The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-23
REV. c. H. STRONG ON MURDER.
His Application of the Sixth Com
mandment.

mandment.
Motives and Deeds of Hatred and Muir
der" was the subject of Rev. Charles H.
Strong's sermon at st. Johns Church last
night. The subject was rather an unusual
one for the pulpit. 1t was based upon the
sixth commandment, Thou shalt do no
murder"
Mr.. Strong held in his sermon that there
are other means of murder than the Vio-
lent killing of one human being by an
olher, and some even more heinous The
character of a man or a woman may be
murdered by another and thousands of
lives are annually sacrificed to lust and
selfish greed. The history of the human
race seems almost like a commentary upon
the statue of Moses, said Mr. Strong. No
sooner had the gates of paradise been
closed than the first murder was commit
ted. Since then the hand of man has
been constantly against his fellow man.
one OF the rudimentary principles of
every nation has been that whose sheds
mans blood by man shall his blood be
shed. The method of vengeance pursued
by the Jews in Biblical times differed but
httle from that of the modern Italian ven
1eta. "A brother or other near relative
avenged the death by Staying the murderer
ana the blood quarrel was handed down
from sire to son.
Mr. Strong said that he was opposed to
the IDEA of doing away with capital pun
lshment. Although the methods for the
preservation of social order have greatly
improved, society still has the right to
demand the life of whoever wilfullv takes
the life of another. The wel-being of So
clety is more important than the welfare
of the individual
Mr. Strong spoke of the degrees of
crime. The mere taking of life is not
murder in the eyes of the law. There are
different degrees of the crime. There
might be different opinions, he said, as
10 the degree of saneness of a man who
commits murder, but the power of lust
ana the lust of power and gold become
IN time madness which send many a man
down 10 the lowest depths.
Mr.. Strong alluded to war as murder
by wholesale He does not uphold the
idea, however, of non-resistance. War is
sometimes just and sacred necessity. he
said. OF such was the recent war with
Spain, which was waged for humanity
But of the many wars recorded in history.
how many, he asked, were just and how
many were waged for unjust purposes
The Franco-German war he mentioned as
waged to maintain the failing fortunes of
a rotten dynasty. As nations become more
civilized, he said, the arbitrament of war
will cease to be resorted to.
The lust of men was mentioned as being
responsible for long roll of victims. Sell
fish greed of men is a cause of many
murders In this connection Mr.. Strong
alluded to the sweat shops. How many
of the garments which we purchase so
cheaply in our stores have been construct
ed TO the song of the shirt" he said.
Other causes of murder mentioned were
envy, scandal, prejudice and religious in
tolerance. Religious intolerance has
sometimes changed the church of
Christ into a temple of blood The
pages of ecclesiastical history are as
fun of persecution as are those of the pa
San era. Has religious prejudice entirely
passed away? he inquired. Somewhere to-
day our modern sanhedrim is in session,
somewhere Calaphas is presiding, some
where innocent men are being convicted:
somewhere Christ is looking down and
saying, We know not in what spirit We are. {"