p. 172 | THE FACTS WILL OUT by M. E. Cornell

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 16, 1861

THE FACTS WILL OUT.

By M. E. Cornell

"Saying peace, peace, when there is no peace." Jer. vi, 14.

It seems that if the clergy of the present day were humble enough to acknowledge their mistake, they would cease to cry "Peace, peace" by preaching the world's conversion. In view of the signs of the times and undeniable facts, they appear stubborn. But their blindness is manifest when we hear them call those nations "Christian" who spend more for war preparations in times of peace, than for the support of the gospel! The testimony of scripture that "wicked men and seducers shall wax worse and worse," that "because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall wax cold," that at Christ's coming "all the tribes of the earth shall mourn" is entirely disregarded by those who say that before the end wars and tumults will entirely cease.

The following statistics will show what the Christian (?) nations have been about. One of the American-Tract-Society authors states that Christian nations spend every day for war $2,000,000, about 300 times as much as is given by them for the spread of the gospel; that the United States have spent $500,000,000 in preparing for war in times of peace. The following is from the Advocate of Peace.

"Cost of Wars. Look at the actual cost of some wars. From 1688 to 1815, a period of one hundred and twenty-seven years, England spent sixty-five years in war, three more than in peace. The war of 1588 increased expenditures, in nine years, $180,000,000. The war of the Spanish succession cost, in eleven years, more than $300,000,000; the Spanish war of 1739, in nine years, cost $270,000,000; the seven years' war of 1756, $560,000,000; the American war of 1775, $680,000,000, in eight years; the French Revolution war of nine years from 1793, $2,320,000,000. During the war against Bonaparte from 1803 to 1815, England raised by taxes $3,855,000,000; and by loans $1,040,000,000; in all $5,795,000,000, or an average of $1,322,082 every day! For 20 years from 1797, she spent for war purposes alone more than one million dollars every day! During ninety days, before and after the battle of Waterloo, she is supposed to have spent an average of about five million a day. During seven wars, lasting in all sixty-five years, she borrowed $4,170,000,000, and raised by taxes $5,940,000,000; 10,110,000,000 in all. The wars of all Europe from 1793 to 1815, twenty-one years, cost some $15,000,000,000, and probably wasted full twice as much more in other ways, thus making a grand total of more than forty thousand millions of dollars!"

A late writer in the N. Y. Independent says:

"Revivals and reign of peace! Yes, while I am writing I hear sounds of another revival, of the character of which there is no mistake. The sounds are the crack of rifles, the revival that of the military spirit in England."

Public prints of late show that England is not alone in the revival of the war spirit. Every nation upon the face of the earth is partaking of the same spirit. "Prepare war, wake up the mighty men," is the order of the day. Ever since the fall of man, the world has acted upon the principle of "having peace if they had to fight for it," but no permanent peace is established.

The Duke of Wellington says, "Men of nice scruples about religion have no business in the army or navy."

A British officer says of the battle of Inkerman: "I saw them hanging on each other like gnashing bulldogs, and rolling over and over again, stabbing, tearing, cutting and wrangling like men who had lost every characteristic of humanity, and acquired more than tiger ferocity."

A soldier at one of the battles of the Crimea says: "I never certainly felt less fear in my life than I did at that time; and I hope God will forgive me, for I felt more like a devil than a man!"

A soldier wrote his mother, "I don't want to see any more crying letters come to the Crimea from you. Those that I have received I have put into my rifle, after loading it, and have fired them at the Russians."

The sentiment of a popular minister, that "Sharpe's rifles are the best peace-makers" shows how they would introduce their millennium. So now when we read in the sermon on the mount, "Blessed are the peace makers," we must understand it, "Blessed be Sharpe's rifles!" Truly they have put darkness for light, and turned things upside down, but let us not sleep as do others.