The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-01-26 00:00:00

THE CLERGY AND THE WAR.

OL •

The Times has published the following letter :
Sir,—Can war really be within the range of pos-
sibilities? We have outlived the days when English-
men engaged in war for the mere bulldog love of
fighting. We all hold that war in itself is a barbarous,
an immoral, an un-Christian institution, and that then
only is it excusable when we fight to uphold the
honour of our Queen and country, to redress some
crying wrong, or to punish some horrible crime. On
none of these grounds could war in support of Turkey
be justified. Such a war, infact, would be wickedness
of the blackest dye. It would be the surrender
of that interest which among British interests holds
the highest rank in the view of every true English-
man. It would be the surrender of our fair name as
the enemy of wrong and oppression, the champion of
freedom and righteousness. But none, surely, are so
wanting in Christian patriotism as deliberately to
advocate treason ogainst these our old colours. There
can be no true friendship, no real community of
interest between a free, enlightened, and growing
Power like England, and a tyrannical and uncivilized
decaying Power like Turkey. Alliance with a bar-
barous Asiatic despotism is a contradiction of that very
nature which belongs to us as Englishmen. Our
nature places us in the van of the world's pro-
gress, giving us for friends and allies those mem-
bers of the great human brotherhood who are raising
themselves to new life and light and liberty. It
is gratifying to see that some of the clergy have come
publicly forward as the advocates of peace, godfiness,
and honesty. The clergy of the Church of England
are reluctant, and I think rightly reluctant, to take a
prominent part in political matters when their people
feel strongly on different sides. But in a most solemn
crisis like the present, when our character as a Chris-
tian country is in jeopardy, it is the plain duty of the
clergy, as preachers of peace, truth, and righteous-
ness, openly to proclaim their message, and to exert
all the influence they possess to prevent England
from being drawn into a war which every Christian
whose conscience is not blinded by passion must feel
would be a great national sin.—Believe me to be, Sir,
your obedient servant, C. W. GIBRALTAR.
Cannes, France, Jan. 16.

There were 2,563 births and 1,903 deaths registered
in London last week. Allowing for increase of population,
the births were 38 below, while the deaths exceeded by '215,
the average numbers in the corresponding week of the last
ten years. The annual death-rate from all causes, which in
the two previous weeks had been equal to 276 aud 251 per
1,000, rose to 278, a higher rate than has prevailed in any
week since the beginning of April last. The 1,903 deaths in-
cluded 77 from measles, 35 from scarlet fever, 5 from
diphtheria, 94 from whooping-cough, 21 from different forms
of fever, and 8 from diarrlicea; thus to the seven principal
diseases of the zymotic class 291 deaths were referred,
against 292 and 299 in the two preceding weeks.

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