Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-09-18

tumultuous Joy and rushing raptures of hu
man life? l believe not only that the morn
ing laughs, and that the mountains laugh
and that the seas laugh, aud that the cas-
cades laugh, but that Christ laughed. More
over, take laugh and tear into an alem
bic, and assay them, and test them, ant
aualyse them, and you will often find a
much of the pure gold of religion in laugl
as in tear. Deep spiritual joy always shows
itself ia facial illumination. John Wesley
said he was sure of good religious impres
sion being produced because of what ht
calls the great laughter he saw among the
people. Goddess merriment is blasphemJ
anyw here, but expression Of Christian JOY
is appropriate everywhere.
Moreover, the outlook of the world ought
to stir us to gladness. Astronomers recent
ly disturbed many people by telling them
that there is danger of stellar collision. We
have been told through the papers by these
astronomers that there are worlds coming
very near together, aud that we shall have
plaques and wars and tumults and perhaps
the worlds destruction. Do not be scared.
Ii you have ever stood at railroad centre,
where ten or twenty Or thirty rail tracks
CROSS each other, and seen that by the move
ment of the switch one or two inches the
VI SnOOto tAIo WaJ duu Gudty WlluOub COi-
liding, then you may understand bow fifty
worlds may come within an inch of disaster,
and that inch be as good as million miles.
If a human switchtender can shoot the
trains this way and that without harm,
cannot the hand that for thousands of years
has upheld the uni verse keep our little
world ont of harms way? Christian geol-
ogists tell US that this world was millions
of years in building Well. now, do not
think God would take millions OF years to
build house that was to last only six thou.
sand years. There is nothing in the world
or outside the world, terrestrial or astronomi-
cal, to excite dismay. | wish that some
stout gospel breeze might scatter all the
malaria of human foreboding. The sun rose
this morning at about half-past 5, and I
think that is just about the hour in the
worlds history. "The day is at hand"
The first ray Of the dawn see in the
gradual substitution of diplomatic skill for
human butchery. Within the last twenty
five years there have been international
differences which would have brought a
shock of arms in any other day, but which
were peacefully adjusted, the pen taking
the place of the sword.
That Alabama question in any other age
of the world would have caused war be-
tween the United States and England
How was it settled? By men. of-war of the
Nalrows, or off the Mersey? By the Gulf
stream of the ocean crossed by gulf
stream of human blood? By the path way
of nations incarnadined? No. A few wise
men go into quiet room at Geneva, talk
the matter over, and telegraph to Wash
ngton and to London, "All settled.''
Peace. Peace. England pays to the Uni
ted States the amount awarded-pays real
3 more than she ought to have paid. But
still, all that Alabama broil is settled-set-
tied forever. Arbitration instead of battle.
So, the quarrel eight or nine years ago
about the Canadian fisheries in any other
age would lave caused war between the
United States and England. England said
"Pay me foI the Invasion of my Canadian
fisheries" The United States said: 81 will
not pay anythiug." Well, the two nations
say: 81 guess we had better leave the
whole matter to commission" The com
mission is appointed and the commission
examines the affair, and the commission re.
ports, and pay we ought, pay we must pay
we do. Not pound of powder burned
not cartridge bitten off, no one hurt so
much as by the scratch of a pin Arbitra.
tion instead of battle.
So the Samoan controversy in auy other
age would have brought Germany and the
United States into bloody collision. But all
is settled Arbitration instead of battle.
France will never ageiu, think, through
peccadillo of ambassador, bring on battle
with other nations. She sees that God, in
punishment of Sedan, blotted out the French
empire. and the only aspirant to that throne
who had any right of expectation dies in a
~ L 49, L
respectable. What is that blush on the
cheek of England to day? What is the leaf
that England would like to tear out of her
history? The Zulu war. Down with the
sword and up with the treaty.
We in this country might better have set.
tied our sectional difficulties By arbitration
than by the thrust of the sword. Philan.
thropy said to the North: "Pay down Ger.
tain amount of money for the purchase Of
the slaves, and let all those born after a Ger.
tain time be born Free" Philanthropy al
the same time said to the South: "You sell
the slaves, and get rid of this great national
contest and trouble" The North replied
81 won't pay cent" The South replied
"I won't SELL" War! War! A million
dead men, and a national debt which might
have ground this nation to powder.
Why did we not let William 81. Seward,
of New York, and Alexander H. Stephens,
of Georgia, go out and spend few days
under the trees on the banks of the Potom.
&C and talk the matter over, and settle it,
settle it they could, rather than the North
pay in cost of war, four billion seven hun
dreG million dollars, and the South pay foul
billion seven hundred and fifty million dol
lars, the destroying angel leaving the first
born dead in so many houses all the way
from the Penobscot to the Alabama. Ye
aged men, whose sons fell in the strife, do
you not think that would have been better?
Oh, yes! we have come TO believe, l think:
in this coantry, that arbitration is better
than battle.
I may be mistaken, but hope that the
last war between Christian nations is end
ed. Barbariaus may mix their war paint,
and Afghan and Zulu hurl poisoned ar
rows, but think Christian nations have
gradually learned that war is disaster to
victor as we'll as vanquished, aud that al
most anything bought by blood is bought
at too dear price. l wish to God this ma.
tion might be a model of willingness for ar
bitration. No need of killing another In
dian. No need of sacrificing any more
brave Gen. Clusters. Stop exasperating the
red man, and there will be no more arrows
shot out from the reservation. A general
of the United States army, in high repute
throughout this land, and who, perhaps has
been in more Indian wars than any other
officer, and who has been wounded again
and again in behalf of our government in
battle against the Indians, told me that all
the wars that had ever occurred between
Indians and white men had been provoked
by white men, and that there was no ex-
ception to the rule. While we are arbitra-
ting with Christian nations, let US toward
barbariaus carry ourselves in manner I'M
provocative of contest.
1 inherit a large estate, and the waters are
rich with fish, and the woods are songful
with birds. and my cornfelds are silken and
golden. Here is my sisters grave. Out
yonder, under that large tree, my father
died. An invader comes, and proposes to
drive me off and take possession of my pro-
perty. He crowds me back, he crowds me
on, and crowds me into a closer corner, and
still closer corner, until after while 1 say:
''Stand back, don't crowd me any more, or
I'll strike. What right have you to come