Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-07

'iwar is hell" but even hell rights some
of the wrongs of life Surely there is
some humiliation, something to bring
low the pride of Spain, some wholesome
| lesson that shall teach her humaneness
and true chivalry. We should use
some strong. righteous wrath, some
stern moral dignity which demonstrates
that we esteem the lives of our own and
the need of humanity everywhere.
We should be ready for some vigorous
! self-sacrifice, for the sake of honor and
humanity. This is neither unrighteous
nor foolish. He who cannot see that
life sometimes must be sacrificed to
save life; that even the safety of life
can be bought only by the spending of
life; who does not know that defense
has honor in it, which aggression has
not; he who cannot see this is blind to
history and the value of life.
For indemnity! There are ills which
honor bears, which indemnity cannot
cure5 there are sorrows which grief has,
which money cannot comfort; there are
indignities to life, which gold cannot
mend. 1t seems to me pity that indem-
nifty ever was mentioned. 1t is as though
a man whose house was blighted by an
adulterer, should say to the adulterer,
I ought to kill you; you deserve death.
but | am afraid it will injure my bust
ness to fight you, and perhaps mean the
life Of my son. Give me a thousand dol
lars and | will say no more about it. :"
Two perils confront us if Spanish per-
fidy has caused the Maine disaster; war
with its horrors or the sale of honor and
life for gold. If either must come, let it
be not the loss of honor and the under
estimate of human life.
If it We're an accident, we want no in
demnity; if it were Spanish neglect only
indemnity may come with honor; but if
it We're Spanish perfidy, then money
adds to the perfidy; to take it were to
barter life and honor, and would not
make Spain have either respect for life
or relish for humaneness. What is our
duty on the basis of humaneness? The
first and near duty is to send food and
medicine; and this, thank God, is being
done in almost every city of the land
save this one We should intervene. Let
international law stand aside under the
supremacy of humaneness. Let peace be
disturbed and be up at her duty; let
business feel the blow for humanitys
sake!
As it was Great Britain's duty to in
tervene for bleeding Armenia. so it is
ours to interfere for starving Cuba on
the basis of the supremacy of humanity
| say the world needs the lesson of the
value of human life. No nation so much
neeuS TO Ieacn TINS lesson, as We'll as
herself to learn it, as this nation. Upon
no nation does the obligation rest so
heavily as upon this nation. | believe
the protest of an honorable dignity to
be sufficient to stop these ills. Not a
braggadocio, but protest of honor and
determination based upon clear con-
viction that it is our duty on humane
grounds. and enough our duty to justify
the sacrifices of war, if war is necessary
1t is the dilatory half-fearful protest we
have made which enlarges the probable
ity of war
A firm. honorable, determined protest
which has grit and moral substance in
it, while opened to the charge of brag-
gart seeming to invite war; would, do
more than anything else to bring peace.
But our dignity must have moral
basis. But what 1 had intended to be the
principal teaching of this principle must
now for the time being take a secondary
place. 1t was the truth that if God val
ues man above institutions and laws,
man should appreciate the value of his
own life and take hold on all the instru-
ments of noble living and with these
seek his way into the salvation and SER
vice of God