chastisement. Assyria had her way of waging war, and the Sovereign of the universe had His way. Men could not see the .third Agent in history; They saw physical nature and man, but they did not see the working of God, who was silently maturing His purposes, which were revealed when the right moment came. ■, This idea of God's sovereignty gave' stability to our minds in times of uncertainty liko the present. Our destinies were not in the hands of a schoolboy, but of'a righteous God. "Thou .wilt keep him in perfect peace whose _ mind is stayed on Thee." The. world had reached a state of national civilisation, but international civilisation did not exist. Steady progress_ had been made in the work or regulating the internal affairs of nations on rational principles of order and good government ; but in relations of one nation with another ...the. methods ,of,:barbarism still prevailed'. But'we were now why • uessing the breaking up of the barbaric system, and the younger people of the present generation might live to take part in the work of reconstruction, and • to see the establishment of a new and hettor system. No one could again quote with approval the old maxim, "If you wish for peace prepare for iwar," without making himself ridiculous. For years the nations had been preparing for war, but it had not ibrought peace. It had brought about the hugest war in history. The exist- • ing international system was based on suspicion, and a better foundation than suspicion was required. This better foundation was to\e found in the Bible conception of nations as moral personalities, shaping their relations with one another in accordance, with' the everlastina moral law of God.