The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-01-15

This forgiveness of Jefferson Da-
Wis and his allies is the noblest ma.
tional example of the application Of
the principle of requiiing evil with
good. Looking back at it now
through nearly quarter of a cent
ury, it is nearly certain that any
other course would have been both
less honorable and less prOduc-
tive of beneHcent results in the
strength and elevation and unifica-
ton of the nation. The fires of dis
content and sedition and race hat
red, though they have flashed up
angrily at times and produced re.
suits disgraceful to any people,
burn much lower on the whole
than if they had been met in diff
erent spirit. There is no question
that new spirit is beginning to
show itself in the south much ear
lier and more cOnspicuOusly than
if every wrong there committed
had been met in the spirit OF ven
geance. We are nearer to the end
Of the ills existing before and dur.
ing and since the war than il we
had demanded ian eye for an eye"
This is sometime, perhaps sooner
than many suppose, to be the spir-
1t in which all national difficulties
are, in much larger degree than
heretofore, to be met. In our time,
in our country especially, is this
spirit more and more manifest. 1t
was present when Lee surrendered
at AppOmattox, when Sumner gave
his great grafton on the "True
Grandeur Of Nations" when Gen.
sral Grant refused to review the
troops of the queen of England,
when President Hayes adopted
his famous southern policy, which
the nation has never dared to
change. 1t was this spirit that
made possible the peaceaole settle
ment of the Alabama claims, that
makes it difficult to keep our stand
ing army large enough for the po-
lice purposes of the nation, that
keeps our state militia companies
less than half full. This same spir-
it will, it is to be hoped, make short
lived the present efforts to increase
largely the coast defenses of our
country against purely imaginary
enemies. The progress Of the world
under Christianity is away from
revenge and war, and the temper
airy spell which the country has
taken under false idea cannot per-
manently retard it, The people Of
this country as a whole do not
want war; they have never had
the war habit. The Pan-American
congress meets with nearly univer-
sal approval. 1t was born of the
spirit of peace and brotherhood of
this western world. Not many
centuries ago nation as great in
power as ours would have landed
its war shipt on the shores of every
South American nation, and sent
its armies overland to breathe out
threatening and slaughter every.
where. We have never done much
in the way Of conquest, and that
little we are ashamed of. The in.
FAINT spirit of peace and brother.
hood, which was driven from the
old worlds generations ago has
grown In our soil. The nations
across the sea with their millions
of armed men and their war con.
gressts and councils, do not know
what to make of US. The present
congress Of American nations is a
fact unique in history. 1t is the
first great landmark of the new
Christian civilization which will
some day stretch out its hand and
clasp the hand of the world. The
word of God is out that righteous.
ness and peace shall cover the
earth;" and the only way in which
this result can ever be reached is by
the universal application of the
principle Of doing good for evil.
When men learn to love their enc.
mics they will soon cease to have
any enemies to love.