The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-03-28
be tcvcrcd and remembered, charity
and love must be our ohly weapons.
CURSE OF THE DAY,

"Ihe curse of the day is Il spirit Of
criminal aggression, which will not stop
even at the shedding of blood to gain
lis end. Many of the American people
seem TO have forsakcn the political
lalth OF thclr fathers. Once we sympa-
thlzed with all weak peoples striving to
attain or retain their independence.
once we ahhorrcd all wars OF invasion
and conquest, dccminy, and truly
dccmlng, them simply theft and muir
! der on an extended scale. Now, the
| cry OF the gallant Bocr reaches us and
lhc government Of the United States
turns deaf ca To that agonizcd ap.
peal. Now, an army and navy of that
same government is massacrcing Ma
lays because, having become rid of a
Spanish, they will not obey an Amer
lcan master. Now, still anolhc: flee,
and army are lifting out TO cocrcc the
Cubans and thus duplicate in The west
crn hemisphere the scene OF horror
cnactln& IN the eastern.
There a"c those who seek TO gloss
over these appalling crimes by talking
ol thc necessities of our trade and Il
proper performance, OF the duties i'm
posed on Us by Providence, but a fine
phrase cannot change Il foul fact \
war ol invasion and conquest is ALWAYS
wrong. 1t Is rs essentially evil to rob
whole people Of their country as il is
to rob private man of his home. Pie
ballot upon ballot mountains -hiyh: hraD
law upon law until they uch the stars,
ana yet, lar above them and utterly
unaffected by whatever sutlragans may
approve or law makers enact, stand the
supreme, lmmutablr statutes: "Thou
shalt not steal and thou shalt not slav."
When 81. Patrick entered Ireland he
iounG about the same kind of military
lever prevailing rs now affects the
lhltrd states. There was not, of
course, oul grand phantasmagolic
l"olcry OF a colonial establishment
governors general, high boards of
commissioners AVID SO on, but the main
features of the disease were dls,lmly
marked. 1t was considered quite prop
cr Iol Il strong chicflain to fall upon Il
weak one aud after cutting his throat
TO approp' late all his dominlons and
then cNuit hugely over 50 glorious IL
victory. The oitcncr the victor did
this the greater his rcnown and the
louder were his praises sung by his
parasites and hcnchmcn.
"Of exactly how st. Patrick cured
the Irish people of the truculcnt NAL
ady history does not iuform us, in
some way he won over fierce and
piold people from the a~curscd wor.
ship OF military glory to the alteration
OF the God of peace. Reviewed of the
burden and brutaliz ltion Of war the
country ElOsSOmcd like Il rose. He
found a land hrislling with pixies and
hattlc-aX, and he left it studded with
colleges and ca,hcdrals whose frcllcI
spires looked bcuiHnly down ON thou
sands and thousands Of happy homes.
What was the secret by which he
wrought 50 great transformation ?
We too, have colleges and calhcdralS;
we have long laid aside The pike and
the hattlc-aXc; and yet alas and alas!
the spirit OF spoil and slaughter is us
rampant IN America rs it was in Ire
land thousand years ago.
"Shadc Of st. Patrick civilize our
civilization: cnligh,cn ourrnhghlmenl;
thrlstianizc our Christianity and teach
MS rs thou didsi the ancient Irish Meth.
cr to Stay nor TO rapinr, but to show
mercy TO the weak and seek our glory
in the fields Of peace"