This sermon was
delivered at an historic moment—the first Shabbat evening service after Japan’s
brutal attack on Pearl Harbor and the declarations of war. When confronted by
the harsh reality of defending the world from totalitarianism Ballon could
easily have dismissed all of his youthful idealism and the pacifism he espoused
from his student pulpit in the 1930’s[i].
Instead he carefully wove a multifaceted message, railing against those whose
political and economic policies after the first world war led to this
conflagration, while rallying his congregants in an hour of confusion and
despair to face the challenges ahead.
It remains for us but to keep our morale high, to keep our
faith in our way of life, to keep our nerve in the face of the blistering mad
men who already see the handwriting on the wall.
====================================================
Since last we
met for Sabbath worship, a great shock has come to our nation. As a result of a
sudden and treacherous attack by the navy of Japan, as a result of the
declaration of war upon us by Germany and Italy, our government has been left
with no choice but to declare war in return and to throw itself fully and
actively into the world struggle which began a little over two years ago. We
had felt for a long time that at some future date we, too, might find ourselves
in the war. We had been preparing for such an emergency. We had already been
accustomed to see the sight of large numbers of men in uniform, and yet the
blow, when it did come, came at such an unexpected moment and was delivered
with such fury and effectiveness, that Americans, in spite of all preparation,
were left stunned and unbelieving.
The involvement at last of the United States brings a few troubled thoughts to our mind. We cannot help but think of the vain labor of all the peace organizations that were active in the twenties and the early thirties. We cannot help but remember the peace pledges that many of us signed as idealistic students in those days. We think of the ministers, such as Stephen Wise[ii] and John Haynes Holmes[iii] who rose in their pulpits and condemned themselves for supporting the last war and who promised never to lend their pulpits to the support of another. We remember the idealistic propaganda that laboring people all over could easily stop war by refusing to produce the materials of war. We remember the statements that war could be brought to an end easily by the simple refusal of men to refuse to bear arms. We think also of how religious institutions were condemned because they gave their blessing to those who fought. We think of these things of the past and sigh in the face of the realities of the present. We especially, who are faced with the responsibility of leading men from the pulpit, and who have so frequently spoken of the ugliness of war, we are especially disturbed by these thoughts. What will those men say who promised never to support another war? What will happen to the pledges of yesterday? What choice do we have today? The jingoists, and those who cried preparedness and opposed disarmaments will now cry, I told you so. Are they right and all the others wrong? Are idealists all fools?
In spite of these troublesome thoughts, the fact remains that no one can withdraw from the struggle. The war is upon us and it must be supported to the full regardless of our dreams of peace in the past. It is idle to think back over our futile efforts to have peace but this does not mean that the jingoists who cried for more armaments were right. Not at all. The roots of this war go back to our economic and political actions after the last, and those who opposed disarmament and international cooperation are among those responsible. Regardless, however, of our lack of foresight in the past, we must face the realities of the present. We know that when a patient does not follow the proper diet, he is subject to disease, but when the disease comes, if we are interested in the life of the patient we must fight it at once, and if a major bloodletting operation is necessary, we have no choice. We can only hope that when the patient recovers the lesson will not have been lost upon him and that he will not be so careless with himself in the future. We know now that the wrong political diet brought on the present calamity, it could have been prevented in the beginning, but now the situation being what it is regretfully but full heartedly we must proceed with the operation which alone can save the patient, and we can only hope that the patient will not listen to the “I told you so’s” of those who helped mislead him in the first place.
