The Irish standard., 1896-03-28
WHAT .Ar1ERIcA OWES SPAIN.

WHAT sAllENlNA VWEoH SEAM
The. New York Sun recently argued
that neither this country nor England
| owed anything to Spain, either in civil
ization or anything else. To this line OF
argument the Philadelphia Catholic
Standard and Times raises an objection
pointing out that to Spain European
Christian civilization owes its very .ex-
istence in our day.
Yet, it is true that the majority of non
Catholic writer's who deal with Spanish
history ignore the. universal debt to
Spain for the preservation of Christian
civilization to Europe. continues the above
mentioned paper AS a rule this class OF
writer's are fond of extravaganti eulogy
of the Moors during their sojourn and OF
regret for their .expnlsion. But this only
furnishes one more proof OF the blindness
induced by religious prejudices. The
Protestant and infdei writer's OF the sew
enteenth and eighteenth centuries out OF
hatred for the Spaniards took up the
praise of: their enemies, the Moors, and
the fashion once set has been kept up to
our day. And yet, whatever may be sa'd
OH the aesthetic side of certain achieve
lnents of the Moors in science, Industry
and art, the SIMPLE TACT always remains
that the unrelenting war carried on by
the Spauiards for nearly eight hundred
years for the expulsion OF the Moham-
medan invaders from Spanish soil was
really a war in defense OF the European
continent. Whether the Spaniards were
aesthetic enough to admire the MOORISH
accomplishments that have been SO mucfl
extol.ed by writer's like Washington Try
ing is of little consequence. What does
matter is that they We're brave enough to
resist the invaders and finally to thrust
them back to Africa, and in so doing
saved Europe from being overwhelmed
by Islam.
The Standards are often described as a
grave people. They could not we'll
have been otherwise with such history
of centuries of bloody persistent ana
never-remitting struggles to free them
selves and their land from the Saracen
hordes Had the Spaniards been less: IN
tolerant, had they as the writers who
dislike them would have them DO, vel
coined the Moors and given themselves
IN to an aesthetic contemplation or
Moorish skill and taste, not only would
the Spanish peninsula have been sub
iected to Mohammedanism with all that
it implies, but France, too, and the other
continental states as we'll, would nave
been oyerrun. In that case, Westminster
Abbey would probably have shared the
fate of St. Sophia in Constantinople and
a. turbaned crowd of devotees would
about now be preparing to celebrate the
feast of Ramadan where in fact John
Bulls stronghold, the bank of England,
now stands.
It is altogether false that the United
States are not under a debt of honor to
Spain. 1t is fact too much overlooked
that one of the most potent agencies Tor
compelling the recognition OF. American
independence was the action OF Spain
during our Revolution. Our armies alone
cor,d not. have accomplished that.
About one-half the Americans OF that
day, and they the richer and more intiu-
entail sort, we're Tories, warmly opposed
to separation from England. 1t was the
help of France, and very decidedly OF
Spain;s that brought about success to
what would otherwise have been a lost
causs." 1t was the war made by the
Spanish navy upon the English mer-
chant ships in the Gulf of Mexico that
really touched the most sensitive part Oh
the British nation, it's pocket. 1t is not
too much to say that Don Bernardo Gal-
vez. the Spanish viceroy OF Mexico
caused more shuddering among the Brit
ish ship-owners and traders than all
other causes combined, and it was the
c,amor of the Bristol men that then COM
nelled the British ministry to come to
terms. .- -
IF we are to have quarrel with Spain
let it be on just grounds, and, above All,
let the truth be told. 1t is high time
that the old bugbear stories about Span
ish cruelty should be cast aside. Ihey
we're invented in the dark days OF rellg~
ious rancor and served their purpose then
to keep alive a feeling of hatred and DIS
gust for one of the most chivalrous ma
tons of Europe, There have been no
drawer soldiers in the world than those OF
Spain. Even so calculating and bitter
an enemy of Spain as was Motley has to
admit over and over again in his history
of the struggle in the Netherlands that
the Spaniards were practically invincible
against any troops that were sent against
them except when actually overwhelmed
by sheer force of superior numbers. AT
sea. no sailors have been more venture
some. We of the United States owe
much to this great nation and should
never deny our debt. w.. "s.. 9
OUR MANUFACTURES.