Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-12-23

CnTlSIlan Appear 10 1nOSS III Au-
thority to Seek Other Means Of
Settlement than Resort to Brute
Force.
New York, December 22.-Ministers
in nearly all the churches in this city
made references in their sermons to-
day to the Venezuelan boundary dis
pute, and the possibility of war be-
tween the United States and England.
DR.. Parkhurst, in the course of hia
sermon in the Madison Square Presby-
terian Church, said:
1T almost seems as though there
were providence in the way in which
these Christmas days synchronize tha
year with events that are just now fill
in our hearts with disturbances and
throwing an uncomfortable shadow
across the track of the near future.
: Now, we 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 it's Bethlehem. its angelic
choir and its anthem of peace on
earth,' laughing story to the ungodly
and contempt TO the heather. the best
thing 1t can do will be to set the two
foremost Christian nations of the earth
TO work blowing up one another's cities
and blowing out one anothers brains.
Unless we utterly miscOnceive the
sentiments of the Christianized misses,
both here and on the other side Of the
water, such an issue will be
MORALLY IMPOSSIBLE.
There will be no conflict that will on
beyond the point of messages and pro-
nunciamentos on either side if the
church of the Bethlehem Christ comes
out and records its veto. Christianity
both here and in England IS too thor
oughly an integral part of national life
for armies and nayies to clash in war
Iare at the same moment that the
churches OF the two countries are thun-
dering peace. This is not the place TO
enter into philosophical or historical
exposition OF the Monroe doctrine. only
1t is safe to say that this nation is nor
going to be drawn into an interna-
tional conflict Of arms-to the dishonor
OF Christianity the disbursement of
civilization, the destruction of life and
treasure and the decentralization of our
entire organic life-in behalf of q doc
trine such that probably ninety ner
cent. Of congregation as well inform-
ed as this would not be able TO state
the doctrine intelligibly and the other
10 per cent who can state II. disagreeing
among themselves as to whether the
doctrine is applicable to the present
situation.
I'VE are not speaking disparagingly
of
LOYALTY TO COUNTRY,
or patriotic regard for our country's
rights, but patriotic passions are in
censed and can easily be fired TO the
point where righteousness is ignored
and reason and balanced consideration
tabooed; and that is the mischief of
inflammatory sheets TIT make a pay
ing newspaper business of tanning the
flames Of international animosity.
wish for two weeks that it could be a.
States prison offense 10 print newspa-
per headlines with anything larger
than small-caps. If the nations would
Ia - AfAh' hB tlf DuHlutHo liiaL UtIOHES
TO them first, and If England and the
United States would join hands in the
rather more gospel enterprise Of res
cuing pillaged and outraged Armenians
from
THE DIRTY, BLOODY GRIP
of the Turk, these two brothered na-
tions would soon find themselves I'm
good Christian condition OF spirit,
probably, to settle that little question
of civil engineering down In Venezuela
in way that would save beth parties,
not only their pride and their heads,
but their Christian repute."
Rev. Charles II. Eaton, pastor Of the
Church of Divine Paternity, preached a
sermon on the wickedness Of war.
1t was deplorable, he said, that the
day on which Christians were to cele-
brate the birth Of Christ and proclaim
from every pulpit the doctrines Of
peace. the nation should be eagerly
waiting the ultimatum of statesmen
and mutterings Of war should fll the
land. 1t was more deplorabe still that
the two most advanced of Christian ma
tions. the two which had done most to
do away with the possibilities of war.
were now APPARENTLY ready to throw
away arbitration and substitute con-
hict.
without going into
THE MERITS OF THE DISPUTE,
he would say that the principle involved
in the Monroe doctrine was such that
even statesmen had but an obscure
knowledge Of II, and without propos-
ing TO usurp any Of the functions Of the
statesmen now considering the dispute,
he would say that there was no higher
power to determine the necessities OF
war than religion. If religion was use
full in times of peace only, he said it
could be Of no use at all. and he as a
minister Of the gospel raised his voica
in emphatic protest against war as a
means of settling a dispute until all
other means had been exhausted fer
bringing about an amicable settlement.
He believed the people would visit