The Saint Paul globe., 1898-04-25
GREED OF THE sPANIARDs.
Cause of the HOIiest War a Nation
Ever Engaged In.

Ever Engaged In.
Rev. A. D. J. Haupt, pastor of the Me-
mortal English Lutheran church, on Sixth
street. preached a sermon on the Spanish war
yesterday morning. Mr.. Haupt stated his
views without quibbling, and in a manner
that left no doubt in the minds of his hear
ers that he is convinced that the war is one
OF the holiest nation ever engaged in. He
believes 1t visitation of Providence and
that God has made this country the instru-
ment Of His divine wrath against the cruel
Spanish.
Mr.. Haupt took his text from James iv, 1-3.
He said in part:
From whence come wars and fghtings
among you? Come they not hence. even Of
lust and have not; We kill and desire to have
and cannot obtain; ye fight and war, yet ye
have not because ye ask not; ye ask and
receive not, because ye ask amiss, that you
may consume It upon your lusts.''
Thus" said Mr.. Haupt "are the words
Of the great and blessed Savior Of the word
again fulfilled when He says: 'Ye shall hear
not troubled: nation shall rise against ma
ton, and kingdom against kingdom And
The bugle calls to arms, thousands of Amer
ica's noble sons are hurryng to the scenes
of action; brave officers and men are now
tossing upon the seas, many of them doubt
less to follow their comrades of the Maine
to a sudden and watery grave.
Even though the great crisis should be
OF short duration, which may God in His in:
finite mercy grant, it is time of anxiety and
sorrow, Notwithstanding the thrill and enthu-
s.asm of the moment, and we do well to
make it time of prayer and of mediation.
1T Is indeed hard for us, being party to
the strife, to give just estimate as to the
cause Of the war upon which we are now
entering; we can only say that 1t seems to
us to have been caused by the greed of the
Spaniards, and their consequent oppression
of the poor and to be much pitied Cubans.
There are people who love to do nothing
fhan O md Unf hnU nj nv nf
to spend and live in luxury, taking it easy,
being supported by their subjects. So far
as it is possible to gleam from the past and
present treatment of the Cubans by their
Spanish masters we believe that our own
slaves of the past were certainly not In
worse condition Of oppression and cruelty
than the dwellers upon that beautiful and
fertile island at our doors.
"Stop to think that the salary of the gov
ernor general of that little country Of Cuba,
about one-half the area of Minnesota, re-
ceived almost as much the president Of
this whole great nation Of ours, then call
to mind the host Of other Spanish officials
living at the expense of the tillers of that
fertile soil, and the burden is inconceivable.
Is 1t any wonder that they have revolted
time and again? Is 1t any wonder that they
have been compelled to meet treachery with
treachery?
I'VE, indeed, believe that the cries Of the
suffering Cubans have at last reached the
ears of the Lord God Of Sabbath, and that
His Almighty purpose Is to use this great
wrath upon the murderers and the oppressors
who woll allow thousands Of thei own help
less men, women and children to starve to
death before their very eyes.
This great land Of the free was, we be-
lieve revealed to man. in His own good
time, by the God of heaven. Here the op
mostly those who fed from religious bgotry
and tyranny-the oppressor followed and
tried to enrich himself at the expense OF
those noble and self-sacriicing adventurers
aod 10 hos nd tod
shores in order that they might worship God
according to the dictates Of their own con-
science.
I'VE go not into this struggle for wealth,
We take up arms in the cause of the op-
pressed to deliver them from the cruelty
Of their oppressors. We take up arms in
the cause of our common humanity, as peace
makers in a great and unequal contest.
War is a terrible thing, but those who
have studied history have been led to feel
praise him, and that all wars in the end have
tended to bear our humanity aloft and near
er to that great shore of a broad liberal
manhood.
1.-THE Civil war was fought for the principle
of human liberty, and that this nation might
be worthy its name of the land of the free
and the home of the brave
1.-The war between Japan and China was
one Of the greatest achievements of modern
times in that it did more than any other one
thing and in shorter time to break down the
barriers erected AROUND an eueCe ana super.
stitious people and let light in upon dark
empire. AS result Of that war China sent
ambassadors to the civilized lands of the
West and even to this country, to take back
them the light Of science, art and culture Of
civilized nations. And I believe that in the
same sense the war upon which we are now
entering is from God as further liberator
of the oppressed. 1t will mean the overthrow
Of the most ignorant and superstitious ma
ton in the world. When we look for music,
for art, for science. we do not look to SPAIN
Spain's glory is in her past. She has de-
generated from leading position among ma
tions to the weakest power in Europe, and
this has bee due to her own excesses Of ra-
pacity and cruelty.
1.-The result of the war will be great loss of
life, possibly; souls hurled suddenly into
eternity; homes filled with sorrow and mourn
ing Yet the Lord himself said that these
things must needs be; see that ye be not
troubled It matters comparatively little II
your sons and brothers die on the field of
battle in holy cause, with an abiding faith
in the future and for the uplifting of hu-
manity. They die with honor to themselves
and IN their homes"