The War Spirit—A Difference.
By Editor
While many of our religious papers and teachers and people are shouting war and training young men in the art, infusing into them the war spirit, by processions, gay uniforms, brass bands, and “patriotic” nonsense, contrary to the teachings of the Prince of Peace, it is refreshing to read what some of the grizzled old war veterans have had to say. Sherman, we believe it was, that said, “War is hell.” Old Gen. W. S. Rosecrans recently telegraphed to the New York World:— “Not to speak of the loss of millions of lives, war has cost more waste of treasure, raiment, and food than would suffice to relieve all the poverty and starvation existing in the entire world to-day. Brought up a soldier, and having passed my best years as a student of the art of war, and having seen at close range the horrors and ruin of war, I hail as the rainbow of promise the noble inspiration of arbitration in place of war. “Hampered by illness and age, I can do little, but were I able I would devote pen and voice to inculcating in the minds of our youth in the schools and universities a realization of the horrors of war, and impress the great uplifting of humanity above mere brute force to the higher plane of a nobler civilization, which shall calmly settle all vexing international differences by a court of reason and not by the crash of artillery.” Commander-in-chief Miles and Gen. O. O. Howard utter the same sentiments. These men know the cruelty and heartlessness of war by experience. Our religious people generally know nothing of this; do they advocate war because its spirit burns in their hearts? Christ has called us unto peace.