The San Francisco call., 1899-08-17
PLAIN TALK ABOUT THE WAR

A strange infatuation seems to possess
the minds of some people who are called
religious, proclaiming, as they do, from
pulpit, platform and press that this ma
tion is to-day engaged in "a holy war
| in trying to subjugate the Filipinos.
Several so-caRed eminent clergymen
have said in sermons recently delivered
that God ordained that this nation
should conquer and subdue" the Filipino
rebels, that thereby civilization may be
advanced and His name glorified." Texts
have been culled from "the Book" with
painful care to fit the position assumed
by these holy men of God" Some of
our religious journals have been trying
to prove that this nation is the great
emancipator of the world. and that we
have been delegated by the Almighty to
wade through seas of blood to the end
of bringing the needed gospel to starving
souls, providing any of the heather should
be found alive after the eXterminating
process has had its full course and been
glorifed."
The Congregationalist of Boston in re-
cent number very tersely says: The fer
tiiity, audacity and agility of a certain
school of interpreters of the Bible is we'll
Illustrated @ in the supposition advanced at
the Bible Institute last week in Chicago
by popular Boston eXegete. He found
in Isaiah IL and IA and jeremiah 80 and 81
sure proof of the annexation of the Phil
ippines by the United States, and the
further striding eastward of what seems
to him a materialiStic civilization until
China shall have been captured and Baby
Ion once more become the seat of the
worlds mightiest civilization, albeit one
that will be given over to anti Christ The
same report adds that thousands sit en-
raptured daily under such exegeticaI leg
erdemain as this What wonder that men
who are told that such a use of the
Scriptures is legitimate say that one can
ind ind i. in the s,, Bible whatever one wishes to
On the other hand. a religious journal
In this city upholds and defends the war
on the F1lipinos as just and God-given.
In other words, no matter how much
blood and treasure are expended in sub
Jugating an innocent people who desire
liberty and an independent Government,
let this nation go on to the bitter end;
and that sentiment, not reason. was in
splred OF heaven, born of God. Could
there be to the Christian mind anything
more sacrilegious than such sentiments
as these? How can 1t be that religious
teachers and editors of religious Journals
take such views and enunciate such doc
trines, which are certainly contrary to the
teaching of Jesus? The editor of the pa
pei referred TO proceeds to hold up to
pubic scorn a leading clergyman of San
ton: II tell you that If God is upon the
hring line of the Philippines I cannot see
IT., The editor says: it is IAN excess of
sentiment" Sentiment. indeed! Cali it
that If you will but for one let it be said
| prefer that term and all the Intended
81 sur winch 1t carries with it than to have
l.
humanity of man to brother man who de-
slres TO be free from slavery and worse
than despotism. / prefer Christ to Gaze
sar; | prefer liberty and freedom to i'm
Give me liberty or give me death" can
at this time with true application be taken
eultor throw your intended stigma of
pessimistc sentimentalism or what YOU
VIII; the right and the wrong will be
pam TO every man or woman with the
true spirit OF Christ beating from his
neart for humanity and the genuine up
LIting of the human race.
Ihe same San Francisco editor on July
IA, lSs9 says: An Illinois village sent
seventeen young men to the war They
We're sober industrious boys when they
went. went. One came back in a coffin; sixteen
came back confirmed drinkers" What
KIND OF sentiment is this? Does this ap-
peal with telling force to American
homesf can Christian man feel that
war brings blessings to a Christian nation
much less Christianizing influence, to
those whom the church seeks to convert?
A matter of history comes back at this
moment to show the feeling and the
spirit or the Filipino Junta in April 1885,
petore there was the least suspicion that
our administration intended to take and
hoid the islands. The Junta issued its
proclamation in these terms: "Compa