Vol. 1. THREE SHEETS. THE CALUMET. New Series of the Harbinger of Peace. An Affectionate and Solemn Personal Appeal........ .545 546 Organization of Society; as it is-and-as it should be.. 517 552 553 Scenes tending to display the Miseries and Horrors of War. 556 Anecdote of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy.. 557 Disclosure of a Horrible State of Things... 558 Congress of Nations....... 559 Correspondence relating to Peace.. 563 Annual Report of the Hartford County Peace Society. 368 How those who profess the Religion of Peace, toil to counteract its influence by training up their children to the love of War. 568 Expenses of our National Government for the year 1833.. 570 The cause of Peace in Switzerland........... 570 Who can in duty refrain from becoming Members of Peace Societies. 573) Peace Society in Utica...... 573 Resolutions in favor of Peace..... 574 Every Patriot and every Philanthropist, as well as every Christian, interested to Ministers of the Gospel who once a year or oftener preach on the subject of Peace. 582 Vol. 1. THE CALUMET. New Series of the Harbinger of Peace. MARCH & APRIL, 1834. No. 18. AN AFFECTIONATE AND SOLEMN PERSONAL APPEAL. Individuals, tribes, and nations, have been wont to go, or send others, sometimes in thousands, and even millions, armed with deadly weapons, on to some place of conflict, there to exercise their energy and skill in seeking each to vanquish the other by slaughter. Through whatever changes it has met, the custom of war has still been preserved,-its grand feature, mutual destruction,-its great aim, to overcome by the infliction of (bodily) injury,—still remains. Were we sitting, in friendly and courteous mode, with some one who reveres the Bible, who is not ignorant of the lines of blood in which man's history has been written, who regards religion, who is humane-might we not address him thus: In what light ought this custom to be viewed by Christians? How ought they to be affected towards it? Should they acquiesce in it? Should they oppose it? Should they abet it? Or, what is their duty regarding it? Friend of Christ! weigh these questions well. Dwell on them in your mind. You will thus see how many others they involve; how many topics of inquiry they embrace; what important consequences may follow from the decisions you come to upon them, and how momentously desirable it is that you be enabled to decide them rightly, as in the fear and by the help of God. He who addresses you has made these inquiries. He pondered on them anxiously and long. To him they were, at first, environed with difficulties apparently insurmountable. Gladly he would have suffered his mind to turn away from them, but, in the thought that God is right, and that, since his providence rules the world, it could be of little concern for so humble a being as himself to pronounce upon its prevalent customs, he sought to lapse again into his indifference and repose. But in vain. The feelings of his heart as a man, and a conviction which he was unable to shake off, that, as an accountable agent, he so was bound to decide the inquiries that he could not refuse te decide them without deliberately contemning God, and making certain the loss of his soul,—these solemnly urged him to ask, and ask again, with deep solicitude and earnest prayer. The result was, that light gradually dawned, and oh! what sights it revealed! He found, in reference to the subject he was examining, that his former opinions were utterly wrong. They were opinions he had cherished and loved. They were dear to him as the apple of his eye. To part with them was like parting with wife, or first-born son. Yet, the sacrifice was made; one by one they were relinquished, at first, with reluctance, like that which the body makes at the departure of the soul, but afterwards, with joy, like that with which faith persuades us, the soul enters heaven. The love of Christ, his responsibility as a man and a Christian, constrained him. And now, the same questions are brought, reader, to you. Be persuaded to examine this subject. Is it not of magnitude enough; does it not involve interests overwhelming; does it not destroy happiness; does it not make misery, enough; to call for the calmest and most solemn deliberation? Did you ever think and reason respecting this thing? Yet, what other subject connected with human welfare, have you thus summarily turned away from the door of your mind? And will you not now reflect? Will you not lift up to heaven a prayer for wisdom, as you begin the inquiry? Will you not read the New Testament, and weigh well the import of its teaching love, meekness, non-resistance, blessing for cursing, its Be not overcome by evil, but OVERCOME EVIL BY GOOD? Will you