When the news of the war first came to us, it was quite natural for us to become quite emotional and upset. We would scarcely have been human if it had been otherwise, but now that we have had time to absorb the shock there are several things that we should tell ourselves. First, we must realize that we cannot continue in the same confused state of mind as we found ourselves in at the beginning. In time of emergency there is no place for hysterical emotion. The most elementary course in first-aid will teach us that when an emergency occurs the person who gives way to weeping and wailing is of no use whatsoever and is in the way. Cool deliberate thinking is required. This does not mean we are to be indifferent to what goes on, but it means that our senses are to be organized for effective response to the demands of the situation. Insofar as possible and consistent with the emergency, our personal and community life must continue in a normal manner. For example, we in Columbia,[iv] like any other community, have our organizations and we make plans for their activities. We should not permit ourselves to become so upset emotionally as to hinder or suspend the normal functioning of these organizations or to drop all plans for the future because of fear due to the war. To refuse to carry on is to play into the hands of the enemy. It means we are frightened and confused. It means we are filled with a spirit of defeatism, and this to the enemy is worth more than his planes and his bombs. Above all we must not become demoralized and panicky.
The description of Congress that came over the radio during the broadcasts dealing with the various declarations of war was impressive. Monday when Roosevelt spoke[v], Congress was excited. A constant hum of noise could be heard throughout the gathering until the president actually began speaking and when he finished there was an almost hysterical applause. On Thursday, however, Congress was calm. The first flush of excitement had passed. Congress was down to business in a serious calm manner. We must take our cue from the National legislature. Or outbursts of emotion must yield to quiet reason.
To continue to function in a normal manner, however does not mean to overlook that we are actually in a state of emergency. We cannot hope to remain completely unaffected by the situation. The need for defense will cause the government to call upon us all in one way or another. And even if we do not find ourselves actually in the armed forces, there will be things for us to do. War in these days is not for armies and navies alone. Total war involves the whole population, and there will no doubt be something for all of us to do. As the organization of defense proceeds there will undoubtedly be more and more calls for service. Thus far the radio constantly reminds us to buy defense bonds. Calls have been sent out for women to report to the filter centers. There is the Red Cross, the Volunteer Bureau of the Defense Recreation Committee, the U.S.O. centers which need civilian help in carrying on their important task of helping morale. It is time to think of what we are going to do with ourselves. It’s time to cut out the extravagances and indulgences to which we have been accustomed. We have to learn to do with less and not complain. We have to learn to conserve our energies and to stop wasting time. Idle pleasures must give way to more purposeful activity. There is a death struggle before us, and everyone must lend a hand.
In this task we shall be strengthened by the knowledge that what we are struggling to protect is a precious heritage and is worth the effort. On Dec 15th, next Monday we celebrate in this country the 150th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. This bill of rights for a century and a half has been the foundation and guarantee of American democracy. It has secured for every American freedom of conscience and religion. It has secured freedom of speech and of the press and of assembly. It has secured the citizens of this country against unreasonable demands by the government. It has guaranteed to all fair treatment before the Law. It was proclaimed guard the dignity of every human being and to recognize his value. It was the official proclamation that government exists for the sake of the people, to protect their well-being and their interests. In the governments of our enemies such a bill of rights is meaningless. To them human life is valueless. People exist only to do the bidding of the state. The whim of the state is law and against the people have no recourse. They hate freedom. And their ambition is only to enslave the world and make themselves its master. Hitler, in speaking to the Reichstag this week when he made his declaration of war against the United States, said that this struggle will determine history for centuries to come. This is perhaps the only truth he has ever spoken. History will be determined for centuries to come. This struggle will determine whether man will have a chance to continue to develop his democratic institutions, to continue the type of government which cherishes a Bill of Rights, or must submit as slaves to a master state and the rule of brute force. Lincoln once said the union could not exist half free and half slave. The same is true of the world today. It is either Hitler’s way or ours. There is no compromise. And if it is his way that wins out, the law of the jungle will be the only law and everything that gives life dignity and beauty will be destroyed.
Fortunately though the situation is serious, it is not hopeless. We have the resources to win. We may accept the word of our president that the outcome is not in doubt. The blow against us is but the desperate struggle of a cornered rat, and though it may take time to kill the rat, his fate is sealed. It remains for us but to keep our morale high, to keep our faith in our way of life, to keep our nerve in the face of the blistering mad men who already see the handwriting on the wall.
