Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-12-23
CHASM is BRIDGED
Preacher and "Pagan Bob" in
Harmony for Once.
NOVEL WAR sOARE'DEvEL0PNENr

Extracts from Sermons Delivered by DR..
Col. InGersoli Utters . Protest Against
War Over the Venezuelan Question
Gov. Hastings Stands by the FIay-Brit-
iah Views OF the Situation.
NEW YORK, Dec 23-Ministcrs in near
ly all Of the churches in this city made
references in their sermons to the VeEe-
zuelan boundary dispute and the posi-
biiity of war between the United States
and England. DE-. Parkhurss, in the
course of his sermon in the Madison
Square Presbyterian church. said: I'VE
do not care to beat about the bush in this
matter, but prefer to go straight to the
mark by saying that if Christendom wants
to make the religion of Jesus, with its
bethlehem, its angelic choir. and its
anthem Of Peace on Earth" n laughing
stock to the ungodiy and n contempt to
the heather, the best thing it can do will
be to set the two foremost Christian ma
lions of the earth to work blowing up one
another's cities and blowing out one an.
others brains.
Church Can Veto the War.
"Unlcss we utterly misconceive tho
sentiments of the Christianized masses,
10th here and on the other side of the
water, such an issue will be morally inn
possible. There will be no conflict that
will go beyond the point Of messages and
prOnurcianento5 on either side, if the
out and records its veto. This is not the
place to enter into a philosophical or his
torical exposition of the Monroe doctrine,
Only it is safe to say that this nation is
not going to be drawn into an intcrna-
tiOnal conflict of arms in behalf Of doc
trine that probably 50 per cent Of a con-
gregation as we'll informed as this would
not be able to state inteiligibly and the
other 10 per cent. who can state it would
disagree among themselves as to whether
the doctrine is applicable to the present
situation.
Disclaims Disparasement Of Loyalty.
1--WE arc not speaking disparagingly of
loyalty to country or patriotic regard for
| our country's rights. But patriotic pas
sions are incenscd and can easily be fired
| to the point where righteousness is ig-
| nored and reason and balanced considera-
| ton tabooed; and that is the mischief Of
| infammatory sheets that make d paying
| newspaper of tanning the flames of inter.
| national animosity. wish for two weeks
that it could be states prison offense to
print newspaper headlines with anything
larger than small caps" He thought that
| IL the two nations would join hands in
suppres5ing the Turk in Armenia they
| might come from that Christian work in a
spirit to settle the Venezuela case in IN
honorable manner without war.
Meaning Of tho Doctrine Obscure.
Rev. Charles II. Eaton. of the Church
Of the Divine Paternity, said that the
principle involved in the Monroe doctrine
was such that even statesman had but an
obscure knowledge of it. and without pro
posing to usurp any of the functions o.
the statesmen now considering the dis
pute, he would say that there was nc
higher power to determine the necessities
of war than religion. Rev. DIR. Madison
c. Peters, of the Bloomingdale Reform
| church, said: "War is cruel, hateful
wrong. War is hell. The political dem
agogues who at this Christmas-tide are
shouting for war will be branded by the
sober second thought Of the American PEG
pie as the criminals of the nineteenth cen
fury"
Says War Would Tie Eratricidal.
Rev. DIR. w. S. Rainsford preached
sermon before a meeting Of the Young
Mems Christian Association. Referrin,
to the war talk he said that members O
the Y. NJ. G. A. were numerous across tn,
sea, and it would be an evil spirit trul,
that would put them ut the throats O
their brethren here. 1t would be fratri
| cidal