The Church as Antidote To the Editor of the "Nowmi-Curna Dany News"
Sm—As_ the week nears its end, Jast Sunday's. sermon at the Holy Trinity Cathedral keeps recurring In thoughts more than usually filled with, news pertaining to war and gigantic preparations for It. It we find this oppressive let us recommend the church as an antidote, Our present state seems to be daily approaching that of the West under the heel of ancient Rome when Jesus brought. tous, -unperceived except by a few simple people, 8 personality so powerful that ever 4 great empire gave way before th faith of his followers. Most. cereal ly the Christians who died in the Roman arena could have had way th the Roman rabble, satia with the bloody contests arena. The calm Chrisiions Inthe extreme cruelty was utterly "incom= prehensible, With the usual mob Psychology, they must have clamour= fed for more; that in repetition they might perhaps, caleb a meaning beyond the power of their own dex bauched souls to fathom. A few Aividuals. may" have left each time over' to return, but with conscience awake at last At the cost of no little research, the habits and beliefs of these frst: century Christians wore presented to lus through the eyes of contemporary non-Christian historians such Seneca, Tacitus and Pliny, shown how the Roman leaders wert riven to attempt the consolidation of their unwieldy empire by institut. ug universal emperor worship; how the Jews alone came to be exempted how the early Christians, ground or having to meet ly before daylight, Ineurring an even heavier ability of suspicion, But in spite of all this, Pliny, as governor, writes his empt ase When he'was to bring fend a persecution which must hat Seemed to him as useless as it endless and he even goes on enumerate ® Christian code of life he discovered it in all its simple purity, It almost seems that in the con quest of self and atoneness with God, these early people were able to over come everything, but judging by present conditions, it must have been their utter despair that drove them into God's arms where His strength ave them invincibility. "Are we too, heading towards their goal?
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.