The prayer of the chaplain in Congress yesterday was a beautiful thing. It was stirring, inspiring and full of faith. In it he quoted the psalmist who said, “Though weeping may tarry for the night, joy cometh in the morning.”[vi] Let us gird ourselves to endure the weeping of the night but let us look forward hopefully, optimistically, and with faith to the joy that will come with the morning.
The involvement at last of the United States brings a few troubled thoughts to our mind. We cannot help but think of the vain labor of all the peace organizations that were active in the twenties and the early thirties. We cannot help but remember the peace pledges that many of us signed as idealistic students in those days. We think of the ministers, such as Stephen Wise[ii] and John Haynes Holmes[iii] who rose in their pulpits and condemned themselves for supporting the last war and who promised never to lend their pulpits to the support of another. We remember the idealistic propaganda that laboring people all over could easily stop war by refusing to produce the materials of war. We remember the statements that war could be brought to an end easily by the simple refusal of men to refuse to bear arms. We think also of how religious institutions were condemned because they gave their blessing to those who fought. We think of these things of the past and sigh in the face of the realities of the present. We especially, who are faced with the responsibility of leading men from the pulpit, and who have so frequently spoken of the ugliness of war, we are especially disturbed by these thoughts. What will those men say who promised never to support another war? What will happen to the pledges of yesterday? What choice do we have today? The jingoists, and those who cried preparedness and opposed disarmaments will now cry, I told you so. Are they right and all the others wrong? Are idealists all fools?
In spite of these troublesome thoughts, the fact remains that no one can withdraw from the struggle. The war is upon us and it must be supported to the full regardless of our dreams of peace in the past. It is idle to think back over our futile efforts to have peace but this does not mean that the jingoists who cried for more armaments were right. Not at all. The roots of this war go back to our economic and political actions after the last, and those who opposed disarmament and international cooperation are among those responsible. Regardless, however, of our lack of foresight in the past, we must face the realities of the present. We know that when a patient does not follow the proper diet, he is subject to disease, but when the disease comes, if we are interested in the life of the patient we must fight it at once, and if a major bloodletting operation is necessary, we have no choice. We can only hope that when the patient recovers the lesson will not have been lost upon him and that he will not be so careless with himself in the future. We know now that the wrong political diet brought on the present calamity, it could have been prevented in the beginning, but now the situation being what it is regretfully but full heartedly we must proceed with the operation which alone can save the patient, and we can only hope that the patient will not listen to the “I told you so’s” of those who helped mislead him in the first place.
When the news of the war first came to us, it was quite natural for us to become quite emotional and upset. We would scarcely have been human if it had been otherwise, but now that we have had time to absorb the shock there are several things that we should tell ourselves. First, we must realize that we cannot continue in the same confused state of mind as we found ourselves in at the beginning. In time of emergency there is no place for hysterical emotion. The most elementary course in first-aid will teach us that when an emergency occurs the person who gives way to weeping and wailing is of no use whatsoever and is in the way. Cool deliberate thinking is required. This does not mean we are to be indifferent to what goes on, but it means that our senses are to be organized for effective response to the demands of the situation. Insofar as possible and consistent with the emergency, our personal and community life must continue in a normal manner. For example, we in Columbia,[iv] like any other community, have our organizations and we make plans for their activities. We should not permit ourselves to become so upset emotionally as to hinder or suspend the normal functioning of these organizations or to drop all plans for the future because of fear due to the war. To refuse to carry on is to play into the hands of the enemy. It means we are frightened and confused. It means we are filled with a spirit of defeatism, and this to the enemy is worth more than his planes and his bombs. Above all we must not become demoralized and panicky.
The description of Congress that came over the radio during the broadcasts dealing with the various declarations of war was impressive. Monday when Roosevelt spoke[v], Congress was excited. A constant hum of noise could be heard throughout the gathering until the president actually began speaking and when he finished there was an almost hysterical applause. On Thursday, however, Congress was calm. The first flush of excitement had passed. Congress was down to business in a serious calm manner. We must take our cue from the National legislature. Or outbursts of emotion must yield to quiet reason.