not ponder your hearts thoroughly in this view: 'Have I the spirit of the gospel as to my feelings towards men of other and all lands, towards my nationally hereditary foes? Am I ready to cary out into all the departments of practical life, the principle that "wisdom is better than weapons of war;" that brute force is unworthy of being resorted to as a mode, even of defence, by those who deal with those that, like themselves, can reason; that that hatred is, in all cases, absolutely forbidden, which (with pride and covetousness) is the sole cause of war?' Examine honestly, fully, teachably, and not few are they who doubt not, that, herein, you will "be converted," and "come up to the help of the Lord” against this direst foe of man. PATRIOTISM, As it is generally understood, is in direct oppositon to Christianity. One is founded on self-love; the other on the love of God's creatures. Patriotism prefers the good of our country to the good of the whole human race. It approves of injustice to another country, when that injustice promotes the interests of our own. But the man, who would lie, decieve, rob, or murder, for the sake of his country, is no better than he who would commit all these crimes, for his own individual interest: For patriotism, as it is usually practiced, is but an extended selfishness, and is as much inferior to philanthropy, as a narrow, clownish spirit, which loves none but its own party, or its own friends and relations, is to the most expanded patriotism. He, who prefers the interest of a part of mankind to the inte rest of the whole-the interest of his own nation to that of the world in general-though he may come up to the highest mark of patriotism, falls far below the lowest grade of Christianity. ORGANIZATION OF SOCIETY; AS IT IS-AND-AS IT SHOULD BE. Of one thing is necessity. It is required that (without any neglect of these) those be done. 1. There is an incompleteness in the existent organization of human society. However good may be esteemed the arrangements that are, yet, gather up the sum of them all, and of those most needful, one-is not. Assertions like these may appear immodest, vapid, inconsiderate; assuming, unsolicited, querulous, revolutionizing; at the best, as speculations holding themselves up in visionary mists aloof from contact with real affairs. But let it be seen if they be not words of saddening truth. We assume the position, that mankind were formed to dwell in covenant together. An ideal "state of nature," in which men are supposed to have lived unconnectedly, owning no restraint other than personal will, retains indeed, as if by courtesy, a place in the philosophy of our times. If it be admitted, concerning this notion, that it may answer some convenient ends, provided that it always is classified with other the acknowledged theorics, useful as aids, not grounds, of reasoning; still, Christian reasoners will not soon forget, that, as the notion had its origin amidst the superstitions of old paganism, so it has been sometimes, of late years, found in graceless company-among the marvelous credulities of infidelity-in crony fellowship with bald tyrannical assumptions, nay with the veteran passions, that, like the horse leech ever crying, “Give, give," for blood, were let loose, like famished lions, on one of the fairest of our sister lands, to instigate, and perpetrate, and justify those deeds of horror, such as earth had never been cursed with before, which so terrifically show and signalize the character of atheism. Proof of the statement that man is constituted for society, for inhabitation according to compact, is abundant in the earliest authentic history. Were it not testified from other sources, the scriptural evidence is full.* And whence is it that, however debased and savage some of the race are found, a fellow feeling, incapable of being wholly repressed, struggles out from their rude and barbarous hearts into other bosoms, to give and to seek interest there? "Am I not a man and a brother?" is the voice one should utter in another's ear; and the response should be, "I also am a man. Whatever affects my brethren affects me. We will consult each for the other. What I would have respected in me or mine, the same will I respect in thine and thee." Such is the language more or less clearly uttered, such is the agreement implicitly, if not expressly made, everywhere. Restraint on individual, on social or aggregated will, is a condition without which the existence of the species were Those who find in the condition of men satisfactory proofs of this, may find, in the contrariety of the Mosaic to the heathen representations as to the first generations of our race, no reason, certainly, to diminish their regard for the Bible. |