Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1898-06-08
1.-THE MAKING OF HISTORY"
Stories Of Two Battles Of Civilization
Told Concurrently.
What the Conflicts Decided Is Settled Forever
The United States an Island
Empire.

Inc past rev weeks nave given
to history two of those great bat
ties which determine the course
of the human race. Curiously,
the Witness gave the vivid details
of both on the same day. There
have been thousands of more des
tructive battles whose significance
has been comparatively small,
perhaps marking the progress of
some conqueripg tyrant whose
dominion crumbled when he died,
or soon after; perhaps the over
running of some. effeminate race
by fresber and more barbaric
one,to be enfeebled in turn by con
ditions of like luxury. What makes
these two shocks of arms, one on
sea and one in the heart of con-
tinent, great, is that what they de
cided is decided forever. They are
victories of light over darkness, of
civilization over savagery, of
kindness over cruelty. They are
victories of that race whose mis-
sion it seems to be to spread re-
sistless, if somewhat accommodate
ing, power, a robust, if somewhat
unmannerly, civilization, a vi
rile, if somewhat dissonsnt,
speech, aud a true-hearted, if
somewhat neglected., religion over
the whole face of the world, and
to exercise a rude but benignant
and fostering protectorate over
races in their homage, who have
not yet learned to take care of
themselves. They are remark
able alike in being conflicts be
tween gigantic and unstinted re-
sources of wealth, science, moral
strength and humanity on the one
hand, and on the other reckless
courage, banefully backed by pow
erty, corruption and mutual dis
trust and hatred The result in
each case was absolute victory
and total, irreparable rout.
The battle OF Atbara was over
practically the whole strength of a
savage tyrant who bad been desc
lating Central Africa for twenty
years. All his adherent chieftains
wrre sent to the battle, leaving
him practically only a powerful
bodyguard Of his own cut
throat tribesmen-this divi-
sion because he distrusted
his followers, and rightly, because
they hated him. The battle of
Manila WAS against feel not only
unequal to its enemy, but in every
out of readiness.
Poverty and dishonesty mbined
to render its equipment unman
ageable at the moment of need.
There was too little coal to keep
the fires up; there was apparently
no adequate material fol mining
the harbor. There had been too
little powder to give the men suf-
ticient practise at gunnery. The
curse which caused the downfall
Of China a year or two ago is upon
Spain. There the money which
had been lavished upon armament
had been devoured by official
plunderers, and nothing was
found honest or reliable when
wanted. The men called on to
fight, from the highest to the low
est, fought under the conviction
that thsy had thus been betrayed,
and with no confidence in or
loyalty toward those over
them. The condition of the
Spanish armament was little diff
fepent. Indomitable warriors as
Spaniards naturally are, they
could have no real steadfastness
under such conditions. Then the
Spaniards, like the Khalifa's
emirs, knew that those behind
them, whose landat they were de-
tendlng, were Thousand fold
more their foes than those in
front of them, who cherished
against them no hatred. Centu-
ries of cruel oppression were
fermentlnR in the hearts of the
people of the Philippines, who
had only one passion, and that
was lust for vengeance upon the
Spsniards. AS in the case of
the Khalifa, the cup of SPANS
iniquity is full, and so, in spite of
her unquestioned courage, her
wounds are in her back. Apart
from assaults from without, she is
in mortal agony and nigh unto
death. The battle of Atbara puts
tha Il AQUA -,.a 80 kka MIL