The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-12-01
DIR. TALMAGE ON RUSSIA.
A DEFENSE OF RUSSIA AND
HER RULER.

Some Wrong Impressions Correct
ed--What Russia Has Done
for the United States--
Character Of the
Emperor.
BROOKLYN, N, Y, Special.-Rev. DR..
Talmage took for his text: II, Peter
ii, 10: "Presumptuous are they,
self-willed, they are not afraid to
speak evil OF dignities."
Amid a most reprehensible crew, Pc
ter here paints by one stroke the por-
trait of those who delight to slash at
people in authority. Now, we all
have a right to criticise evil behavior,
whether in high places or low, but the
fact that one is high up is no proof
that he ought to be brought down. 1t
is a bad streak OF human nature now,
as it was in the time of the text bad
streak OF human nature, that success
OF any kind excites the Jealous anti
patty OF those who can not climb the
same steep. There never was a David
on the throne that there was not
some Absalom who wanted to get it.
There never was Christ but the
world had saw and hammer ready to
fashion g. cross on which to assassin
ate him. Out of this evil spirit grow
not only individual but national and
international defamation. To no
country has more injustice been
done than to our own in DAVIS
that are past. Long before Mar
tin Chuzzlewit was printed, the
literature of the world scoffed at
everything American. Victor Hugo,
as honest as he was unequaled in lit
erary power, was so misinformed con-
corning America that he wrote: "The
most singular thing is the need of
whiting, with which all Americans
are possessed. 1t is such that on Sun
day they give the sailors little bits of
wood, because if they did not they
would whittle the ship. In court, at the
most critical moment, the Judge, whit
Ting, says: Prisoner, are you guilty?,
and the accused TRANQUILITY responds,
whiting, I am not guilty.''7 Lord
John Russell called US "a bubble.
bursting nationality" But our coun-
try has at last recovered from such
caricature, and there is not street in
any city OF Europe or Asia where the
word America" will not win defer
en'e' 49, n,,ss,. nrn MINI
But there is a sister nation on the
other side OF the sea nowgoing through
the process OF international defama-
tion. There is no country on earth so
misunderstood as Russia, and no
monarch more misrepresented thanits
Emperor. Will it not be in the cause
OF justice if I try to set right the minds
OF those who compose this august as
semblage and the minds of those to
whom, on both sides of the ocean,
these words shall come? If the sland-
or OF one person is wicked, then the
SANDER of 10000, people is 12O,-
100000 times more wicked. In the
name OF righteousness and in behalf of
civilization, and for the encourage.
ment OF all those good people who
have been disheartened by the scan
dalization of Russia, I now speak.
l said at St. Petersburg to the most
eminent lady OF Russia outside of the
Imperial family: care those stories
OF cruelty and outrage that heard
and read about true" She replied:
mo doubt, some of them are true,
but do you not in America ever have
officers of the law cruel and outrage.
GUS in their treatment of offenders?
AMERICAS BEST FRIEND. st,a4**et
1t is most important that this
country have right ideas concerning
Russia, for, among all the nations
this side OF heaven, Russia is Ameri-
cas- best friend. There has not been
an hour in the last seventy-fve years
that the shipwrcck of free institutions
in America would not have call7l
forth from all the despotisms of Eu-
rope and Asia O. shout Of gladness
wide as earth and deep as perdition.
But whoever else fails us, Russia nev-
er did: and whoever else was doubt
ful, Russia never was, Russia, then an
old Government, smiled on the cradle
OF our Government while yet in it's
earliest infancy, Empress Catherine OF
Russia in 1776 or thereabouts Offer
ed kindly interference that our thir-
teen colonies might not go down un-
der the cruelties Of war. Again, in
1913, Russia stretched forth toward
us a merciful hand. When our dread
full Civil war was raging and the two
thunder clouds OF Northern and
Southern valor clashed. Russia prac-
tically said to the nations of Europe:
keep your hands off and let the
brave man OF theNorth and the South
settle their own troubles"
| stood on New York Battery, dur
ing the war, as I suppose many OF
you did, looking off through g. mas
nifying glass upon q fleet of Russian
ships. What are they doing there?"
| asked, and SO every one asked:
"What business have the Russian
warships in our New York harbor?"
Word came that another fleet of Rus
sian ships was in San Francisco har-
Dor. "What did this mean?" our
rulers asked, but did not get immedi-
ate answer. In these two American
harbors, the Russian fleets seemed
sound asleep. Their great mouths of
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