The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-26
A JEREMIAH ON THE WAR.
Prof. r. c. Norton Takes a Pessimis-
tic View of the Situation.

ASHF1ELD, Mass, Aug. 25.--The TWEEN
tieth annual dinner in aid of Sanders Acad-
envy was given this afternoon, with Charles
Elliot Norton, professor emeritus of fine
arts of Harvard University, presiding.
There were addresses by Rev. Charles W.
Chadwick, of Brooklyn; G. Stanley Clark,
professor University of Worcester; Rev. DIR.
P. S. Moxsom, of Springfield; Sherman S.
Rogers, of Buffalo, and Booker T. Washing
ton, the principal of the Tuskegee Institute,
Alabama. The principal address was by
Professor Norton, who devoted himself to a
discussion of the late war. He referred to
the academy's prosperity during the year,
and continued as follows:
And yet our hearts have been heavy
with new weight of care, and the very
brightness of the sunshine has but deepened
by contrast the. cloud of our sorrowful
thoughts-sorrowful that our Nation should
have turned its back on it's ola ideals, ana,
standing at the parting ways, should have
chosen the ancient path, familiar to the old
world, worn by the bloody feet of hapless
generations and which has never led to
anything but ill-the path OF aggressive
war, of foreign conquest, of alien terri
torial ACKNOWLEDGMENT, the path that leads
from trouble to trouble.
The black and brutal visage of war has
indeed been lighted up from time to time
during the summer by the gallant deeds of
our men in the service and by the good con-
duct and marvellous good fortune of
navy, and by the general temper of human
ity displayed as soon as the actual fight was
over by both officers and men. But it has
taken on a deeper shade of gloom from the
needless sufferings which our brave soldiers
have had to endure from the lack of due
provision for their needs alike in camp, on
field and in hospital 1t has been a misera-
bic spectacle of incompetency, for which
account must be rendered and penalty en-
acted"
After a review of the events leading up
to the war Professor Norton said Peace
has nominally come. The actual conflict
has ended. But less than one hundred days
of has resulted in a revolution in the
United States. The foundations on which
the Republic has rested have been unset
tled the principles upon which the govern
mcnt depends have been viola ted; have
undertaken obligations which neither our
institutions nor our national character en-
able us properly to discharge. We, the one
great nonmilitary power in the world, have
suddenly joined the ranks of the nations
have loaded ourselves with an enormous adj
ditional debt and with an enormous in
crease in annual expenditures; permanent
oppressive tax upon the industry of the peo-
pie, and, further, whatever disposition may
be made of the Philippines, we are already,
through holding them and claiming the
right to dispose of them, brought into en-
tangling relations with the nations OF the
old world. and run the risk of losing the
inestimabe boon which has hitherto been
ours of freedom in the complications OF in
ternational complications of the old world
and remaining the independent masters OF
cur own fortunes. 1t is, indeed, mo-
mentOuS revolution"