crime which hardly any other virtue could redeem, and which
century upon century might fail to repair."

V

CHRISTIANITY AND WAR

I. A CONFLICT OF CONVICTIONS

Few of those who lived through the critical ten days that culminated in
the outbreak of the Great War in August, 1914, will ever forget the
conflict of emotions which the events of that dramatic period called
forth. If I may speak of myself--though I think that I am merely one of
a large class--I was torn by the contending convictions, first, that
every consideration of honour and policy made it necessary for Britain
to go to the aid of Serbia, Belgium, France, and Russia in their
struggle against the wanton attack of the Central Empires; but,
secondly, that war is a relic of barbarism, wholly incompatible with
civilization, and entirely antagonistic to the Christian ideal. On the
one hand I realized the magnitude of the German menace to the
Commonwealth of Europe; recognized that the Teutonic race had long
plotted conquest, and that it was out for world-dominion; perceived the
significance of its monstrous demands on Serbia, and its shameless
violations of its treaty obligations to Luxemburg and Belgium; saw that
the triumph of the imperial militants would involve the disruption of
the concert of the nations, the abrogation of International Law
(laboriously instituted through three centuries of painful effort) and
the collapse of the democratic order; and felt, finally, that upon
British intervention depended the very existence of the British Empire
with all that it means of good to one-fifth part of the human race. Over
against this group of convictions I was confronted on the other hand by
a vision of the cosmopolitan and pacific Kingdom of God as proclaimed in
the Sermon on the Mount, and exemplified by Christ and His disciples in
Palestine, long ago--a Kingdom whose law is love; whose fundamental
principles are inexhaustible goodwill, meekness, gentleness,
brotherly-kindness and charity; whose administration works along the
gracious lines of sacrifice, unselfish devotion, and untiring
beneficence. Obviously, within the limits of such a Kingdom war is
inconceivable. Under such a regime, if it were universally established,
the one service which could never be demanded would be military
service. How can the consecrated servant of the Prince of Peace in any
circumstances become a man of war?

The reconciliation of the contradiction is, I thi