The Irish standard., 1898-06-25
BY A DEsCEA A]ANT OF COTTON MATHER
IS TIRED OF TNlE VILE EIlTHETs IN
THE NEWSPAPERS.
SPAIN NO LESS CRUEL THAN BRITAIN
CUBANS NO WORSE OFF THAN T,I,
IRISH AND nINnOOS.

I wish to add my protest to the one
which appeared in your paper last week
against the ISLANDERS which are being
piled mountain high against the Spanish
people, says G. c. Copeland i'll the New
World, OF Chicago.
Let me say, in beginning and ending,
once for all, that l am Il Puritan Of
purest descent on both sides, can trace
my lineage back to John Alden OF the
Mnyilower, have the blood OF Cotton
Mather in my veins, Believe the United
States can whip any other nation on the
globe easily, and, if it has no islands
to defend, could, in a defensive warfare,
whip the entire world besides, and that
while war is on I want her to win every
battle.
The great dailics and nearly every in
significant country sheet are continually
using all the vile epithets the English
language is capable of against the Span
iards.
They arc called ignorant, unciyilized,
barbarous, vicious, cruel, bloodthirsty,
treacherous, immoral; Of a mixture OF
blood which can produce nothing better
than the cat or wolf, capable of nothing
but deceit, stab III the bach or Con-
spiracy," and are said to be a worse race
than the Turks.
We hear most Of this rehashed from
Protestant and Il regret to say) from
some Catholic puipi,s. 1 am sick and
tired of it. How many writer's of these
articles, or how many of these preachers
have visited Spain or ever known a
Spanish family or even a Spaniard init:
mately, or even seer one or read Span
ish book? What do they know about
the Spanish people anyhow? How Il
would like to have them before me and
catechise them and shame them, if they
have any shame left.
We claim to be Chrstians-claim to
desire the defense and spread of the
Christian religion. Now who fought and
won the battle of l.epanto under Don
John which saved Europe to Christian
ity Who dislodged the Saraccn pirates
from the north of Africa and drove
them from the seas? Who discovered
America and carried the cross to more
than half the world for love of God. so
that at this hour their blood and bones
are part of the soil itself? Was it not
the Spanish people?
What do these jlngo writer's and talk
ers know of the great libraries of Spain
of today, and how many Of them have
read the writings of Donoso Cortez or
Balmes-the greatest Christian and So
cialistic philosopher cf this century. or
even heard of them, or have any knowlA
edge of Spanish art in painting, whic!.
has certainly never been exccled, if
equalcd, by any other school? We arc
the most material, most selfish, most
ambitious, most mechanical most mon
ey loving, most egotistical and vain pco-
pie that has ever existed, and our great
fault i'll this connection is that we Judge
other people by this very low standard.
Is great wealth questionable acquired, a
cunning and will to circumvent our
ncighbor and impoverish him, greed to
possess lnuci. OF this worlds goods
the earth even-great skill in manufac.
ture, much superficial book learning
and exceeding great power and will
to wage war successfully, better and
| more to be desired and valued than just
ice and truth, and magnanimity, and
virtue, and chastity, and humility, and
| contentment? If so, we are unques-
| tionably the greatest and best of all the
| peoples. But if not, we are in many
respects slandering our betters
If our jingoes would read carefully
cur Prescott's comparison of Isabella
with Elizabeth Of England and his COM
parison of Ximenes with Richclieu OF
France and consider that Isabella was
not the only Spanish woman or Kim
enes the only Spanish man they might
be led to think a little and many of
them, if honest and intelligent at all,
might change their views somewhat and
write and talk less about the Spanish
| people.
In this world a greedy, selfish, ambi-
tious, material people will surely defeat
a generous, hospitable, humble, God and
neighbor loving, contented people.
Here is Spain's weakness today and
our strength. The Spaniards are the
most profound, most spiritual, most
| Christian people on the earth. and we
are the most material and most power
full.
While that nation has been great as
an instrument for Christiarizing the
world, she has not possessed genius
for governing at home or in her foreign
possessions. They understand this, and
in their Christian philosophy have 8
tradition that God has so blessed them