The Portland daily press., 1899-06-06
JUNGLE SAND
Lecture oftbs REV. Mr.. Bovard ON Thi.
seBjscs.

At the Congress Street Methodist
church last evening the Rev. Mr.. Bovard
delivered a lecture under the auspices Of
the kings Daughters. There was large
attendance in spita Of the heat and those
who heard the scholarly and eloquent adj
dress are 10 be congratulated. Mr.. Bo-
wards subject was Uncle SAM" Ho
began BY speaking OF the. cartoon treat
ment Of Uncle Sam and then went on TO
tell OF his wealth. resources and his peo-
pie whom the speaker characterized as
possessing heroic and noblesq ualities. He
then dwelt upon Uncle Sam ne a Yankes,
Interpreting that to mean that he was
an inventive genius ami In the inven-
tions o. the past century has led all OF
his European competitors. This inven-
tive genius is not due wholly to accident
but is the direct result Of education. The
speaker took the opportunity to say that
he considered the industrial school one Of
the noblest institutions of our country be-
cause 1t taught men the difference be-
tween he who iabored with m unframed
brain and he who worked with his hands
with trained interiect. Some pessimists
had proclaimed that the working man
was little better than slave but the
speaker said no man was further removed
from slavery than Is he who is the master
of ID mechanical trade which requires a
skilful mind as well as a trained hand.
Uncle Sam is the personiiioation OF do.
mocracy. He believes in giving the man
on the lowest round Of the ladder
chance TO reach the top. He provides for
all free education and no country In the
world expends more wealth In educating
Its people than does the United States.
By the free schools the lowest may be-
come the holder OF position of public
trust and honor and TO all this path Is
open. This democratic spirit Of fair play
10 what opens our doors to the world and
treats all men as equals irrespective Of
their religious belief. 81
Then Mr.. Bovard spoke Of Uncle Sam
as the school teacher for the world and
as an expansionist. He reviewed the OK.
pansion Of our country from the Attain
tic to the Mississippi, from the Father Of
Waters to the Rockies, thence to the Pa
cific coast and now to the islands of the
sea- All of this he argued is but the
working out of Americas destiny. He
told Of the influences which accustomed
the spreading out OF the original colonies
on the Atlantic and said that every move
towards expansion which had been made
has been the result Of some great influ-
encs. He told how the desire of the Unit
ed States to purchase from France the
island OH which New Orleans is located
for two and half millions had led to
our acquiring from Napoleon that vast
tract OF land embraced In the Louisiana
purchase for fifteen millions of dollars.
At the time the purchase was made
many considered the price paid for this
territory exhorbitant, but today one years
wheat corp In Kansas or the product Of
the mines of Colorado would amount to
more than this sum many times over.
The speaker then referred to the acquisi-
ton Of Texas by the pro slavery advocates
and OF the race of slavery and freedom for
the acquisition of the Pacific coast. In
all of this expansion America has but
been fulfilling her destiny and In each case
great Influences have been the occasion
for our growth in territory.
Recently Uncle Sam stood with Wash.
ington's farewell address in one hand and
the Monroe doctrine In the other and
hesitated long. At length the sense of
Justice, right and duty prevailed and
he addressed himself TO the liberation of
all oppressed people. Right and justice
had triumphed over the tradition of our
fathers and our action in extending our
protection to the people of Cuba and
Porto Rico is but the logical outcome Of
our policy. Had Washington and othsrs
of our great statesmen been. at the helm
our action would have been the same.
The United States has now reached a
point when 1t can champion the cause of
a republican form of governments. Al
ready this country's example has been
the cause Of the growth of the democratic
spirit in all the countries of the world.
Cur form of government up to this time
has been largely an experiment but today
it Is the recognized ideal form of govern
ment all over the world Our mission
in the Orient is to plant the seeds of lib
erty and freedom, to carry to oppressed
people form Of government which shall
shatter the militarism OF Europe to the
ground and bring down In ruirs the rot
ten monarchies Of the old world. The
speaker believed that the establishment
of a stable republican form OF govern
ment in Cuba and Porto Rico would do
more for the oppressed people OF the old
world than anything else. 1t would mean
their deliverance from religious tyranny
and awful superstition. 1t would relieve
the oppressed from the burdens of priest
craft and tend to elevate man generally.
We are pledged to educate the people
Of Cuba and the Philippines and this we
will do. Expansion has meant for us .
reunited country. the promise Of purer
politics and more perfect union. What
We need is a perfect confidence in our
form OF government q belief that we are
destined to become the teacher Of the
| world and an aggressive spirit such as