The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1898-05-25
Sermons BY eminent D|V|NES.
GOSPEL MESSAGES.
fhe Subject, "Aiievintions of War" srost
Pertinent to the Exciting Ti,pes

Nheer FOR Those whose Hearts Are Sad
Text: Though war should rise against
me- In this will be confident. t."-Psnlms
"a, Ill.
The ring OF bnttle-nxes and the clash OF
shields, and the trump of armies are heard
M up ana down the Old Testament; nnd
you IND godly soldiers like Moses, and
Joshua. and Caleb, and Gideon, and
scoundrelly soldiers like Sennacherib, and
Shalmnneser, and Nebuchadnezzar. The
High Priest would stand Mt the head of the
army and say: "IIear, o Israel, We ap-
proach this dav unto battle against your
enemies, let not your hearts faint; fear not
and do not tremble. neither be ye terrified
because OF them' aud then the officers
would give command to the troops. say-
Ing: what man Is there that hath built n
new house and hath not dedicated it2 Let
MIN go and return to his house, lest ho die
In the battle and another man dedicate II
And what man is he that hath planted a
vineyard and hath not eaten of It? Let him
also go aud return unto his house, lest he
die In the battle and another man eat of II.
And what man is there that hath betrothed
awife aud hath not taken her2 Let him
60 and return unto his house, lest he die I'm
battle and another man take her" Great
armies marched and fought. In tho time
OF Moses and Joshua nll the men were SOL
diers. When Israel came out of Egypt
there were 900 lighting men. AbiIah
commanded 400 900. Jeroboam commanded
100000 men, OF whom 100000 we're 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 I'm all cases Il was n iudg-
ment upon both vlctors and vnnuuished.
David knew just what war was when he
wrote In the text, "rhough 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.
80 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. It Is butchery
wholesale. IL is murder glorlfled. II Is
death on q throne of human skeletons. 1t
Is the coffin In ascendancy. It is diabolism
Mt n game OF skulls. And the time IL coming
when war will DO nm impossibilty. How
Tar In the future / cannot say, but there
VIII be museum of curiosities in which n
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
VIII say, what are those round pieces OF
ironp" and the father will reply, "Those are
bullets and cannon balls and bombshells.
Those are the things with which In the
Dark Ages people killed each other" Yet
the father will have hard work to make the
son believe that such things were ever
used for the destruction Of human life,
But that time has not yet arrived, and
having on other occasions spoken TO you
OF tho "Aggravatlons of War" now that
war Is actually here 1t Is time to speak of
its alleviations.
First, find an alienation In tho fact TINT
1t has consolidated the North and South
after 1ong-continued strained relations. 1t
Is thirty-three years since our Civil War
closed, and the violences are all gone and
the seventies have been hushed. But ever
and anon, In grafton, in sermon, In news
paper editorial, In magazine article, on
political stump, and In Congressional hall.
the old sectional difference has lifted its
N4ad; and for the first time within my men,
CRY, or the memory of any one who hears
or reads these words, the North and the
South are one. 1t was not four years
war, but fifty years war; war of tongue,
war OF pen, war of printing press. But by
marvellous providence, the family that
led In opposition 20 our Government thirty
years ago, Is represented Mt the front In
this present war. Nothing else could have
done the work OF uniflcation SO suddenly
or so completely as this conflict. At Tampa,
at Chattanooga, at Rlfhmond. and In many
other places theregiments are forming, and
It will be side by side, Massachusetts and
Alabama, New York and Georgia, Illinois
and Louisiana, Maino and South Carolina
Northern and Southern men will together
unlimber the guns and rush upon the forti-
fcatfon and charge upon the enemy and
shout the triumph. The voices OF military
officers who were under Sidney johnson
and Joseph Hooker will give the command
on the same side. The old sectional
grudges forever dead. Tho name OF Grant
on the Northern side and OF Leo on tho
Southern side will be exchanged for tho
names Of Grant and Lee on tho same side.
The Veterans In Northern and Southern
homes or ptab hot
rheumatic limbs to SEQ whether they can
again keep step In q march, and are testing
their eyesight to find whether they can
again look along tho gun-barrel to success
fully take aim and fire. The old war cry
OF "On to Richmond!" and "On to WASH
ingtonl" has become the war cry OF "On
to Havana!" "On to Porto Rico" "On to
the Philippine islands," Tho two old rusty
swords that In other days clashed ut MUIR
freesboro and South Mountain m d Atlanta,
are now lifted to strike down Hispanic
Rbominatlons,
that 1t Is the most unselhsh war OF tho
ages. While the commercial rights OF our
wronged citizens will be vindicated, that
Is not the chief Idea OF this war. II Is tho
rescue OF hundreds OF thousands of people
from starvation and multiform mnltrent-
ment. A friend who went out under the
Nag OF the Red Cross two years ago to us
suage suffering In Armenia, and who has
been on the same mission, under the same
nag. In Cuba, says that the sufrerings In
Armenia Were comedy aud farce COM
pared with the greater sulferings of Cuba.
AT least two hundred thousand graves are
calling to us to come on and remember by
what process their occupants died. 1t Is the
twentieth century crying out 20 the nine
teenth: "Doyou mean to pass down to us
the curse with which you have been blasted2
Or will you let mo begin under new aus
pices and turn the island of desolation into
an island Edenic?"
1t Is war inspired by mercy, which is an
attribute In man initiative of the same at
tribute Of God. In no other age OF the
world could such n war have been waged.
The gospel OF kindness needed to be reeog-
nized throughout Cbristendom In order TO
make such war possible. The chief rea-
son why most OF the European nations are
not now banded together AGAINST us Is be-
cause they dare not take the part OF that
behemoth OF cruelty, the Spanish Govern
ment, against the crusade OF mercy which
our nation has started. Had It been on our
part war OF conquest, war OF annexa-
tion, war OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT, there would
have been by this time enough flying
squadrons coming to this country across
the Atlantic to throw into panic every city
on our American seaboard.
Ia xr.l ~ In. n.,,a A..-