Evening journal., 1898-10-24
THE MODERN cHIvALRY.
Honor ana Virtue VIII Now Be
Safe In the Spanish
Colonies.

Capt. Frank Wildes, Of the American
cruiser Boston, who bore a distin-
guished part in Commodore Dewey's
splendid victory at Manila. has writ
ten a letter to one of his friends in
Portland, Me-, describing picturesque
incident that followed the Spanish de-
feat. 1t will be remembered that be-
fore the arrival of the invading fleet
the Spanish captain general of the
Philippines issued addresses to the peo-
pie denouncing the American sailors
as pigs and monsters, who, If they sue
ceeded in entering the city, wouldin.
dulge in q wild carnival of violence and
crime against life and property. The
more ignorant classes of the inhab
itants were made TO believe these
frightful stories, and even some Of the
intelligent residents were seriously
alarmed lest the dreadful Americans
should subject them to indignity and
suffering. Capt. Wildes tells the story
of a Spanish lady of great refinement
and beauty, who had heard these terri
bic reports, who went to the British
consul and asked whether he really be-
lieved that the hated Yankees were as
they had been pictured in the captain
generals proclamation. The ct'nsul
simply replied:
MADAM, honor and virtue are safer
in Manila to-day than they have been
for 300 years"
That truthful assurance contains
hint of one Of the most important and
far-reaching results which the present
war is destined to accomplish. Social
conditions in Spain's colonial terri
tory have long been notoriously cor
rupt and vicious. The unprincipled
officials whom the Spanish government
has kept in control Of her island pos.
sessions have debauched both society
and politics. Many of them have grown
rich by levying blacl1mail on vice and
crime, and other influence has been
constantly used to stife the morals
and conscience Of the people. In an
atmosphere thus polluted life and
honor are held at their lowest valua.
ton. The law, administered by cor
.rupt officers, has offered no redress for
the wrongs of their helpless victims,
and in some of the cities of these
Spanish colonies, Havana, for example
women and young girls have been de.
based to the lowest depths Of degrade.
ton.
Under Providence, the present wal
will abolish these revolving conditions
and open the way for social order anc
progress. In every one of the colonies
which the clash of arms wrests from
the dominion of Spain the status o.
woman, socially, intellectu tually anC
morally, will undergo an immediate
and steady improvement, She will ac
,quire a larger liberty, a higher respec'
and a purer influence than she has evel
enjoyed under the degrading misrul'
of Spanish monarchism, and her ulti
mate advance to the honored position
now cheeIfully assigned to her Anglo
| American sisters will be the crownins
achievement Of the nineteenth centur,
chivalry.
Beneath the extraordinary and help
full interest which the women of Amer
lea have thus far taken in the struggl
, with Spain there Is profound convic
tion that this is a holy war for the res
cue of womanhood and childhood iron
the clutches of their despoilers. TIL
blood of Weyler's innocent victim
cries from the Cuban soil for vengeanc
and yindication. The specters Of tn
/ helpless mothers and babes whom tina
relentless monster put to death by III
exquisite torture of starvation stil
haunt the horizon of our latter da
civilization, and they will not dow
until the merciless power of Spain
forever destroyed in the islands whic
r she has shown herself unfit to govern
= To this heroic task in behalf of virtu
and honor the sons and daughters c
the egreatrepublic have dedicated thei
hands and fortunes. The god of ba
ties will affirm the righteousness {
their cause, and they may confdentl
appeal from kings TO time for the al
e proval of their deeds.-N. Y. Mail an
I Express.