Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1895-12-27
Eminent New York D,vines on the
Possibi tiles Of War.
DS. PETERS, STRONG WORDS
Or. parkhurst Says the Two Nations
Wouii Better Look After the
Dirty, Bloody Turks.

sermon said: 1T almost seems as If there
was a providence IN the way these
Christmas days synchroniZe the year
with events that are now filling our
hearts with disturbance 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 its Bethlehem. Its angelic choir
and Its anthem of peace on EARTH a
laughing story to the ungodly and con-
tempt to the heather, the best thing 1t
can do will be to set the foremost Chris
tan nations Of the earth to work blow
ing up one anothers cities and blowing
out one another's brains.
UNLESS We utterly misconceive the
sentiments Of the Christianized masses,
both here and on the other side OF the
water. such an issue will be morally
impossible. There will be no conflict
that will go beyond the point of mes
sages and pronunciamentos on either
side, II the church of Bethlehem and
Christ comes out and records it's veto.
Christianity, both here and in England,
is too thoroughly an integral part of
national life for armies and navies to
clash in warfare, at the same moment
that the churches Of the two countries
are laundering peace.
This is not the place to enter into
philosophical or historical exposition of
the Monroe doctrine, only 1t Is safe to
say this nation is not going to be drawn
into an international conflict of arms
to the dishonor of Christianity, the dis
ha
struction of life and treasure and the
Generalization of our entire organic
life-in behalf of a doctrine that prob
ably 80 per cent of congregation as
well informed as this would not be able
to interpret and the other 10 per cent
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 to patriotic
regard for our country's rights, bur pa
triotic passions are incensed and can
be easily fired to the point where right
eousness is ignored and reason and bal
anced consideration tabooed, and that
is the mischief Of infiammatory sheets
that make the paying newspaper bust
ness tanning the flames of interna tonal
animosity. l wish for two weeks it
could be a states prison offense to print
newspaper headlines with anything
larger than small capitals.
IF the nations would take up the
business that belongs to them first, and
If England and the United States would
join hands in the rather more gospel
enterprise of rescuing pillaged and out
ragged Armenians from the dirty, bloody
grip of the Turks, these two brother
6r,1 t1.r
good Chistian condition to settle that
little question of civil engineering down
in Venezuela In a way that would save
both parties, not only their pride and
their heads, but their Christian repute"
WICKEDNESS OF WAR.
Rev. Charles H. Eaton, pastor of the
Church of Divine Paternity, preached
sermon on the wickedness of war.
| 1t was deplorable. he said, that the day
| on which Christians were to celebrate
| the birth of Christ and to proclaim from
every pulpit the doctrines of peace
| the nation should be eagerly waiting
| the ultimatum of statesmen, and NUT
| terings of war should fill the land
| without going into the merits of the
| dispute, he would say the principle in
| volved in the Monroe doctrine was such
| that even statesmen had but obscure
knowledge of it, and without proposing
to usurp any of the functions of states
men now considering the dispute, he
| would say that there was no higher pow
| err to determine the necessities of war
than religion. If religion was useful
in time of peace only, he said, it could
| be of no use at ALL
| WAR is HE'LL"
| In the course of his sermon on Civil
| zations Debt to Christianity" Rev.
| Dr. Madison c. Peters of the Blooming
| dale Reformed church said WAR is
| cruel, hateful, wrong. War Is hell. The
| political demagogues who at this
Christmastide are shouting for war, will
be branded by the second sober thought
of the American people as the criminals
of the 10th century. When these men
had an opportunity to fight for their
land, when the stars and stripes were
trailed in the dust, they sent substi-
tutes. A war between England and
America could never be determined UNI
til one or the other went into bank
ruptcy or had no more men to fill the
ranks. AS a preacher of the gospel OF
peace and universal brotherhood l cal
for arbitration"
DECLARED FOR ARBITRATION
Columbus, Ohio. Dec. 22.-Rev. Wash
ington GLADDEN.. in a sermon today
strongly deprecated the talk of war fol.
lowing the presidents message on the
| Venezuelan matter. He said:
Where is that petition signed by q
majority of the members of parliament
and addressed to our government ask
ing them to join in perpetual treaty
Of peace by which all disputes shall bt
| submitted to arbitration"
Resolutions were adopted by DR.
| Gladden's congregation declaring fol
arbitration, and copies of the same ant
| DR.. Gladden's sermon will be sent t
President Cleveland, the British ambas
sador and Ohio's senators and congress
men.
Washington, Dec. 22.-In a numba
of pulpits of Washington today allu
sions were made to the possibility o
a war with Great Britain. The min
lsters in their prayers invoked the di
vine aid that such a calamity might b.
,verted. The Rev. Dewitt Talmage II
| his discourse said. And now, stand
ng here, so near the Christmas day,
hear unrolling from the sky the peac
| anthems. There will be no war betwee
England and the United States. Sue
a war would be the greatest calamit
since the creation of the world. Ma
God forbid the universal bankruptc
and the universal slaughter"