Page:Armistice Day.djvu/311

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.
 
THE BASIS OF PEACE
289

by their purposes the people of America were seeking to hold the balance even.

(To New York Federation of Churches, January 27, 1916)


ACTIVITIES IN PEACE

Peace does not mean inaction. There may be infinite activity; there may be almost violent activity in the midst of peace. Peace dwells, after all, in the character and in the heart, and that is where peace is rooted in this blessed country of ours. It is rooted in the hearts of the people. The only place where tinder lies and the spark may kindle a flame is where still deeper things lie which they love, the principles and independence of their own life. Let no man drop fire there! Because peace is inconsistent with the loss of self-respect. More than that, peace is inconsistent with the abandonment of principle.

(To New York Federation of Churches, January 27, 1916)


THE BASIS OF PEACE

Peace can be rebuilt only upon the ancient and accepted principles of international law, only upon those things which remind nations of their