The times., 1898-12-26
A PR0VIDENTIAL DUTY.
Rev. A. $. Fisl<e breaches nm EIO-
quent Sermon for Expansion.

quent Sermon for Expansion.
The Rev. Asa S. Fiske. pastor OF the
Gunton Temple Memorial Church
preached an interesting sermon last night
to large congregation. His text was:
For the nation and kingdom that VIII
not serve thee shall PERISH He said:
Let every nation. therefore. look to it
self bst it perish. The highway of his
, tory is cluttered with wrecks of nations
which have forgotten to serve God. See
the decaying nations of today which a
few centuries agone stood in the mag
niticence of the world. 1t is from this
point of view that 1 want you to reflect
on the great event of this nation which
is drawing to a close and the oppoI tunity
which is before us.
THE dawn Of the twentieth century
opened with a mighty wailing from tne
suffering Cubans. Our sympathizing Gov
ernment tried succor for the starving
That could not suffice. Our Government
protested against the barbarism of Spain
toward the Cubans; that awaited nothing.
So, at last. came war In reality. No war
OF conquest or Of greed or for glory was
this. 1t was declared and it was war
ages undertaken in an unselfish and al
truistic purpose. Our victory was Won
derful. 1t was past all hope. A hand
unseen has directed and shielded u.s.
Every step In the struggle was provi-
Dental necessity, taken in the interest of
mankind.
above all, God has opened to us an op-
portunity for beneficent purpose of
Christian civilizing on a vast scale. These
peoples flung on our care are of many
types. They will for the present be but a
burden. Return them to Spain? To have
done that would have been an infamy
Turn them over to other powers? War
would flame over Europe in a month.
Abandon them? They would destroy them
selves.
These tropical. mixed. and passionate
races, L believe. are capable of a high civ
ilization and yet incapable of wise and
safe absolute autonomy. Beyond our pres
ent guardianship we need only wait on
Providence for future direction. Our Ad-
ministration has waited to see and has
waited with ever-fresh guidance. | be-
lieve that We are now at the entrance of
an experiment not less significant than
that of our own independence. Great re-
sponsibilities develop great powers and
foster lofty ideals. Study Of ideals for de-
velopment of these insular trusts will of
necessity broaden and purify our views OF
government at home. At every step of
our august imperial expansion the proph-
cts Of pessimism have stood aghast with
cowardly terrors. There is not a new or
original wall in all the chorus of forlcrn
prognostications of disaster which we
hear today. Our whole history has been
of expansion.
The treaty is signed and will be rati-
fed. We are in for it. We cannot shake
or shirk It OF. 1t is poor craftsmanship.
poorer patriotism, and poorest manhood
to stand haggling about what might have
been done. We have nothing to do now
but to face the facts; TO meet the exist
ing conditions for God and humanity.
we accept with as solemn joy this
immense Christmas token in the very
spirit of the angels song to the shepherds
of Bethlehem-'Giory to God in the high
est and on earth peace! Good will to
men, +"