St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-01-08

an enormous empire, with vast terrific
ties in the richest portions OF the New
World. Streams of wealth were con.
stantly pouring into its Golfers from these
conquered possessions. At the close of
the eighteenth, and the beginning of the |
nineteenth centuries, the outlying por-
tions of this vast nation began one by
one to sever all relations, until at present
it retains its hold upon only two sections
OF any great importance-Cuban in the
West, ard the Philippine Islands in the
East Judging by the past century, and
the loss to Spain Of every possession in
both South and North America, it seems
not unsafe to predict that the beginning
OF the twentieth century will see il return
once more to the actual limits of its
possessions in the fifteenth. Now, then,
what causes have operated to bring on
such decay of prestige, while other Euro
pean nations, like Germany and England,
Russia and Italy, France and Austria,
have developed and in some measure
kept close together in their development
mental and moral? Briefly put. |
should sum the causes up as (D Irrelig-
ious solicitude for God; (2) Greed for
gold; (3) The Grandee spirit; (4) A
wrong colonial policy; (5) Unprogress-
iveness. On only two of these features
shall have space to dwell this week.
The balance will be referred to, in my
next.
Altogether Spain seems to have been
possessed of demon of selfdestruction,
demon that has taken varied forms in
four centuries but which, through them
all, has been forcing Spain steadily on
ward toward humiliation. It's wars
with the Moors fostered strong national
spirit, and because the wars were relig
ious in character, they tended also to
make Spain the stronghold of CATHOLIC
cism. So long as there was fair fighting
Spain was strengthened by the conflict;
for in certain stages of human progress
war, with it's attendant horrors, seems
to have been, if not necessary feature,
at any rate, an aid to civilization. But
Spain, when the conquest was practi-
cally complete, and the remaining Moors
had settled down to agriculture and to
trade, burning with zeal Tor the God of
their bloody imaginings, called in to aid
in the complete determination of every
heresy, that hendish device for popula-
ting Heaven and saving souls, "The In
QUESTION" Their conquests in the New
World also were in the beginning relig-
ious conquests. Their adventures were
to win vast glory for the church, and so
in the name of Almighty God, most joy
ously did they STAY without conjunction
The demon of Spain, burning with the
lust Of conquest, drunk with the blood Of
its best children. personi6ed by Pizarro
in Peru, and Cortez in Mexico, by
treachery and by superiority of army
by ambush and by outrage, destroyed the
civilization of the Incas and ravished the
possessions of Montezuma. Everywhere
the thought was supreme to win a
greater realm for the Catholic faith
But, as always with religion lacking
the true religious elements of unseltish-
nd hano n mar oil "a |,
for greed and wickedness Undesirable.
1t is safe to say that any nation that
places its hopes for permanency upon a
misconception of Gods character is
building les structure upon the sands.
That strange royal pair, Ferdinand
and Isabella, combined in themselves an
intense greed for gold and a fierce relig-
ious intolerance When their country
could produce such devoted servants OF
God as Loyola and Saint Theresa, we
must indeed believe there was depth to
the religious feeling. But also when we
consider the servant of Ferdinand and
Isabella, the fierce Torquemada, we are
compelled to realize that with religion
was a tremendous admixture of greed
After the lnquisiton became thoroughly
established, it was found so easy to sc.
cretly dispose OF men and women oil
wealth that to Ferdinand, eager for
money, the temptation was too over
powcring. So, while lsabella's fanatical
soul was satisfied with the works of the
= Holy Office, Ferdinand found solace to
himself in replenishing his treasury. The
work of the Inquisition became in short
little else but robbery and murder in the
name OF God. If the walls OF the Escuria
could speak a cry Tor vengeance, long
inaudlble to human ears, would stii
, the human heart. With the same spirit
of lust tor wealth, the colonies were
always regarded as fair prey to be mere
lessy stripped of everything valuahl
that was compact and tranSportable
Precious metals became common il
= Spain, wealth was on every side, luxury
was all perverse. Yet in the midst OF it,
greatest material prosperity, the demon
; of sell-destruction was unobtrusiveN
$ at work, for any nation that puts it,
c trust in material wealth for permanencN
also builds its structure upon the sands
STATE OF ONO, CITY OF ToLEDo(
LUCAS COUNTY.
Frank J. Cheney makes oath that h
c is the senior partner OF the firm OF +
t Cheney & Co. doing business in tn
Civ Of Toledo County and State nlore