Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-06-09
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
The Subject, "AIleyiations of War;" Most
Pertinent to the Exciting Times
Through Which We Are Now Passing
Cheer For Those Whose Hearts Are Sad

InrOuKh Which We Are Now Passing
Cheer For Those Whose Hearts Are Sad
TEXT: "Though war should rise against
me, in this will be confident. Psalms
81. iii.
The ring of battle-axes and the clash OF
shields, aud the tramp of armies are heard
all up and down the Old Testament; and
YOU find godly soldiers like Moses, and
Joshua, and Caleb, and Gideon, and
scoundrelly soldiers like Sennacherib, aud
Shalmaneser, and Nebuchadnezzar. The
High Priest would stand at the head OF the
army and say: Hear, o Israel, We ap-
proach this day unto battle against your
enemies, let not your hearts faint; fear not
and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified
because of :hem!'' and then the officers
would give command to the troops, say
ing: "What man is there that hath built a
new house and hath not dedicated it? Let
him go and return to his house, lest he die
in the battle and another man dedicate it.
And what man is he that hath planted Il
vineyard and hath not eaten of it? Let him
also go and return unto his house, lest he
die in the battle and another man eat of it..
And what man is there that hath betrothed
wife and hath not taken her? Let him
go and return unto his house, lest he die in
battle and another man take her.. Great
armies marched and fought. In the time
Of Moses and Joshua all the men were SOL
diers. When Israel came out OF Egypt
there were 100000 fighting men. Abijah
commanded 400, 600. Jeroboam commanded
S00,00 men, OF whom SOC, 900 were slain in
one battle. Some of these wars God ap-
proved, for they were for the rescue of op-
pressed nations, and some of them He
denounced, but in all cases it was judg-
mont upon both victors and vanquished.
David knew just what war was when he
wrote in the text, "Though war should rise
against me, in this will be confident"
David Is here encouraging himself in
stormy times, and before approaching bat
ties administers to himself the consolatory.
SO to-day my theme is the "Alleviations of
War" War is organized atrocity. 1t Is
the science of.assassination. 1t is the con-
vocation of all horrors. 1t is butchery
wholesale. 1t is murder gloriied. It is
death on throne Of human skeletons. 1t
is the coffin in ascendancy. 1t is diabolism
at game of skulls. And the time is coming
when war will be an impossibility. How
far in the future cannot say, but there
will be museum of curiosities in which Il
father and son will one day be walking,
and the son will say, What is that sharp,
curved instrument" and the father will
reply, "That is a sword" And the son
will say, "what are those round pieces of
iron?" and the father will reply, "Those are
bullets and cannon balls and bombshels.
Those are the things with which in the
Dark Ages people killed each other" Yet
the father will have hard work to make the
SOD believe that such things We're ever
used for the destruction of human life.
But that time has not yet arrived, and
having on other occasions spoken to you
of the ''Aggravations of War" now that
war is actually here it is time to speak OF
it's aleviatons-
First. / flnd an alienation in the fact that
it has consolidated the North and South
after long-continued strained relations. II
is thirty-three years since our Civil Wal
closed, and the siolences are all gone and
the seventies have been hushed. But evel
and anon, In Grafton, in sermon, in news.
paper editorial, in magazine article, or
political stump, and In Congressional hall
the old sectional difference mas lifted its
head; and for the first time within my men,
ory, or the memory of any one who hears
or reads these words, the North and the
Sonth are one. 1t was not a four years
war, but fifty years war; war of tongue
war of pen, war of printing press. But by
marvellous providence, the family tha
led in opposition to our Government thirt,
years ago, is represented at the front IL
this present war Nothing else could hav,
done the work of unhcation so suddenl'
or so completely as this conflict. At Tampa
at Chattanooga, at Richmond. and in man,
other places the regiments are forming, an(
it will be side by side, Massachusetts, ant
Alabama, New York and Georgia, Illinois
aud Louisiana, Maine and South Carolina
Northern and Southern men will togethe
unlimber the guns and rush upon the forti
feation and charge upon the enemy ant
shout the triumph. The voices of militar.
officers who were under Sidney johnson
and Joseph Hooker will give the comman'
on the same side The old sectiona
grudges forever dead. The name of Gran
on the Northern side and OF Lee on tn
Southern side will be exchanged for tn
names of Grant and Lee on the same side
The veterans in Northern and Southeri
homes and asylums are stretching thei
rheumatic limbs to see whether they ca
again keep step in a march, aud are testin
their egesight to find whether they ca
again look along the gun-barrel to success
fully take aim and fire. The old war or
OF ION to Richmondi' and son to Wash
ington!'' has become the war cry of so
to Havana!" .tOn to Porto Rico!' son t
the Philippine Islandsr' The two old rust
swords that in other days elashed at Mur
freesboro and South Mountain and Atlanta
are now lifted to strike down Hispani
denominations.
Another alleviation of the war is the fac
that it is the most unselfish war of tn
ages. While the commercial rights OF on
wronged citizens will be yindicated, tina
is not the chief idea of this war. 1t is tn
rescue of hundreds of thousands OF peopl
from starvation and multiform maltreat
ment. A friend who went out under th
flag of the Red Cross two years ago to as
suage suffering in Armenia, and who ha
been on the same mission, under the sam
flag, in Cuba, says that the sufferings i
pared with the greater sufferings of Cub;
At least two hundred thousand graves ar
calling to US to come on and remember b
what process their occupants died. 1t is th
twentieth century crying out to the nin'
teenth: do you mean to pass down to L
the curse with which you have been BLASTED
Or will you let me begin under new au
pices and turn the island CT desolation int
an island Edenic?''
1t is a war inspired by mercy, which is a
attribute il man initiative of the same a
tribute of God. In no other age of tn
world could such war have been waget
The gospel of kindness needed to be recoi
nized throughout Christendom in order I
make such war possible. The chief res
son why most of the European nations az
not now banded together against us is b,
cause they dare not take the part of ths
behemoth of cruelty, the Spanish Govern
ment, against the crusade of mercy whic
our nation has started. Had it been on ou
Z part war of conquest, Il war OF annexf
tlon, a war OF faggrandizement,t there woul
have been by this time enough fyin
squadrons coming to this country acro
the Atlantic to throw into panic every ell