The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-12-30
THE ARMENIAN MASSACRES.
AND THE ANNOUNCEMENTS OF
 CHRISTIAN NATIONS,

tion-Ths Duty of the United States in thu
 Situpt'on-The iw,ul Faots-Our Govern
 mantn Relations With tho Turkish Elm
 plro-Tho Call of Religion, Humanity
 and Justca-Consress Should Act-Let
 Net America Walt--Discou,s in Full of
 Rev, Dr. Newman Smyth at Center
 Church Yesterday Morning.
 Luke ii, n; Glory to Go in the high est and on earth peace, good will to- ward men,
 These Christmas words have stronger meanGag gs for Us than men iu their amia- ble repetitlons of them are apt to think They are emptied of their holy power If a people use them while it makes truce with any wrong, They lose their high prophetic glory, If the church sings them in intellectual contentment with any evil in the whole world, Whether We read these angelic words ir the form in which they have become sacred in our English tongue; "On earth peace good will toward men," or wheth- CT we read then in the more correct ren- dering of the Revised version, Peace on earth, among men in whom He is well pleased" or Men of His good pleasure" the words bear the same clear, strong enunciation of the divine will of peace to be done on earth; and their final note Good will" "Men of Gods good pleasure" lifts the song of the angelic host high and pure above all false hopes of peace among men or nations who will not key their action and accord their lives to Gods sole will of right and truth. The voice of the first angel who proclaimed the birth of Chris. the Lord, is answered by triumphal chorus of the heavenly host in cong exultart and prophetic of the peace which is to be in the new worlds order the Lord Christ's reign and final victory over all dominion of evil. Who then among mortals may wOrthily re- peat this heavenly song? The Christian mother rejoicing in her first born; yet she only as she has been willing to give her life in travail for her child, and can rejoice in devoting her first born son to Gods noblest service even unto death. The Christian Sunday nckool may sing these Christmas carols; yet only as it's youth are trained in obedience to Him who said: "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world that I could bear wit ness unto the truth" The Christian church may fill it's worship with this havenly strain, yet only as it serves Him who taught His disciples to pray, l. n crSn will ho on earth as in heaven"
 Not for the weak, the tinid, the inert, not for hearts incapable of great sym pathy for men in every land, or souls insensate to glory of the highest sacri- flee are these angelic, strains announcing that Christ the Lord is born. Who may repeat these words? The apostles and martyrs; the Christian confess0rs; the statesmen and the warriors who in Gods good pleasure by their unfailing faith and mighty courage have been Gods blessed makers of peace on this earth. Martin Luther, braving all at the diet of Worms, was worthy to re- peat this angelic strain; Oliver Crom- we'll, writing to all the potentates of Europe, and using his secretary, John Milton, to convey Elngland's voice to the Duke of Ava, intending to massa- ere Christians-the Puritan soldier and the Puritan poet, might be counted worthy to echo on earth the higher voice of the angelic host; only the true souls and the brave, only they who in some strength of prevailing faith or power of sacrifcial spirit, or heroiEm of un- selfish thought and devoted deed have iY7to Inc T o,,1' when on the mountain side He blessed as the children of God those who are the makers of peace-these alone are worthy to take up the angels song, and to beGpeak Gods good will to be done on earth.
 This angelic text, therefore, may form a fitting prelude to the cause which at this Christmas time, and on the last Sabbath, too, of another year. forces it's appeal upon the Christian world For another bitter cry comes to us from a land near where the Lord Christ was born; and it's awful woe brings to Gods judgment all Christian powers. We may have tried not to list er to it. It is England's responsibility we have Eaid, not ours. Like Saul when stephen was martyred, England, Christian England stands by, consent ing, and keeping the garments of them that slay Armenia. This blood, we are saying, is not upon our nations hands. But as the time goes on, and the tale of horror is not stopped, this our first attitude of speechleEsness and inactiOn is challenged by the appalling inhu- nanity Of the facts and even now the slow, yet sure Providence of the AL mighty may be forcing closer home uron this country than we have thought, events which shall decide whether we have opportunity and will take responsibility or not. Already the question, what can be done for Ar menia draws near enough to the prac- tical to require discussion. In some phases it is receiving grave attention in the highest council chamber of our nation. The people should be rendered familiar with it that they may be ready to sustain their government, should it be called suddenly to act. Yet such discussion must begin not with feeling, however righteous, but with facts and principle. The facts of the situation must be ascertained, the right principles of action must be de-