The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY LEVIN FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1915. THE WAR; CHRISTMAS; AND CHRISTIANITY.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 24 December 1915, Page 2

The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY LEVIN FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1915. THE WAR; CHRISTMAS; AND CHRISTIANITY.

A Christ masUde leading aruclu usually spealis oi "peace on earth; good'\vill towards men.".but to do so in view. of the present conditions nviiiikl be 1 utile. The world io-da\ is laced with a war oi unprecedented magnitude in area and internecine characteristics; yet apart from the 'J urli«j ail the combatants are m Christian I'aith. The cliiel cause oi trouble, the Herman liuiser. is one oi the most religious ol men, and ia* nation led the great Kelorniatiun. ♦Sometimes deserveuiy, but at all times l- verlliele.ss. he lias ueon held up t-o ndicule by a thousand comic newspapers and othejr co'ininentators for lii« i'aiiuiiiar way ol addressing tno deity ; but this AveaKness notwitlislianu-

ing, ne has shown throughout Jus 'I"Ne an inclination to religious fervour that ill liu> with liis actions as ruler OL a great empire. to our mind lie is an abnounal product, and his methods and ideas are a menace to tUe world's well-being-; yet still we. must fconcede Jiiim to be a true othodox Christian. 80, too, are many others 'who held prominent positions in oth'T nations of the world to-day, and impiejudiccd observers are compelled at times to wonder what "is" the mana o 1 Modern Christianity, wiien ivc see how a dozen or so of alleged leading men in each nation are allowed to enmesh millions upon millions of people in bloody and enduring trouble which alFeots the handful of leaders only in a vicarious degree. ' While preparations for Avar continue as a safeguard against the nicking of war - (and The Chronicle agrees with the olt-iittered axiom that suca preparation is a. nation's surest moans 01 averting the risk) —,always there remains the trouble that lliose not fully seised ol the momentous nature 01 decision as to war or "peace generally are the ones in office when the need lor such decision arises. ' The peace <n the world, we believe, Avill stand greater chance of preservation (when the kaiser reaches the end of his resources) id' the power of making war is 'restricted by altenutions ;■ alienations to the German Constitution certainly, tuid possibly to the JJritish also. The German Confederacy's Constitution allows too much po\/er to the emperor, and his elected advisers; and in the ease ui Great .Britain it might be wen t) amend the Constitution so as to provide that 110 Government should exercise its pou&cs in regard to declaring ■war without submitting the issue to tlie people in some form or other- before an act of :war be committed. If a member of the House of Commons takes office in the Administration lit has to go before the electdrs for roa<pproval. This principle should be .extended. By enlarging the oonstituteacies of the United Kingdom, so that some twenty seats would cov*er the whole area, a referendum of the nation could -be token 011 such an issue. A Parliament and its Government are elected for various reasons of politics, but seldom indeed upon a direct appe;i! as to war\or peace; tl'ereiore a referendum onjuich a matter would be doubly advisable, we tliink, 110 matter •what limitations one .might bo inclined to put upon the general principle as to the domination of A'dmin!--! b;? referenda. These speei:! however, are for the far future, we fear; lor we still hold our sixtesnmonlh old expressed opinion that from three to ten years of military operations will be required to reduce our enemies to complete submission • always provided that financial difficul-" ties do not prevent,. a continuation 01 hostilities after another twelve months or less. Meanwhile the world approaches its Christmas season, and the Christian; nations slaughter each

■other .for reasons, while a nun»4km , / (if/misguided bishops in all three of the great ibelligerarit nations rise up from time, to time to iudict the Jimperor of'•■ Germany with murder, to "allege that the lihiglian nation is scoundrel at heart, or the French nation too degenerate to be suffered t> "continue as a great power. All the combatants go .into action loleissed u> their respective chaplains, and the dead die with murder in their hearu and words of hatred on uieir lips,,'. The remedy, if remedy'may be found,' i& still afar; but at the present time, to our mind, expressions or "I'eaco on α-irtli. goodwill to all men" are fo; those oddly-constituted people who still am see no incongruity in lliou ■i:ittei«nee of tills admirable proolama,tion under p recent conditions. To miiiul, any repetition of the phrase ■at tlie' present time would favour' 01 hypocrisy in any Briton, orthodox or otherwise; For .the cult of Peter the .sirwd-ivielder i.s dominant at present TTnd his Lord and Master's gospel of peace is honoured in the 'breach.