Peace Proclamations Amid Preparations for War
By I.
What hope has the world for a general peace? Certainly there is no very bright prospect before us in that direction. There never were such great preparations for war as now. And no nation is willing to set the example of disarming its army and navy. But rather, the sentiment is constantly gaining ground that the only way to make assured peace is to have such a well-equipped army and such a formidable navy that other nations will be afraid to fight us. And with that sentiment prevailing, every nation is exerting itself to the utmost to keep ahead in the arts of human destruction. But they all know that it is inconsistent to make the professions of enlightenment and civilization that are made in these days, and still devote so much thought and energy to the preparation of the slaughter of our fellow men. And so some of the foremost manufacturers of armor-plate and other war implements and materials, are the loudest in calling for peace congresses and peace proclamations among the nations. And, judging from the Scriptures, the agitation for peace will continue right in the midst of the prevailing preparations for war, until the great mass of the people will persuade themselves that all is “peace and safety,” regardless of the facts and conditions that actually exist.—I.