The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-16
1T WAS GODS WILL.
Bishop DOane's View of the War with
Spain and It's Results.

ALBANY. N. Y, Nov 15-Rt. Rev. Will
liam Croswell Doane, in his annual address
to the priests of his diocese to-day, made
important reference to the Spanish war, the
alleged abuses and the Episcopal Church
idea of acquisition of territory He said in
part:
Step by step, in the unaccounted-for de-
struction Of our battle ship, in the unparal-
leled victory of Manila, in the blind blunder
of Cervera, in the matchless siege of SAINT
iago, God has wrought out His will and re-
vealed His way. Not less, it seems to me,
in the humiliation than in the honor of the
war has He spoken to chasten any spirit
of vainglory by the dark shadow of the
sufferings in camp and hospital, which an
administration of military affairs, accus-
toned to such duties and expecting the
emergency would have avoided. Just or
unjust, wise or unwise necessary or avoid
able. the decision has been taken out of hui
man hands as to whether there should or
should not be war with Spain, the capture
Of Manila, the occupation of Porto Rico,
the responsibility for Cuba. / shall be sorry
if i1 begets in us land hunger, which has
been called the disease of the Anglo-SaXon
race.
Il look with grave anxiety upon the ire
mendouS problems which demand the ut
most wisdom of a craftsmanship for whose
creation we nave need TO pray. But the
duties are upon us and the dangers are be-
fore us, and we must meet them like men
and in the fear of God, and not apply to
the conditions OF to-day counSelS that were
wise a hundred years ago, nor whine like
babies at bitter dose of medicine, or
schoolboyS over a lesson that is hard to
learn. The brave and honest and it seems
to me. the sensible and only attitude, is
that of waiting upon God to learn and get
from Him the wisdom and the grace to
W ha xreH II
with sword and cannon and muskets, by
fleets and armies, new place for this peo-
pie among the nations of the world.
Courage and not complaining, prayer and
not vain regret, confidence and not coward
ice, ought to be the spirit of the Christian
citizen of America to-day. We have won,
not a victory over a brave but feeble foe,
but We have won unity among ourselves, the
knitting together of the EngliSh-speaking
race, the deliverance of an oppressed people,
an open way among the nations for a purer
faith, truer liberty, a finer civilization.
And we must pay the penalty, too, for the
grief and losses of the war, and of its heavy
burden of national responsibility. OF the
duty of this Nation to the world to-day we
ought to think and speak upon our knees.
1t is God who hath wrought this out and
who hath changed the face of the world,
who has made the little q strong nation,
who has wiped out piece by piece, off the
map of America, the name even of the ma
ton whose illuStriouS son discovered the
existence of its southern hemisphere, who
has built UP the domination of the Anglo
Saxon over the Latin races, who has almost
reversed the miracle of Babel by the mas
terry of the English speech in all civilized
nations of the world. These are the condi-
tons which confront us.
I'VE cannot go backwards to the circum-
stances or the duties of century ago. Not
conquest, but the acceptance of response
bility in the world of which we are a part,
among the nations and peoples of the earth,
to whom we have a message; this is our
duty, written, 1t seems TO me, Tor him VINO
ms n