The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1901-11-01
NUMBER 88.
Barbarism has and can have no place

Barbarism has and can have no place
In 4 civilized world. 1t is our duty to-
ward the people living in barbarism to
see that they are freed from their
chains, and we can only free them by
destroying barbarism itself. The mis-
sionary, the merchant and the soldier
may each have to play part in this
destruction and in the consequent up
lifting of the people. Exactly as it Is
the duty of a civilized power scrupu-
lousy to respect the rights of all weak
er civilized powers and gladly to help
those who are struggling toward civ
| ilization, so it is it's duty to put down
savagery and barbarism. As in such a
work human instruments must be used,
and as human instruments are imper-
feet, this means that at times there will
be injustice; that at times merchant or
| soldier or even missionary may do
| wrong. Let us instantly condemn and
| rectify such wrong when it occurs and
if possible punish the wrongdoer. But
shame, thrice shame to us if we are so
foolish as to make such occasional
wrongdoing an excuse for failing to
perform a great and righteous task.
Not only in our own land, but through
out the world, throughout all his
tory, the advance of civilization has
been of incalculable benefit to man.
kind, and those through whom it
has advanced deserve the highest hon.
| or. All honor to the missionary, all
honor to the soldier all honor to the
merchant, who now in our day have
done so much to bring light into the
worlds dark places.
MISTAKES SHOULD NOT. FRIGHT
| EN- US.
Let me insist again. for fear Of pos
sible misconstruction, upon the fact
that our duty is twofold and that we
must raise others while we are benefit
ing ourselves. In bringing order to the
Philippines our soldiers added a new
page to the honor roll of American his
tory, and they incalculably benefited
the islanders themselves. Under the
wise administration of Governor Taft
| the islands now enjoy a peace and lib
erty of which they have hitherto never
even dreamed But this peace and lib
| mented by material, by Industrial, de-
velopment. Every encouragementshould
be given to their commercial develop
ment. to the Introduction of American
industries and products. not merely be-
cause this will be good thing for our
people. but infinitely more because 1t
will be of incalculable benefit to the
people of the Philippines.
We shall make mistakes, and II we
let these mistakes frighten US from
work we shall show ourselves weak
lings. Half a century ago Minnesota
| and the two Dakotas were Indian
bunting grounds. We committed plenty
of blunders and now and then worse
than blunders in our dealings with the
Indians, but who does not admit at the
present day that we were right In
wrestling from barbarism and adding
to civilization the territory out of
which we have made these beautiful
states? And now we are civilizing the
Indian and putting him on level to
which he could never have attained un-
der the old conditions.
THE SPIRIT RATHER THAN THE
i FORM.
In the Philippines let us remember
that TIE s1i:.ii and not the mere form
of gov IN It is the essential matter.
The .,,.-S lave a hundredfold the
freedom. under US that they would have
had if we had abandoned the islands.
We are not trying to subjugate peo-
pie; we are trying to develop them and
make them a law abiding. Industrious
and educated people, and we hope ulti-
mately a self governing people. In
short, in the work we have done we
. are but carrying out the true principles
of our democracy. We work in spirit
of self respect for ourselves and of
good will toward others. in a spirit Of
; love for and of infinite faith in man
kind. We do not blindly refuse to face
the evils that exist or the shortcom-
ings inherent in humanity. but across
blundering and shirking. across selfish
ness and meanness of motive. across
shortsightedness and cowardice, we
gaze steadfastly toward the far hori-
zon of golden triumph.
, If you will study our past history as
, a nation. you will see we have made
many blunders and have been guilty OF
many shortcomings. and yet that we
have always in the end come out victo-
!: rious because we have refused to be
daunted by blunders and defeats-have
recognized them, but have persevered
in spite of them. So it must be in the
future. We grid up our loins as ma
ton, with the stern purpose to play our
part manfully in winning the ultimate
triumph, and therefore we turn scorn-
fully aside from the paths of mere ease
, and idlcness and with unfaltering steps
tread the rough road of endeavor. smit-
ing down the wrong and battling for
the right as Greatlieart smote and bat
led i'll Bunyan's i'm Gortal story.
DiscOur.ginx q Reformer.
woman living in Walnut street.
near Broad. has noted with growing
sorrow hrighi faced boy of ten years
| SnoE inc cicarpttpS tho vjcinffv of