The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-30
RIGHT BEFORE GOD AND MAN.
REv. j. II. sCRUGGs ON THE WAR
WITH SPAIN.

Out of IL VIII Come the Liberation
of suGTcrinG Humanity, the Weld
ing Together of Our Own People,
md the Probable Regeneration of
spain on Modern Idens-Pntriotic
Appeal From the Pulpit of Trinity
Methodist Church.
+'Blesslng viii come to Spain through the
terrible mi1l she must pass through She
will not be ground to powder. Her false
pride viii be abased, and she will be chas-
tened. God will guide her misfortunes to
her eternal benefit and to the betterment Of
the entire world"
This was the closing sentiment of SER
mon on The war preached at Trinity Meth
odist Church last night by Rev John II.
ScruSas.
Three well known passages of scripture
were the basis of DR.. Scruggs' remarks.
They were the order from Christ to render
unto Caesar the things that are Caesars,
and to GOD the things that are Gods the
verses in Marks gospel, And when We
hear of wars and rumors of war be not
troubled for such things must needs be"
and the verse in Luke in reference to put
ting new wine into old bottles
"War," said Mr. Scruggs, lis always 10
be regretted No man, who is a good citi-
zen and. a Christian, is anxious to see
war spring up in his country, or between
1t and another nation. That is contrary
to the spirit of Christian religion, and the
true spirit of individual and national life.
War is a terrible thing and brings with it
renewed and greater responsibilities of
citizenship In collective sense we owe
our duty after God, to our nation The
man who is not truly patriotic can hardly
count upon himself for success in any
thing in life. Minus patriotism, he is de-
fclert in one of Che prime clements Of
success National life is a broad and
comprehensive expansion of family life.
The man who VIII not protect and defend
his family to the end, even 10 the death,
Is in a bad condition. He is no true man.
Take such a lack Of courage and senti-
ment and spread II over the land and you
win have the way open for invasion, ra-
pine, destruction of national existence and
individual liberty. 1t is the true spirit OF
patriotism, springing out of the love OF
home, that give security, protection, al
vaucement that guarantees the right of
life and property TO every man. When
we take this estimate of our duty as citi-
Zens there is no room for compromise
when the nation demands support There
is no time to-day to stop and bubble about
mistakes we believe may have been made,
| or to raise objections against what has
| already taken place. Waste no time In
such idle, disturbing, unpatriotism.
Bear in mind that if there ever was a
war that was justified in the sight of God
1 and of man we re now praparinp n fight
one.
| THE duty we owe to ourselves as cit,-
| zens, and 70 the national government rep
1esenting this family of commonwealths,
| is to stand united in one homogeneous
| mass. There Is and should be no sections
| alism, no North, no South, no East, no
| West. To the patriot there Is but one
! country and one people. The war has
| demonstrated that. we are, one in feelins.
| Let us thank God for that. 1t is one OF
the blessings that have already come upon
| US. Let the politician with his disturbing
weapon of division stand aside. Bury
| him forever Seventy millions of people
! are one In standing by the flag of their
| common country. They win protect II
and its honor shall not be tarnished The
man, or the people, who insult or defle
that flag may look out for a warm time.
| and they will get 1t.
DR.. Scruggs reviewed the conditions that
| had led up to the war to sustain his
| position that this country had been long
| suffering, patient beyond comparison. and
| has shown every inclination to bring about
a settlement of the difficulty I'm a manner
! honorable to both Spain and this country
| and without war But the tyrannlcal big
! oted, lRtolerant spirit of Spain had made
| II impossible. Spain made war the issue
| and the consequences must fall heavily
| upon her.
Spain, said he has for ages been a car
! buncle upon the body polite of the-world.
| She has long played the role of a despot.
| Two things have distinguished her.
| Ireaehery and oppression. The spirit that
| animated her when she threw Columbus
| into chains has been the governing prn.
| ciple of all her colonies Unlike other
countries, she has never learned from ex-
| porience no matter how costly the les
son had been. Her diabolical DISPOSE.
| ton must be stamped out under the cruel
sufferings of war. The American people
viii now never rest satisfied until The las,
| vestge Of Spanish misrule, of Spanish
| cruelty, has been exterminated on this
| Western hemisphere.
There is to much life to allow the con-
| tinuance Of this old, half-paganized Ideas
! of government represented by Spain In this
| new world" continued DIR. Scruggs "The
! broad IDEAS of freedom, the high ideals OF
| liberty, that have grown up here render
| it impossible for such an anaehronism as
| Spanish rule to remain. She has worked
| out her destiny in this continent. She
has, under the providence of God, come TO
the end Of regime Of oppression blood
shed, robbery and general despoilatlon OF
man. Coming through the fires of adj
| versity, may she be cleansed and purified.
| May she take on new, freer, more Vigor-
| Gus, more enlightened life. Then will this
war have been fought not only for the
| liberation of suffering Cuba, but for the
elevation on a higher plane of that mother
country from whence all Cuba's wrongs
| have come"