584 THE KING’S BUSINESS goes up and down asseverating that he is honest, we instinctively look to our goods and chattels. Yet we are expected to take to our arms every man who bellows about his love of country. And^there has been far. too much of this forced display of patriotism. We have a species of flagellants walking the streets, advertising their own superior patriotic fervor, and calling upon all and sundry to join them in some kind of fantastic, or, at best, wholly unnecessary, rite. You must sign something. You must take oath. You must offer yourself for some service which you know you will never be called upon to perform. Otherwise, you are suspected o f harboring recreant thoughts and cowardly or traitorous designs. All this time, the citizen most to be suspected is the one who stands in the mass meeting or on the corners of the streets and thanks God that he is more patriotic than his fellows. “This vociferous patriotism cannot but be exceedingly distasteful to one who drew in love of country with his mother’s milk. He'would no more think of proclaiming his readiness to do and endure all for his native land, than he would of boasting that he could be depended upon not to steal penny-savings from a child. He feels that the deep and sacred feelings which he cherishes for his nation are to be taken for granted. Who can l>e such a clod as not to have them? But they are not to be bruited abroad. There is a law against using the flag for advertising purposes. But, alas, this does not prevent its use for advertising one’s superior civic^virtues. “Many an American there is who cannot hear the national anthem sung without moistened eyes, who cannot read, Lowell’s ode, ‘O, Beautiful, My Country,’ without a break in his voice, who yet strongly resents the extravagances and clamor o f those who have become violently patriotic overnight and for war-purpoess only. “Such a man must feel offended at the eorts made by some newspapers and many speakers to rouse an unnatural hatred of Germans. These folk seem to feel that the country would have no heart in the war unless it was against "monsters of wickedness. So we get something like the war-dance of the Indians, editors painting themselves up in hideous guise, orators cutting themselves with knives and yelling like mad, all in the endeavor to work up a .furious hate of the German people individually and collectively. But, really, do they take us for Iroquois or civilized Americans? There is no need of all this inflammatory and abusive appeal. We know what our wrongs are at, the hands of Germany ; we believe that we have a cause founded on right and humanity; and it is not in the least necessary to act upon the assumption that Americans must be infuriated befpre they will move to defend their country. These excited gentlemen protest far too much. “We must prepare to withstand the passions of the mob; to see to it that aliens among us are perfectly secure in property and life. We must see to it that freedom of conscience, of press, and of speech shall not be abrogated; that tolerance and respect for others shall rule us. We must prepare to. brace ourselves against disappointments; to remain undismayed by the clamors of the press; to keep calm in the midst of tempests.”
We are hearing from many English sources that mediums, healers, and all sorts of religious fakirs are reaping a rich harvest in England at the present time. People of such intelligence that they would be little suspected of falling into the f,olly are so upset by the
War Time Atmos phere the Religious Fakir’s Paradise.
sudden death of their }loved ones that they are consulting mediums to get messages from their departed. Even so distinguished a man of science as Sir Oliver Lodge has fallen a prey to this folly in consequence of the death of his son Raymond. We shall probably-have more to say about the silly book that he has written later. In a recent article, The Christian Commonwealth, pub lished in London, speaking of this general subject, says: “Young officers dash around to know what is the proper answer to Mrs. Besant (the great High-priestess of one of the two leading branches of the theophists). Bewild ered ipothers phone for, tracts, and startled clerics dive into dictionaries of heretical sects. Over ús all there is this pressure, of diseased beliefs, tainting, and unbalancing, and turning aside silly souls. There are sinister and evil agents at large doing their
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