San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-03-14
PROF. Fishes LECTURE.

| c)very OF America" at Memorial hall
last evening. His subtopic was Bar
| tholOmew de las Casas." He said
| that there were some romantic aspects
to the discovery of the New World.
The minds of the people who had Wis
| tied this country were crowded
with visionary and delightful
schemes which they did not hesitate
rope. The people, like the heroes
in the Arabian nights, were bent on
obtaining their due share of the
riches this country was supposed to
possess. There was murderous war
fare and guerilla fighting constantly
gong on in the different European
countries about this time, and in
these hostile affairs the Spaniards
were pre-eminent. The Mussulmen,
however, from the beginning of the
eleventh century, had become an in
dustriOus race, and were superior in
every way to the people OF the other
| countries.
The average Spaniard was roman
tic freebooter, character de-
veloped by circumstance. 1t
was gOd-send to Spain
when her last war had ended, and
new and fruitful fields across the At
| lantic had been discovered. Here
was a land of numerous possibilities,
and a lucrative field for romantic ad-
| ventures. There was an abrupt tran
sit;On from the conquest of the Mus
suImans to the conquest Of heather
red men, and about this time ancient
! slavery was dead in England and
moribund i'm Europe generally. Mo-
! dern slavery began in l4f2, when the
| Portuguese made their voyages of dis
cOvery along the African coast. The
| ancient slavery system consisted OF
burning the victims at the stake and
inhicting other like cruelties, while
the modern slavery was milder in
form.
The year 1914 seemed to be the first
of modern negro slave impOrtatiOns.
These negroes were used as a market
able commodity, and sold for cheap
labor by the Spaniards. America
opened up a good field for the impOr-
tation of cheap labor, and with this
new field slavery all at once sprang
up at rapid raIe in Europe.
1t was not long before the Indians
were subjected to slavery. The in
sidiOus and unsupported germs of an
awful tyranny were in the atmosphere
at this time, and rapid developments
brought the Indians into complete
slavery. This tyranny began by
the action of the SpaniardS in
eXactimw tribute from the red men
in one form or another. This devel-
Oped into feudal vilIemage, and, soon
after the arrival OF OvandO, who es-
tablished his seat of government at
San Domingo, the indians were
thrown into zen cOmiendas.' or all
iect slavery. OvandO was cruel
man, and IN his time laid waste many
an Indian settlement. His form Of
government lasted for seven years,
when he was recalled by the Spanish
sovereign.
Bartholomew de LAS Casas ac-
companied Columbus on his third
voyage, anu the latter dis
covered the continent. Las Casas
had rare executive power. Titanic
energy was claim in his judgment
and was absolutely fearless and true.
He was the best historian at the time,
and in one of his books he said Ovan-
do was a good governor, hut not for
Indians. In 1910 ii band Of Dominican
monks arrived on these shores, and
some memorable sermons were
preached 10y Antonio MOntesinO
against the unspeakable horrors
p0rpetrated against the Indians.
These stories had a wonder
tul effect upon the mind of
Las Casas, and he became converted
TO the monks idea of thinking. At
PentecOst, in 1914. he delivered a
strong sermon to the Spaniards and
threatened them with everlast ting
torment, if they did not leave the IN
dams alone. Las Casas saw no harm
in holding slaves, but, as he was a
gentleman, his Indians were treated
kindly. He soon released his slaves, |
however, ana returned to Spain to |
arouse the Government to the evils
of slavery. He did not fare we'll with
one Bishop FOnseca, who had cyni- |
cal contempt for any degree OfphiIan
UhrOpy, but he succeeded in impress
ing deeply upon the mind of Cardinal
NImenes the necessity tor the abOli-
ton of the evil. The result of this
trip was the institution of halfway
measures toward reform. While In
dian slavery was abolished to Il GER
tain extent, negroes were held in
bondage, for the reason that they
were the stronger of the two races,
and could stand the work.
Las Oasas tried to found a mission
AIRY colony in Venezuela on the prin-
ciple of free labor, but was fOiled in
his efforts by one Scurvynail, who
was named Obela. Soon after this,
Las Casas retired to monastery for