CHRISTIANITY AND WAR 151 



the exception lie ? Surely the exception lay here, that 

 this is the only instance recorded in history of the 

 principles of Christ having been tried on a large political 

 scale. Surely no one will argue that the exception lay 

 here, that God protected those who put their trust in 

 Him ! Nay, I can bring forward evidence on a much 

 smaller scale to prove to you that the exception did not 

 lie there ♦ For example, in the other States of North 

 America, beside the State of Pennsylvania, the Quakers 

 formed a not inconsiderable proportion of the popula- 

 tion ; and they, like their brethren of Pennsylvania, 

 consistently refused to carry arms or to retire to fortified 

 places at moments of extreme periL They went about 

 their ordinary avocations unarmed and therefore 

 unharmed ♦ During those awful years of bloody warfare 

 with the Indians, only three Friends lost their lives, 

 two men and one woman, and they had lost their 

 faith in peace principles and sought the protection 

 of arms. 



The awful rebellion which took place in Ireland 

 towards the close of the eighteenth century, told exactly 

 the same tale. There again, the Quakers consistently 

 refused to carry arms. Not only so, but they incurred 

 the displeasure of both parties in the struggle by never 

 refusing succour to any one who came to them for 

 protection; whether loyalist or insurgent, none were 

 turned away. And what was the consequence ? Terrible 

 were the sufferings of Irish Friends during that awful 

 time of bloody rebellion, but only one Friend lost his 

 life, and he was a young man who had assumed regi- 

 mentals and arms. 



Then again one might mention the case of Luxemburg 

 which was absolutely defenceless, and compare it with 

 Belgium, which was so fully armed and so bravely 

 defended. 



This certainly seems to show that an undefended 



