The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-07

Admiral Dewey's guns at Manila, there
would be excuse for criticism. But the
men who saw clearly into the future
were fewer than those whose eyes and
thoughts were turned toward the past.
DR.. Abbott is but type of the awaken
ed nation. 1t will not be the same ma
tion at the end of this war that it was
at the beginning. We shall have new
problems and new ideas, and no one
should be surprised if this war has as
great effect on the history of the world
as did Peter tho Greats turning Of the
face Of Russia from Asia toward Europe
and civilization. DR.. Abbott spoke as
follows:
Il think not moro than three months
ago was saying, we do not want to
meddle with the other nations of the
earth;' was saying, we have got all
the problems we can attend to ourselves;
we want no others. / say SO no more.
Suddenly this nation has been thrust
out to tako its place among the nations
Of the earth. There are no more hemi-
spheres; there is only one great sphere,
and we are all Of it. We have wakened
up and find ourselves OH this globe with
Turkey and Russia and England, wheth-
er we would or no. We have passed our
teens and VIC have entered our manhood.
The crudities, the imperfections, the
audaciousness Of our youth still cling
to MS. We have yet a great deal to
learn none the less we have entered on
our national manhood
"The issue seems to me to lie the old
issue in O new form. / do not wish to
take this day and this platform to glo-
rify my country on the ono hand, nor
would take it to vilify Spain on the
other. have no hate for Spain. / hope
for her long life and her national pros
perity. hope yet to see her take her
place among the nations of the earth,
where she ought to take it, marching
with the nations CT the earth toward n
larger liberty and nobler life. would
not vilify Spain, but still, when con-
slider what the issue is and put these
two nations side by side and see what
in their history, in their constitution,
in their laws, they stand for, this seems
to be very clear: On one side self gov
ernment and on the other despotism.
traditional and still maintained though
under forms of constitutional law; on
the one side public school system pro-
viding education for all the people,
though not yet adequately, and OH the
other side, ] believe, the greatest illit-
eracy of any state in Europe; on one
side progress, the nineteenth century,
by quick step into the thirteenth, and
on the other side the sixteenth century,
with scarcely flower of the nineteenth
blooming ON it.
"This issue--liberty, despotisn, equal
chance, caste, public school system, ig-
norance, nineteenth century, sixteenth
century-it is the same battle that was
fought between Drake and tho armada; I;
it is the Same battle that was fought be-
tween William of Orange and the Duke
Of Alva in new form. In this issue
faced we cannot halt or turn back. do
not discuss the question whether we
have entered into this battle in the most
dignified manner possible. / think we
have not. / do not discuss the question
whether we could have avoided the con-
flict by diplomacy; do not believe we
could have avoided it by diplomacy.
do not debate the question whether 1t
ought not to have been selected by ar
bitration; questions of right ought to
be settled by arbitration; question Of
duty, no. Whether we were under oblf-
CATION to stand still while cruelty and
rapine and starvation did their work
Just across tho border was aqucstion for
the American to scttle for himself, not
TO be settled for himself by any other
man or body of men ON the globe. But
] do not discuss these questions. We