GERMANY & THE WAR SPIRIT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2296, 2 November 1914, Page 8

GERMANY & THE WAR SPIRIT

j. . ■• • ; —♦- • — ie PATRIOTISM AND RELIGION t- '■■'.' ~ . ■ ■. e APPEAL OF THE MOTHERLAND '■ An inspiring virile address 'on the '' view the. Christian; patriot must take of tho present war was delivered by the Rev. J. Gibson Smith at the "United 0 Protestant Demonstration in. the Town [ t Hall yesterday afternoon. Tho.demoutration, which was virtually, a religious service, was held under the auspices of the. Loyal .Orange Institution. .. A collection in aid of me British and Belgian Relief Fund realised £18. ■ .".Now we are in the midst of not only ■ the most dreadful but the most wicked *■ war ever waged in human history," said Mr, Smith,, in the. course of his . address. -'.Never. before in all the cen- £ turies has a great-national Power so * sinuod against mankind as Germany, haa 6 done in her cunning and hypocritical r provocation .of this war. ' Germany tor day is.the Lucifer of the nations. ■ She has trampled under foot the most sacred ' r rights-ot man; and she has. sneeriiigly h flouted the plainest lines of God. She y has deliberately turned her back on 6 honour, on. truth, on human brother--1 hood; Let her succeed or lot her fail in ■* her mad endeavours for dominion, al- = ready has she fallen from amidst the J circle.of her peers; already has she i sold her soul to the powers of darkr ness, sold her soul for treasures which t the moment they are ; grasped in ■ the -. hand turn forthwith;; into dust and r ashes,! What think you is the answer ■ that our patriotism must given to the 5 appeal of .our Motherland.' , Muet that r answer, not, be something like this: l " Dear Mother of us all,; you have fought k in many wars in days gone' by, but * never have you fought in a- 'more 1 righteous war than this. Proud are we, > your children, to-day that in spite of ; all temptations to hold aloof, you dared 1 to choose the path of duty and of dan--1 ger. We are with you heart and soul; ! ' we are with .you to the death. Gtod do ■ so to us and more also if we fail'you i in this strife. We would rather see you > dead than see you yield. We will die { ourselves before we yield, and if by 1 some chance as yet by us unknown the tide of war should sweep round New ' Zealand shores,. though our seaports I were laid :in ruins, though we were' 1 driven fighting'to the recesses, of our mountains, though reduced in numbers until but one of us were left, that sole * ;survivor, lonely,, thirsty,' spent with toil and hunger, will fight under the British flag, will turn his brave, defiant breast towards the foe until he fall and did'.' That is- New Zealand's spirit in this wor. Defeat is, possible; surrender is unthinkable." (Applause.) . . Mr Smith had previously demonstrated from quoted writings even of German theologians that Germany, formerly a religious country, was now flagrantly and avowedly pagan, her leaders professing to'believe.that ..none of the real, problems.of the world are to be settled according to the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, but by war. After giving the ansiver of our patriotism, he addressed himself to tho question,, What is now the message-of religion?. "Is it not this : message first," he' replied to his owu question, "to see-carefully.to it that the paganism that is condemned' in your, enemy is not found within yourselves? . ■ . . See that you resemble your enemy in '.nothing but the fighting. See that none of his pagan spirit enters into-you. Fight not! for greed or:power, or love of roverige, ; but for.the prpteption' of the -weak, freedom for all,! and the rights of all. If yourenemy does illegal and! things, don't do likewise. ;. . . That is tho message that religion ..gives to our soldiers.-.-in L - the field.- ■" :■ . ':. ■ .'■•,- ~'"•■.'■' ~ "To the citizens'of the. country as a whole.religion says this: If your enemy has fallen so low through forgetting his God, ; then see to it that-in this, also you: do not follow his example. Germany calls her god to-day .by the name of God, but that is not Germany's real God. The real God of Germanv to-day is Marsi' or Odin or Baal. His real name.is!certainly-not God. -. '. ...Are you certain that the. god you profess to sorv.e is really God?"';:■ ' ... '