Evening journal., 1899-01-09
TIE MODERN cHIVAIRY.
Honor and Virtue VIII Now he
Safe in the spanish
Colonies. -

Capt. Frank Wldes, of the American
cruiser Boston, who bore a distin.
euishei part in Commodore Dewey's
splendid victory at Manila, has writ.
ten letter to one of his friends in
Portland, Me-, describing picturesque
incident that followed the Spanish de.
feat. 1t will be remembered that be.
fore the arrival of the invading fleet
the Spanish captain general Of the
Philippines issued addresses to-the peo-
pie denouncing the American sailors
as pigs and monsters, who, IL they sue.
.ceeded in entering the city, would in.
dulge in q wild carnival of violence and
crime against life and property. The
more ignorant classes Of the inhab-
itants were made 10 believe these
frightful stories, and even some OF the
Intelligent residents were seriously
alarmed lest the dreadful Americans
should subject them to indignity and
suffering. Capt. Wildes tells the story
OF Spanish lady Of great refinement
and beauty, who had heardthese terri
BILE reports, who went 20 the British
consul and asked whether he really be.
lieved that the hated Yankees were as
they had been pictured in the captain
generals proclamation. The consul
simply replied:
MADAM, honor and virtue are safer
in Manila to-day than they have been
for 800 years"
That truthful assurance contains q
hint of one Of the most important and
fnr-reaching results which the present
war is destined to accomplish. Social
conditions in Spain's colonial terri.
tory have long been notoriously cor.
rupt and vicious. The unprincipled
officials whom the Spanish government
has kept in control Of her island pos.
sessions have debauched both society
and politics. Many Of them have grown
rich by levying blackmail on vice and
crime, and other influence has been
constantly used TO stihe the morals
and conscience OF the people. In an
atmosphere thus polluted life and
honor are held at their lowest valua.
tion. The law, administered by cor.
'rupt officers. has offered no redress for
the wrongs of their helpless victims,
and in some of the cities Of these
Spanish colonies, Havana, for example,
women and young girls have been de.
based TO the lowest depths Of degroda.
ton.
Under Providence, the present wal
will abolish these revolving conditions
and open the way for social order and
progress. In every one of the colonies
which the clash Of arms wrests from
the dominion of Spain the status OF
woman, socially, intellectually and
morally, will undergo an immediate
and steady improvement. She will ac.
,quire q larger liberty, q higher respect
and purer influence than she has ever
enjoyed under the degrading misrule
of Spanish monarchism, and her ulti.
mate advance to the honored position
now cheerfplly assigned TO her Anglo.
American sisters will be the crownina
achievement of the nineteenth century
chiyalry.
Beneath the extraordinary and help
full interest which the women Of Amer.
leo have thus far taken in the struggle
with Spain there is profound convic
tion that this is a holy war for the res.
cue of womanhood and childhood from
the clutches of their despoilers. The
blood of~Weyler's innocent victims
cries from the Cuban soil for vengeance
and vindication. The specters Of the
helpless mothers and babes whom that
relentless monster put to death by the
exquisite torture of starvation stiD
haunt the horizon Of our latter day
civilization, and they will not down
until the merciless power of Spain Is
forever destroyed in the islands which
she has shown herself unfit 10 govern.
To this heroic task in behalf of virtue
and honor the sons and daughters of
the greatrepublic have dedicated their
hands and fortunes. The god of bat.
Ties will affirm the righteousness OF
their cause, and they may confidently
appeal from kings 10 time for the an.
proval Of their deeds.-N. Y. Mail and
Express.