New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-17


late expression to the thought Of England's be-
inc overburdcncd with the cares of empire. To
nm eager. restless, colonizng people, ever seek
ing new territories, ever charging us sphere
OF Influence his "wcary Titan.
Bearing on shoulders immense,
| Atlantean the load.
| Well nigh not TO be borne,
OF the too vast orb Of her fate.
seemed TO be an unbound giant TO whose
strength none but the imaginative could see
limit Rut the poets vision has become inc
statesman's truth. and to-day we ma EnShsh
public men frankly oppressed with the sense
that their share of the worlds work FOR CIVIL
izatlon Is almost beyond their powers lhey
sec that they cannot undertake to enllghtcn all
the dark continents. They excite already the
envy of other nations who look mt DOMINION
from purely selfish point OF view, ana me
problems OF government in so vast an empire
are SO numerous and complex as TO overtax inc
strongest and most active minds. therefore
Englshmcn are urging us to realize what rate
has before us, to accept responsibilities ana as
n first step TO hold the Philippines, for they
think. as "The London Spectator puts IT, that
| "lt would hc n relief II another Englisn-spcak-
ling Power would take up portion OF our task,
I and in taking II. perform the duty OF repay
ing something to the world which yields her
| such advantages
| WHY should We not respond to such an In
| vltatlon? Much has been given us, we have
been richly blessed; shall we bury our talent
| I'm our own garden patch: Perhaps we may
not find Il best TO keep The Philippines hut that
need not prevent us from thinking of our OPP
portunity and duty ms missionary Power. We
|
coming rich and comfortable until we may well
ask why We were put in this blessed landwa
It that we might become workers for the less
| fortunate and less enlightened. or was ii that
We might Craze and grow fat? No people has
ever been heir TO n fortune Ike that OF the
Americans. unless It was the Spaniards on
whom Il was wasted \ virgin SOIL untold
wealth space for growth. freedom from ex-
| ternal cares gave the supreme chance OF
history to build Nation Of vast power and
high civilization unirammcllcd by the quar-
rcls. the overcrowdlnG the popular poverty and
the lettering traditions Of the Old World. We
have been like n child growing mp 70 manhood
free from the responsibilities OF HE, and there
comes time when We must assume them. Our
Government il not perfect. We have National
defects OF character but most of those defects
bnl,y. Just rs our people are extravagant in
their living and wastcful Of their wealth Of
land and forest because they have had such
natural abundance ms not 10 have learned the
need Of economy. SO We permit corruption In
government and endure the spols system be-
cause we have got on well enough without cor
rcctlng those evils
Are We bonstfui? II is because our strength
| oLa
DO we lack expert talent In administration
| our problems have not been so difficult but
that we solved them without IT, We have the
latent ability and moral force for the highest
development Of governmental and diplomatic
science. for the refinement of our crudcness, for
the reform Of our social and political abuses.
What We need are the trials and the strains.
not OF external conflict, but OF external rcspon-
sb'y and OF unsclnsh cares. to teach the ne
ccssity OF setting the National house in order
10 a people who tolerate defects 10 which they
are not blind because so far 1t has seemed that
they could afford to tolerate them. England
learned to govern her colonies only after losing
the United States and after long experiment in
! Canada. Her splendid civil service was due to
a realization that the universal purchase Of
office, both civil and military, must give way
| 10 the imperative necessity for administration
adequate to growing difficulties. We ourselves.
as never before understand the need Of trained
soldiers, expert financial advisers and learned
dlplomatlss, simply because never before
we see what mistakes we have made and may
mako without them With nations, ms with
men, necessity Is the mother Of invention n
we lack form. It IS because have never been
disciplined If we have not made the best OF
our powers Il Is because our best has never been
required
Nobody can doubt that England has been the
missionary OF civilization, and that In taking
our part in her tasks we should be "repaying
something to the world for our blessings. The
| talk OF duty to the dark races hypocrisy but
no man who looks Mt English rule In Egypt and
India. who compares English with French Ger
man and Russian coonlzlng. can doubt that
with the English dag have gone blessings never
| known before by the barbarans over whom 1t
| floats, such as no other flag could have brought
| them. Whether We are to have n FAR flung
battle line" or. keeping close Mt home are to
! exercise only n moral influence on the rest of
the world, as our ideals OF liberty. our prompt
ings of duty. standards OF humanity are
those Of England. may well give friendly
| hand to the weary Titan" and be glad RI, when
the fitness OF our time has come, we shall be
found helping the English to enllghtcn the dark
places Of the earth.
Tho scarcely disguised attempt OF The New York