The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-11-04
TIE MODERN CHIvALRY.
nOnor and Virtue Will Now Be
Safe in the Spanish
Colonies.

Capt. Frank Wildes, Of the American
cruiser Boston, who bore distin-
| guished part in Commodore Dewey's
splendid victory at Manila, has writ
ten 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-
Pile denouncing the American sailors
as pigs and monsters, who, if they sue
ceeded in entering the city, wouldlin-
| dulge in 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 Spanish lady of great refinement
and beauty, who had heard these terri
BILE 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 consul
simply replied:
MADAM, honor and virtue are safer
in Manila to-day than they have been
for 300 years."
/ That truthful assurance contains
- 6 h. Mt nd
far-reaching results which the present
war is destined to accomplish. Social
conditions in SPANS colonial terri
tory have long been VIGOROUSLY cor
rupt and vicious. The unprincipled
officials whom the Spanish government
has kept in control of her island pos
sessions have debau ched both society
and politics. Many of them have grown
rich by levying blackmail 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 war
will abolish these revolving conditions
and open the way for social order and
progress. In every one of the colonies
which the clash of arms wrests from
the dominion of Spain the status of
woman, socially, Intellectually and
morally, will undergo an immediate
and steady improvement. She will ac-
quire larger liberty, a higher respect
and purer influence than she has ever
enjoyed under the degrading misrule
| of Spanish monarchism, and her ultl-
mate advance to the honored position
now cheer fully assigned to her Anglo
| American sisters will be the browning
achievement of the nineteenth century
chivalry.
Beneath the extraordinary and help
| full interest which the women of Amer
| lea have thus far taken in the struggle
with Spain there is profound convic-
| ton that this is holy war for the res
cue of womanhood and childhood from
| :he clutches of their despoiers. The
| blood of Weyler's innocent victims
| cries from the Cuban soil for vengeance
and vindication. The specters of the
helpless mothers and babes whom that
relentless monster put to death by the
exquisite torture of starvation still
| haunt the horizon of our latter day
civilization, and they will not down
until the merciless power of Spain is
forever destroyed in the islands which
| she has shown herself unfit to govern.
| To this heroic task in behalf of virtue
and honor the sons and daughters of
the great republic have dedicated their
hands and fortunes. The god of bat
ties will affirm the Righteousness of
their cause, and they may confidently
| appeal from kings to time for the ap-
prevail of their deeds.-N. Y. Mail and
| Express.