Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-05-21
a Nation Born I'm N Day.


The Manufacturers Record deprecated
| war. Too deeply do We realize its mise
ries. the trail of blasted homes, of death
! and sickness and broken hearts that fol-
low its course than TO have regarded
| with other than horror the efforts of
| demagogues and sensational journals 10
| make honorable peace impossible; but,
! now that the war is upon US, We must
| accept 1t, press IL vigorously, and with
all the power OF the whole nation, and,
| though individuals must suffer its sor-
rows, these will be overruled to the good
Of the country as a whole. 1t Is a
strange mystery of life and death, Of
existence of an individual or of a nation,
that these things should be so, and yet
We know that they are.
Willingly or unwilingly, for good or
for evil, but we hope for goOd-our own
and the world's-this country has entered
new period in its history. We have
laid aside old things and suddenly step
ped into the worlds arena, no longer
a country unto itself but a country of
Infinite wealth. Infinite possibilities. hest
tating for moment in accepting the new
responsibilities placed upon us by Divine
Providence, and yet ready 10 meet the
emergency. AS in the life of an indi-
Vidual, there sometimes comes a great
crisis, when he would fain shirk new
responsibilities and new duties, but which
destiny forces upon him, and which. If
he has true manhood i'm him. develop
and strengthen his character and fix his
future, so our country faces new duties
and new responsibilities, from which IL
would gladly be relieved, If it could be
done with honor But the Providence
that has led us through the past, that
has saved US from internal destruction,
and for many years from external tyou-
bles, until we have attained our present
commanding position, has, we believe,
destined the United States TO be the
dominating power in the world and this
war is but the means 10 the end.
Civilization advances on the wreck and
ruin of the past; life develops through
death itself, and the history of the world,
secular and religious, teaches that Oft
times war. with all its horrors. all its de-
structlon of life, Is but the foundation for
advancement From the Revolutionary
war TO 1870 our own history emphasizes
this. This war means a broader and
deeper patriotism; II means the death or
the clamor Of masses against classes.
the end of sectional strife. a vast expan-
sion and broadening of every phase OF ma
tonal life, and the development Of higher
individual character. AS "A man brOadens |
with new responsibilities so does "A ma
ton, if it has inherent strength and so |
our entry into the worlds affairs widens |
our horizon, enables us TO see that we |
have new duties 10 perform, and nerves US |
for the work of civilization that is before |
Us.
What this change means in trade ex- !
panslon al home and abroad can scarcely |
be comprehended now. First, 1t means a |
great navy and "A great mercantile ma |
rine. taxing for years to come the utmost |
of every ship-yarI-two things |
alone which are of incalculable value to /
our business interests: the construction
with the utmost speed OF the Nicaraguan
canal under American control and 10 the
south this canal will annually add greater
wealth than its entire cost: the deyel-
opment of Cuba. and by good sanitary
measures the practical elimination OF the
LANCER 10 the South from that country
II yellow-fever; the establishment of coal
ng stations in the Pacific and the con-
.rol OF large part OF the trade OF the
Eastern world
Truly, we are living I'm a wonderful
.ime. when IL may almost be said that |
Dewey fired a shot that made IL possible
o see the fulhlment OF Scripture in that
"A nation shall be born In a day." This
lation has had a new birth, and IL en-
ers upon it's new life with a glorious flu
urea future OF great responsibility, OF
progress, OF peace. and pros
'erity among our own people. an end
Il the cry that the rich have no patriot
SIN, united people. and a united coun-
ry, taking our place as. the foremost ma
ion of the world In the advancement of
Utilization and in the extension of trade.