The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-01-06

AT St Matthews church last evening
the rector. Rev. Dr.. swope. preached an
able sermon. taking for his text Isalah
2.G
And He shall Judge among the ma
tons and shall decide concerning many
peoples: and they shall beat their
swords into plowshares and their
spears into pruning hooks; nation shall
not Mt up sword against nation. Meth
CT shall they learn war any more"
This propheay declared that the chief
glory. OF the Aessiah'S reign would be
that society should be organized on an
industrial rather than military basis,
said DR.. Swope. So fully was this be-
lkTed that at the beginning OF the
Christian cru, and for several centur-
les, the profession OF the soldier was
deemed Inconsistent with the pCofes-
sion OF Christ. This attitude OF tho
church changed after the accession OF
Constantine, and thencefOrth. and e.
peckally during the middle ages, the
military calling seemed to be in high
repute. And for all practical purposes
Christendom Is still unchristIan, as
concerns war, and this Is true IN spite Of
RIl understanding about the llleglu-
macy OF certain methods. in spite OF
hospital statfs. nurses and all the other
eorftts made 10 pallIate its horrors.
But aside from Christianity. there are
Arguments against war which ought to
have weight with an Industrious and
commercial people.
Thomas Carlyle spoke OF what he
terms its CHASTITY righteousness" He
says:
what Is the purport and upshot OF
war; To my own knowledge. and for
example. there dwell and toll in tho
British village OF DumdrudSe. usually
some five hundred souls. From these
by certain natural enemies OF the
French, there are selected during the
French war some thirty 06le-bodied
men. Dumtrudge u her own expense
has sucked and nurtuFed tlFqn ;she has,
not without difficulty and sorrow, fed
them UP to manhood. and even trained
them 10 crafts. so that one can weave,
and another hammer. Nevertheless,
amid much weeping they are selected;
all dressed in red and shipped away at
the public charge, say to the south OF
Spain. and there fed till wanted. And
now 10 thRt same spot IN the south OF
Spain are thirty siiniia- French ar
tisans gathered, and after Infinite et-
fort, the two parties come into tuBte-
position. and thirty stand fronting
thirty. each with gun In his hand,
StraIghtway the word, fire. is given and
they blow the souls out OF one another,
and In place OF sixty brisk. useful
craftsmen, tho world has sixty dead
carcasseS which 1t must bury and anon
shed tears for. Had these men any
QpaEgNd? Sot tte smallest. They lived
fur apart: were strangers. nay. they
weru even by commerce, mutually help
full. Why, then. their war; Their
r0feTs had fallen out, and instead of
shooting one another, had the cunning
20 make thess poor bleekhends do y"
The causes that lead to war are SUI
premelY trivial, Fog generations the
so-called Christian nations carried on a
series OF waits against the SaTRcens. In
order that Christians might have the
custody OF the tomb in which for a few
hours had lain the body OF the Lord
who bpfe his disciple sheath the sword
he had drawn In hIB Masters defense.
For years English armies fought to re-
place on the throne OF France family
unit to govern. n family the French
people would not have to rule over
them.
Wars TO secure territory are mnd ven
tures. Extent OF territory does not
weakness. unless the population is In
oTnei.
War Is simply skilled murder. Think
Of W4,at thu c1phcisnrs about daring as
saults. gallant charges. etc, mean TO
the fathers. mothers. sisters, sweet-
hearts OF the young mon who arc
crushed, MANNED, wounded so that they
shortly die In the utmost extremes VI
pain. To cali such things by flHe
names Is us false as II would be TO
speak Of magnificent rniiwRy acct
dent or a splendid mine explosion.
have seen picture called The Sham
and the Reality" The Bhnm was
sham battle where you had all tbs
pomp md circumstances OF war, the
giittcriuR uniforms, thrilling music,
waving plumes WITH which deadly cum
ming has long concealed the true char.
arter Of war. The reality was little
group OF orphan children on the brow
OF a neighborins hill who had come
from a nearby home for the children
OF soldiers slain In battle. to look upon
the pretty show.
Lot US have none Of II. Let war
talk and preparations be discontinued.
There are few questions that arise in
these times that cannot be settled by
their reference TO an adequate tribunal
OF arbitration. Since the celebrated
Alabama claim thcre have been some
sixty cases Of disputes between nd
lions settled In this way without shed
ding n drop OF human blood. Each OF
these cnBes was nm example and pre-
ccdrnt. And these preccdents have
happy tendency TO harden into Lam.
Lot us believe that Gen. GrRnt spoke
as prophet when he said: II look for
wnrd to an epoch when n court repre-
scnting hli nations will settle all inter
national differences"
At a time when there 10 80 much
talk OF war, che church wants TO foster
the opposite spirit OF peace. Pence has
ita Victories, which ought 10 be Clown
ed. It's time TO announce the fact TINT
the soldier 10 no better than the civil
ian; that the learned professions. COM
m,rcc and che manual industrisI m,
occupations demanding moro patriotic
self.sacrifcc than the profession OF the
soldier. Tho church must Impress upon
the yuunE men the sacredness OF life
the brotherhood OF man. II must show
that the barriers thOt separated M
tions nrc being removed through the
common humanity In which God dwClt
IN Christ.