The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1904-10-28
CHRISTIAN CHURCH CRISIS.
DR.. Scherer's Strong Sermon On the
War in the East.

of Newberry college, preached ST..
Andrews Lutheran church, Charles
ton, on Sunday last. In his sermon
he discussed in mastery fashion the
conditions in the far east incident on
and leading up to the present war,
and spoke of the great duty placed
upon the Christian nations of the
earth. The report given below is
taken from the News and Courier.
October 24.-Developing the
thought that with Japan rests the
future of the Orient, DR.. James A.
B. Scherer, in a scholarly sermon to
large congregation in St. Andrews
Lutheran Church last strongly en-
phasized the duty of the Christian
Church in the present crisis in the
| far East. Dr.. Scherer was for several
years the pastor of ST. Andrews
Church, having resigned only few
months since to accept the presidency
of Newberry College. He spoke
last night by invitation of the Young
Ladies Auxiliary of the church, and
the deserved popularity of the
speaker and his well-known famil-
iarity with the events leading up to
the Russo-Japanese war, and with
its progress since the beginning of
hostilities, attracted a congregation
which completely filled the church.
Dr.. Scherer chose as his text Mat
thew, 1863: "Can ye not discern the
signs of the times? "He believed that
| the signs of the times, as manifest in
the far Eastern war, indicated that
the Christian Church was facing one
of the greatest crises in its history.
The speaker reviewed the events lead
ing up to the present great conflict
between Russia and Japan, beginning
with the efforts Of Russia two hun
dred years ago to secure an outlet on
the south in the Pacific seas and in
unfrozen Pacific seas.
He referred to the inroads of Rus
sia in her steady pursuit Of this
policy during two hundred years,
coming down to the time when Ja-
pan perceived that Russia's next
step would be to obtain Korea, and
it had been said with truth that Ko-
rea in Russian hands would be a
| dagger aimed at the heart of Japan.
Japan began her preparations for
war. Succeeding other important
events, which the speaker referred
to, came the Boxer uprising in 1900,
during which the nations sent troops
to China, afterwards Withdrawing
them, with the exception of Russia,
which continued to move soldiers
with their families into Manchuria
virtually taking possession of that ter
ritory. Japan, knowing full we'll to
what these events would lead, came
to Russia with the proposition that
the rights of Russia in Manchuria
should be defined on the one hand,
and the rights of Japan in Korea on
the other. The efforts proved futile,
and on February 8 came the declara-
ton of war, since which time the
world has stood with bated breath
watching the unqual conflict.
Here came little nation, which
has sprung suddenly from mediaevel
darkness into the light Of modern
civilization, in a conflict with Russia
winning a series of victories. What
did it mean? The speaker said that
he would not attempt to predict the
outcome of the war, but he called
attention to the fact that a new
force had sprung forward upon the
stage of human history, force which
could not be dispised. which must
be recognized, and that Christians
must face this fact
Japan, he said, was the predestined
tutor of China, and China, which had
accomplished so much in the past,
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