CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 198, 29 January 1915, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

. A JAPANESE ON OUR CIVILISATION. Mr. Uchimura, the well-known Japanese educationist, who makes no secret of his convictions on religious and political affairs, wrote as follows in the English column of the Yorodzu:— "What is the Western Civilisation after all? They say it is the Christian civilisation. But, is it? Is it a civilisation based upon the Crucified One? Certainly it is not. It is a civilisation based upon the Crucifying One, the Devilj 'a murderer from the beginning.' War, war—war, upon the slightest pretext —that is their cry and inborn propensity. To say that their civilisation is based upon the Gospel of Peace is the grossest falsehood. The present conflagration of Europe is the veriest evidence, written with hell-fire upon the face of the sky, that theirs is a sham civilisation, beautiful upon the surface, but, within, dead vacuity. Like thun-der-storm in a summer afternoon, tho two poles of human wrath come to crash to spend itself, to leave the sky clew for the better and more beautiful thing. Rejoice greatly, 0 daughter of Zion; shout, 0 daughter of Jerusalem; behold tho King cometh unto thee; he is just and having salvation; lowly,] and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass. . . lAnd he shall ] speak peace upon the (European) I heathen; and His "dominion shall be

from sea to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.' I am confident that, after all, the goodtime, yes, the golden time, is coming."

ONE THING MORE MUST GO. 'j

"And one thing more must go. The religion of oarbarism must go. The world is weary of it. It has withstood the religion of peace on earth too long. The trinity of king, cannon and God has outlived its usefulness. If civilisation is indeed better than savagery, the God we worship must be a power other and worthier than a mere Head Devil of Universe." So writes Professor F. H. Giddings, Professor of Sociology in Columbia University.

, GERMAN APPEAL FOR PEACE. A German appeal for peace has been issued by a famous German firm, Darz Bros., of Altona, near Hamburg, and is in striking contrast to the bragging .tone of the, German press and the German military party. The appeal was not .issued in Germany, but was published in circular form, through Norwegian channels, and is addressed as a manifesto to the peoples of the warring nations. It runs:—"The state of mind of at least a section of the German people has been impressed by the checks that the German armies have suffered. The universal war which has now , lasted four months excites less and less .even the nations engaged an it. The greater or less excitement produced by a victory meets only a cold reception .when the frightful consequences of the •war, that grow worse every day, that .passes, are thought of. This war is an insult towards God; a revolt against .common sense, religion and humanity; mankind has fallen back again into barbarism and all the well-being of humanity is being reduced to ruins by this .war. The nations that are slaughtering one another will get nothing out of (this war but loss. All of them hate the war. Every soldier in the field has to destroy or spoil, against his wish, immense values in the interests of certain individuals. Among all civilised men one cry alone escapes from millions of lips: "Enough of this war! We shall refuse to go on assassinating and devastating any longer!" :