Excerpt from Our Outlook as Changed by the War: A Paper Read in Newnham College, on Sunday, 25th October, 1914

Among ourselves, the strong feelings aroused have in some quarters helped to fill breaches, and to draw to gether men and women who have much in common as to religious feelings and principles, but are generally held apart by differences of church organisation, and by some divergences as to interpretation of religious authority. Most unfortunately, the tendency to insist on these points of difference threatens in some quarters any efforts towards reunion. But in religion, as in politics, a crisis like the present makes any sectional or party spirit appear not only mischievous but despicable. Let us labour that any ground here gained may never be lost.

I have spoken generally as if we were all hopeful as to the final result Of the war. We have, I think, a right to be so - though much patience may be needed before we see our hopes realized. But suppose, after all, that thingswent what we consider the wrong way, and that by the. Use of unscrupulous force our enemies were able to destroy all our national life and our sources of happiness and efficiency? That would indeed be a sore trial of our faith - but not worse than that to which our predecessors were subjected at the beginning of what we call the Dark Ages. Yet they, or the true-hearted among them, did not entirely despair. Thev were buoyed up by a hope which we can no longer share, that when the darkest dav had come, a sure judgment would follow, and a new heaven and a new earth be established that should remain for ever.

But if such supposition is alien to our present modes of thought, we are still able to hold to some kind of other-worldliness, and to acknowledge that visible success or failure - whether to an individual, a nation, a society, or a world - is not the one measure of good and evil. We are bound to labour, fight, and pray for the good of our country and of mankind. But if our struggles seem ineffectual, it by no means follows that they have not helped towards the attainment of a goal which lies far beyond our ken. For the cause of truth and righteousness is always triumphant, and does not await the issue of events for its final crown. Such issue is for us as sign and symbol - a partial manifestation of the Eternal Good, which we are taught to recognise both in sufferings for righteousness' sake and in the jovful accomplishment of a divine creative work. We may hope to behold such a manifestation as the issue of our present troubles. But if we do not, we are still bound to go on in courage and faith, and so shall we be prepared to play our part in the great drama, of which the end is apparent to no mortal eye.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.