New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-05-08

The Triumphs of War,

Sermon preached s day Of the annual Fa,t April Is
by AsDREw P. PEABODY, POrtsmcuih, Nh
We have received the above production, and
shall make it the theme Of some brief remarks.
While the bells of other churches in Portsmouth
were pealing merry notes Of rejoicing over the glo
rious destruction OF human life at Vera Cruz, the
bell Of the Unitarian Church alone was dumb. The
wardens refused its appropriation to such pur
pose. And in our opinion, most justly. For is
there not the grossest inconsistency, truth the
most detes,able mockery, in using temple or the
furniture Of temple devoted to the worship of the
Creator for the celebration OF the slaughter of his
creatures The W anton destruction of human life,
the causeless murder of helpless innocence, the
immolstion by hundreds of the unresisting and the
unoHending, have not the days gone by when TIE
Deums must be performed in churches for acts like
thssei 10 human butchery still to be the subject
OF human worship
MIR. Peabody dwells upon this contradiction and
exposes its sbsurdity and in defending the refusal
OF the Wardens he denounces the iniquites Of the
present War We must confess, however, our dis.
appointment. that ne did not fully agitate the
subject. The peculiar auocity Of the warts sg'
gressive characterize has not portray ed with the
ability his friends claim him to possess. Perhaps
he thought that neither the occasion nor the su.
dience demanded such direction of his talents
And what the occasion or the audience demanded
undoubtedly he was the proper judge.
The Characteristic Of this War is aggression.
Brig Gen. Gushing congratulates the country upon
its ability to wage an aggressive war with sue.
cess and Brig. Gen. Cushing has sufficient moral
courage for the enuncistion of the truth II is the
peculiar curse Of this War that it begets and in.
dulges thirst for acquisition for plundertor the
robbery Of the weak 1t is the historical character
Of Republics to be aggressive and grasping. So
were the 6rocian Republics so the Roman, and so
in modern times the Republic OF France, and, alas
that IL should be so! our own. And in truth. it
will soon probably be said of US as Of the Romans
that when poor we robbed mankind, when rich.
each other" There is no ayengins or preventive
police Of Providence stationed near our Borders to
guard against or punish the commission Of National
crimes no Goths. no Huns Our punishment Will
be selfinhicted; the retribution, that the eternal
order of Nature sffixes TO crime we shall impose
upou Each other IL will be none the less dresdial
for that reason
The dramatic horrors of the storming OF Vera
Cruz the author OF this sermon coneosively proves
to be in no harmony with the preoePts Of the Cos
pei and consequently no fit subject for thank'giv'
ing in Christian churches those horrors, however
whose reality was yet more dreadful more heart
reading than 10 his Imagination, still fell short Of
thc public taste. The public appetite having been
rather excited than sstaed by such BONES boaekes
rs Palo Alto, Resaea de la Palma, Monterey and
Buena Vista, longed for a fall gorging at Vera
Cruz 1t would sup full of horrors and. notwi,h-
standing more instruments Of destruction were
hurled upon the devoted city with more direct.
ness and more success, than ever happened before
Ia the annals Of cirlised wsrare--notwithstand
the wssseful effasion OF human life, the exhibition
Of the torn and bleeding forms Of matron and