Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-28
GIBBONS DEPRecATES WAR
Catholic Cardinal Discusses Strained Rela-
tious With Spain.
ReauieM Mass Celebrated ut Cathe-
dral I'm Baltimore for Victims
OF Maine Disaster.

BALTIMORE, February ga solemn
requiem mass for the repose Of the souls
OF those who lost their lives through the
destruction Of the battle ship Maine In
Havana was celebrated at the cathedral
here this morning. Cardinal Gibbons made
an address and read the services for the
dead
A number Of naval and military ciIscers
were present. including those Of the militia
and naval reserve. Tho vocal music was
furnished by a quartet from an opera COM
pany now performing in Philadelphia.
The cardinal said
I'VE do not fully realize how ardentiy we
love our country until some crisis occurs
which awakens our devotion to her and
arouses our admiration and gratitude for
those who have died in her service. Such q
crisis has quite recently occurred, for We
have assembled here this morning TO as
sist at the holy sacrifice offered up for the
souls Of the brave officers and men who
have lost their lives at the post OF duty.
We are also called together to give ex-
preston TO or heartfelt coincidence and
sympathy for the. bereaved relatives of
those faithful defenders of their country
whom the nation mourns / Sc. before me
representatives of our army and navy;
see representatives of our excellent state
militia and Of our fellow citizens at large.
You represent sorrowing nation. for every
home in our broad country feels the loss as
personal one.
President IL Commended.
Too much praise cannot be bestowed on
the President and on the members of mis-
cabinet. and particularly on the Seer. tary
OF the Navy and his able assistant As we'll
as on the houses of Congress- for the calm
Tess ard tranquility, the self-control and
the self-possession, which they have ex-
fibfted during the fearful ordeal through
which the country has been passing In the
iast few days. 1t needed only spark to
k1nd!e great confagration, and the pa
1sat aid dignified bearing of the execu-
tive ard legislative bodies are all the more
commendable in view Of the misch.evous
and incorporate utterances of some sensa-
uonal newspapers.
This nation Is too brave, too strong too
powerful and too just to engage in an un-
flghteous or precipitate war Let US re-
member that the eyes of the world are
upon us, whose judgment we cannot de-
spise. ana that W. will gain more applause
and credit for ourselves by calm delibera-
ton and mastery inactivity than by re-
course TO arms. Thrice is he armed who
hath his quarrel just
Il hope and believe, for the honor Of hui
manfty, that the destructi ton of the Maine
was caused by an accident, and i'll that
Case Spain cannot be responsible. But SUD-
pose some iendish Cuban had occasioned
tfis fearful loss of life in order to emnrcil
oui nation in a war with his mother coun-
try! In that case Spain should not be held
I~'pNHS'Iic. <Aiu even Hdu some IanatlC9l
Spaniard perpetrated this atrocious crime
there would be 70 necessity for recourse
TO me arbitrament of the sword.
Inc only circumstance that would war
rant active hostilities would be the evidence
that the Spanish government connived at
the placing of torpedoes or explosives in
the harbor of Havana to destroy our YES
sci. But do not believe. and no sane man
can believe. that chivalric nation would
be guilty of such inhumanity
Await Result of Inquiry.
An able commission has been appointed
by the government to investigate the cause
of the disaster. Let us calmly and d.spas-
sienately await the result of their verdict
and not anticipate their Judgment. One
thing is certain, this country knows how
in any emergency to defend her honor and
protect her interests
l5 These brave men did not die indeed on
the deck OF ship with weapons in their
haHus. NeVerthelesS We must regard them
as the heroes or martyrs to this country
VINO died at the post to which the call to
outy assigned them. l earnestly hope that
the day is not far off when a grateful ma
uon will show her appreciation of the sery-
ices OF those brave and faithful public serv
ants by erecting to their memory a suitabIe
monument, monument which will not only
commemorate the dead, but which will he
an Incentive of patriotism to the living
by Keeping before them the sentiments so
Wen expressed by the Roman poet:
-, luce ct decorum est pro patria mort :
Ut Is sweet and honorable to die for one.
country