The Portland daily press., 1899-10-23
Interesting Talk By Rev. Or. Fem
Last Evening.
Nations Generally Felt
Discouraged.
The Devotion To The Army and
Navy.

At The High street Congregation
church last evening. the pastor. Rev. Will
liam II. Fem, ID. d delivered an inter-
esting address upon 1.-THE feelings In Ku-
rope as to the results Of the Peace Con-
grsss.'
"Ihs present method in vogue In Eu-
rope for the prevention of war in all its
herrors is that OF Increased armament
said DIR. Fem. 1.-THE increasing strsng h
shown In 1896 and is7J had made war
popular. This is Iesuliar oharactsris-
tii If Europe. There seems to be a mania
regarding the army and navy and wher-
ever you go l think you find this. There
q. seems to be disposition of show SO that
the very parade itself may be able to
avert part Of the great calamity.
Nevertheless, these things are growing
to be an insutferable burden to the peo-
pies who sre keeping them up. 1t is
perfectly plain that the competition in
the business today is such that no people
can afford to enter into these terrible
arrangements. Fesling .hese burdens
; 1t has teen no surprise that some effort
has lesn made to arouse the moral senti-
msnt cf the world.
"The conference at The Hague met last
year. 1t had as representatives, many
able men. The German delegate aroEe
ana stated that disarmament was simply
impossible. saying that this would mean
the entire destruction Of the army and
navy. He was possibly right. The
thought therefore, is that no nation Is
going to allow itsslf to be conquered by
a smaller nation.
"Russia is great cloud over Europe
generally and Is a menace to the MAORI
y of her peoples
While he was abroad this summer DIR.
Fem here said that he had asked several
peeple whom he had met If this stand
which Germany takes, was not the fault
Ct herself. The general answer to the
effect that this was true.
'"Ihe decision OF Germany at the con-
fs ence was that nothing could be done.
Tne chief purpose, therefore. for which
ths conference had bean called, failed.
The foreign press sympa,hized with It's
pc sition. In 1870 IL was plainly the
machinati. ms of Germany that made
Francs indignant ana fomented war.
II has been thu result of that war that
keeps. Europs in agitation now"
DIR. Fem recalled the war with Spain
last year and said had Spain been willing
to listen to arbitration, 1t was generally
thought that arbitration would have been
possible.
1.-THE value of the tribunal suggested
at The Hague will deTend upon the re-
spe1t it has of the nations. The verdict
is left to their good Judgment. 1 think
stat when the conference adjUurnsd,
therefore, the general fesIing was not
cnly of disappoin 1Inent, but also of de-
SOAR, and that the general OPP nion In
Europe was that the results were nil.
1.-THE Gear OF Russia Is q young man
ana one who has future bsfore him.
having that man make proposition Is a
moral demOnsration OF value to the
world. i say that it is n great thing that
this has happened. We can arbitrate at
our plessu II the occasion comes. The
average man, says the German, knows
his liberty letter than any body else. So
do we. Is it possible that they would en-
ter into a court in which their hands
would be tiedf Human nature exists In
the average man and 1t exists in ma
ton.
1.-THE problem CT Europe today is SOW
sReignty. Therefore, the nations think it
impossible to eradicate these ideas of hui
man nature. Who believes that because a
man learns to read and write and TO add
sums that murder, rapine and lust are
to ceasea We are TO educate and Chris
tlanize men. God in His mercy in yari-
ous ways works for these things.
"We are told that just as men
nations. Yhe nations the lnsslyes are
growing moral. The petty jealousies of
the past vanish.
England lie ready to make arbitration
possible. Every step in that direction
should be welcomed by US ALL"