The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-04-13
NO WAR EVER RIGHTEOUS
So DR.. Torrey Observation-Disclosures in the
Single Tax-Views on Social Re-
forms.

SuAkic AdA-sHC"S Oh SO1AA ne
forms.
Speaking on social conditions and
projects for their amelioration at the
Academy Of Music yesterday afternoon
DR.. Torrey gave come interesting de-
tails a to his personal views on some
of the great issues Of the day, not
1t appeared that he believed in the
single tax theory of taxation, had Of
ten hoped for the social commonwealth
] thought no war righteous, and was an
unconpyomisang anti~yivisectionisL
Experience, be added. had persuaded
him that these and many other schemes
for the corrections of the evils grow
ing out Of the competitive system Of
business and the accumulation of
wealth in the hands of the few were
not feasible because men were almost
uniformly selfish.
Early in my ministry / took up
many schemes to get society right"
he said. Society, you know, is out
Of gear. The fact that wars occur,
that poverty exists, that some men
have more money than they know
what to do with, while others find life
a constant grind and struggle, proves
that man has made a failure of soci-
ETY.. Although | have supported Ito
plan schemes | am convinced that
there will be no solution Of these prob
lens until Christ shall come. That is
why Tn an optimist Of the optimist,
Were it not that | believed in the
second coming of Christ l would be
one of the most hopeless of pessimists.
NO WARS ARE RIGHTEOUS.
NO one gets glory out of war but
the devil shouted the evangelist.
There are no righteous wars. These
enormous standing armies, in which
men are trained to kill other men, ex-
ist for organized murder. One side
at least is wrong. and often both. l
am a Quaker in n point at least,
an dthat is my adherence of war. If
there is any n instrument on earth
that was born in hell, it is a
when God shall take the reins Of
government there will be no war. oh,
this damable war spirit! Most OF us,
if we do our part, can prevent some
wars. Beware of the laudatiOn that
is bestowed upon military heroes!
1uIS Guilty. dIlOH VI Luo Wal SplIAl WILL
bear awful fruit some day in our chill
dren. But when Christ m there
will be peace.
II have said many things about
Philadelphia that yOu may have
thought harsh, but l want to declare
that I admire a city that IS known as
the city of Homes" Jesus Christ
has promised that when He comes:
"There shall sit every man under his
own vine and fig tree and no man shall
make him afraid When He comes
war, want, suffering, competition and
pain will cease. There will no longer
be unbounded prosperity for the few,
while the rest of mankind suffer.
Peace, plenty, prosperity, brotherly
love will come to all the righteous
Although all the schemes for gen.
eral society betterment ever suggested
have failed, DR.. Torrey said he admir-
ed men and women who strive to bet
ter conditions.
81 praise God for every man and
woman that has ever done one par
ticle to tighten the burden of human
! sorrow he said. mo matter whether
they believed as I do about God, [ a V
always and will ever continue to ienu
NV encouragement to them. Christ
has told us to bear one anOther's bur-
dens. and until He comes to straight
en- all things out let us do what we
can. I know it is a disagreeable sub
iect to many of you. The grinders
are not here. They are toiling that
many of you can find time to be here.
"What about us that can find MOTH
ing to grind?' cried a man in the gal
lery. God help you!' responded the
evangelist. Society will grind you,
but some day Jesus Christ will grind
your oppressors.'
DOESN'T BELIEVE IN EVOLU-
At the noon meeting DR.. Torrey
smoke on Cod and attacked the doc
trine of evolution.
There is" he said. abundant proof
Of the existence of God, so abundant
that no man can sit down and consider
the proof thoroughly and candidly
without acknowledging the existence
of him. Nature proves Gods exist
ence. You can study nature in the
minute or you can study nature In the
vast: it makes no differences; every
where you find the marks Of lntelil-
gence and creat1ve MIND; everywhere
YOU will find law, order, symmetry.
All proving an intelligent Creator OF
the material universe in which we live.
Il formerly believed that the doc
trine of evolution was true, but gave
I'D the belief, not from theological but
from scientific reasons, because it was
absolutely unproven- People talk
about the missing link. They are al,
missing. There is not a single place
where one species passes over into an
| other species. Development of varie-
ties there has been, but of evolution
Of a higher species from a lower not
one single proof.
History proves that there is a God.
You see throughout all history 'One in
creasing purposes a power not our
| .o1-os u-hioh naal-os for rirhteouSneSS