The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1897-01-16
POSSESSED OF A DEMON.
Is the once Proud Spain rushing on
to SeIf-destruction?

Spain as Il decaying nation. Last
week the assertion vas practically
made that Il nation must have
some ideal before it beyond the
forcing Of Il creed or the piling of
wealth. In both OF these directions
Spain has been at fault. Three
further enervating causes have
been at work undermining its
national strength.
+ ~
THE GRANDEE SPIRIT: For
centuries after the destruction of
the Roman Empire by the Cloths
and Vandals, the human intellect
was almost benumbed. Until the
Renaissance aud the Reformation a
pail Of darkness was over all; the
mobiles being almost as unframed
as their serfs being utterly crushed
by the 80 of nobler blood. Humanity
in Europe lay like giant chilled
by tho cold. But since that time
stimulation of thought has caused
the great heart of the world to
throb with increasing power, till
the life of a common humanity
thrills, in large measure, even
those most separated by birth and
wealth. Each age has had its pc.
cular characteristic; ours is the
peoples Age" But against the
tendency OF the people to think
and act, hope and accomplish, the
proud and stubborn spirit Of Span
ish grandeeism has stood forth
with fierceness. Yet just as Canute
by his word could not hold the sea
in subsection nor Mrs. Darlington
sweep back the waves with her
broom, so no dynasty or power,
even hoar with age and crusted
with heroic deeds, can withstand
successfully, by parrow-minded
repression, the rising tide of human
ASPIRATION. fit turn a deaf ear to
the cry of the poor for life and
liberty, for education, for hope, the
cry will not die out but its plead
ing tone will be turned into fierce
and fateful growl of cOrnered
beast. Thus has it been with Spain.
Far more organized and dangerous
tlan Nihilism in Russia, is An
archism in Spain. The Kingdom is
SO thoroughly honey-combed with
the sentiment of lawless break
ing down of the government, that
the men in power try, constantly to
divert public thought from home
affairs, and are glad of anything in
foreign lands that will form.a safe
outlet for the combative spirit.
They are under the hopeless neces-
sity of watching and guarding
against the home, population rs
thoroughly as they would have to
watch an invading army. We be-
lieve we are safe in saying, not
even excepting Russia, that no
other nation in Europe but Spain
is In this anomalous condition. 1t
stands revealed before the world
as a nation that has not controlled
the growth of hope and thought,
but withstood it instead; with
the inevitable disaster coming
nearer every day.
~
COLONIAL POLICY: If we look
back at the conquests of three or
four centuries ago, when constant
tidings of new continents, wealth
etc. fred mems adventurous souls
the skirts of no nation will be
found entirely free from innocent
blood. With a few notable excep.
tions, in spots, like Rhode Island
under Williams, Pennsylvania
under Penn, and Maryland under
Calvert, cruelty and illiberality
have almost universally accompan-
led the work of establishing new
colony. But gentier times lave
brought gender methods; and
various nations seem now to vic
with each other In the liberality
and excellence of their colonial
policies. Take England for an
instance. Its illiberal treatment
of its most valuable possession, now
the United States, has entirely
passed away; SO that at the present
it is practically true that many
small possessions in various pant
are better raled, better prospered
Naud stronger as dependencies than
they would be as separate and indie
penaent governments. The policy
of ENGLAND aud Of othe nations
who try to rival her in colonizinl
activi,y, is to look onIyfor indirecl
estilts from good government