GERMANY AND THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2899, 11 October 1916, Page 6

GERMANY AND THE WAR

♦ : THEOLOGICAL AND ETHICAL PECULIARITIES. A very interesting Iccturetto on <J phaso ot' the war not often discussed was delivered last night by Professor Dickie, of Knox College, at tlio annual conversazione ill Kent Terrace Presbyterian Clwrcli. Professor Dickie is a teacher of theology and he spoke of peculiarities in the German character and the relation to them of prevailing Gorman theological belief and religious practice. The Rev. Dr. Kennedy Elliott presided. Professor Dickie dispelled tho popular illusion that Germany is irreligious, that it is unchristian, and that the Church in Germany is undermined by rationalistic teaching. Rather, he attributed any lack of vigour in the Church in Germany to extreme conservative obscurantism. Educated people had drifted away from the C'hurcli, because it was entirely untouched by modern thought, and modern knowledgo. The churches were empty, and the people were lacking in all religious fervour and spirituality. It wa6 not a fact that the present war had come about because there ivas no Christianity in Germany. He did not say that the Germans were real Christians, for if they wero they could not have behaved as they had. And the religious people in Germany were just as antiBritish and just as malevolent as the Kaiser himself. Tho Kaiser was a deeply religious man, and probably was sincerely religious. His fault was not lack of religion, but" rather a moral or intellectual twist. It must be remembered that also the Gorman Church was entirely in bondage to the State, aisd a German theologian of note, had propounded the theory that the State was unmoral—that the terms right _ and wrong could not bo rightly applied to Stato actions. As in other brandies of social life, so in the Church, tho German did not think for himself. Ho did as he was told always his superior—clerical, official, or military. There was no such thing as public opinion in Germany. The people wero as driven cattle, and it was to save the whole world from a like enslavement that thousands of tho young men had fallen by the German sword. Professor Dickio discussed German brutality also, and declared that he believed the Germans were brutal. Some mighE not like committing acts of brutality under orders, but nevertheless such was the discipline that they did them, and men could not long do brutal acts without being brutalised. _ He spoko also of the attitude of America, and said that he believed President Wilson faithfully represented tho feeling of tho bulk of his people in refusing to allow • his country to be drawn into tho war. Many Americans wished us well, but did not wish to help us in arms. Professor Dickio expressed tho opinion that the submarine outbreak on tho coast of America was intended to terrorise the Americans, and expressed the opinion that beforo the end tho Germans would give vent to their latent ferocity in acts of savage brutality worso than tho sinking of the Lusitania. He also gavo it as his opinion that when tlio German war machine tollapscd, its collapso would be Midden and complete. The time for this was not yet. Now tho common people of Germany hoped' for victory, and the officials hope to fight a drawn struggle.

Tu the evening songs veto sung by Miss Godier, Miss Scott, Mr. Barnes, and Mr. Hugh Wright. Miss Churchill gavo a recitation, and two items vroro rendered by the choir. y