To continue to function in a normal manner, however does not mean to overlook that we are actually in a state of emergency. We cannot hope to remain completely unaffected by the situation. The need for defense will cause the government to call upon us all in one way or another. And even if we do not find ourselves actually in the armed forces, there will be things for us to do. War in these days is not for armies and navies alone. Total war involves the whole population, and there will no doubt be something for all of us to do. As the organization of defense proceeds there will undoubtedly be more and more calls for service. Thus far the radio constantly reminds us to buy defense bonds. Calls have been sent out for women to report to the filter centers. There is the Red Cross, the Volunteer Bureau of the Defense Recreation Committee, the U.S.O. centers which need civilian help in carrying on their important task of helping morale. It is time to think of what we are going to do with ourselves. It’s time to cut out the extravagances and indulgences to which we have been accustomed. We have to learn to do with less and not complain. We have to learn to conserve our energies and to stop wasting time. Idle pleasures must give way to more purposeful activity. There is a death struggle before us, and everyone must lend a hand.
In this task we shall be strengthened by the knowledge that what we are struggling to protect is a precious heritage and is worth the effort. On Dec 15th, next Monday we celebrate in this country the 150th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. This bill of rights for a century and a half has been the foundation and guarantee of American democracy. It has secured for every American freedom of conscience and religion. It has secured freedom of speech and of the press and of assembly. It has secured the citizens of this country against unreasonable demands by the government. It has guaranteed to all fair treatment before the Law. It was proclaimed guard the dignity of every human being and to recognize his value. It was the official proclamation that government exists for the sake of the people, to protect their well-being and their interests. In the governments of our enemies such a bill of rights is meaningless. To them human life is valueless. People exist only to do the bidding of the state. The whim of the state is law and against the people have no recourse. They hate freedom. And their ambition is only to enslave the world and make themselves its master. Hitler, in speaking to the Reichstag this week when he made his declaration of war against the United States, said that this struggle will determine history for centuries to come. This is perhaps the only truth he has ever spoken. History will be determined for centuries to come. This struggle will determine whether man will have a chance to continue to develop his democratic institutions, to continue the type of government which cherishes a Bill of Rights, or must submit as slaves to a master state and the rule of brute force. Lincoln once said the union could not exist half free and half slave. The same is true of the world today. It is either Hitler’s way or ours. There is no compromise. And if it is his way that wins out, the law of the jungle will be the only law and everything that gives life dignity and beauty will be destroyed.
Fortunately though the situation is serious, it is not hopeless. We have the resources to win. We may accept the word of our president that the outcome is not in doubt. The blow against us is but the desperate struggle of a cornered rat, and though it may take time to kill the rat, his fate is sealed. It remains for us but to keep our morale high, to keep our faith in our way of life, to keep our nerve in the face of the blistering mad men who already see the handwriting on the wall.
The prayer of the chaplain in Congress yesterday was a beautiful thing. It was stirring, inspiring and full of faith. In it he quoted the psalmist who said, “Though weeping may tarry for the night, joy cometh in the morning.”[vi] Let us gird ourselves to endure the weeping of the night but let us look forward hopefully, optimistically, and with faith to the joy that will come with the morning.
Amen
[i] See Shall
We Fight Again? -- 11/13/36 http://harav-shimon.blogspot.com/2012/01/shall-we-fight-again-111336.html
[ii] Stephen
Samuel Wise (born Weisz, 1874 –1949) was an Austro-Hungarian-born American
Reform rabbi and Zionist leader.
[iii] John
Haynes Holmes (1879–1964) was a prominent Unitarian minister and pacifist,
noted for his anti-war activism.
[iv] This sermon
was delivered at Tree of Life Congregation in Columbia, South Carolina,
[v] Monday, December
8, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered an address to a Joint
Session of Congress in which he famously described the previous day as "a
date which will live in infamy".
[vi] Psalm 30:5
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