The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-10-22


there will be injustice that at times
merchant or soldier or even mission
airy may do wrong. Let us instantly
condemn and rectify such wrong
when it ooour and if possible pun
ish the wrongdoer. But shame,
thrice shame TO us if we are so fool
ish rs 80 make such occasional
wrongdoing an excuse for failing to
perform a great and righteous task.
Not only in our own land, but
throughout the world, throughout
all history, the advance of civiliza-
ton has been of incalculable benefit
to mankind, and those through
whom it has advanced deserve the
highest honor. 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 BRIGHTEN Us.
Let me insist again, for fear of pos
sible misconstruotion, upon the fact
that our duty is twofold and that we
must raise others while we are bene-
fitting ourselves. In bringing order
TO the Philippines our soldiers added
a new page TO the honor roll of
American history, and they inoal
culably benefited the islanders them
selves. Under the wise administra-
ton of Governor Taft the islands
now enjoy a peace and liberty of
which they have hitherto lever even
dreamed. Bat this peace and liberty
under the law must be supplemented
by material, by industrial, develop
ment. Every encouragement should
be given TO their commercial devel
opment, to the introduction of
American industries and products,
not merely because this will be a
good thing for our people, but in
hnitely more because it will be of in
~calculable benefit to the people of the
Philippines. e
We shall make mistakes, and if we
let these mistakes brighten US from
work, we shall show ourselves weak
lings. half a century ago Minnesota
and the two Dakotas we're Indian
hunting grounds. We committed
r1ovAr Dc h1-nIo~o a-1 r1- or5 &bo~
worse than plumbers in our dealings
with the Indians, but who does not
admit at the present day that we
were right in wrestling from barbar-
ism and adding to civilization the
territory out of which we have made
these beautiful States? And now
we are civilizing the Indian and put
ting him on a level TO which he could
never have attained under the old
conditions.
THE SPIRIT RATHER THAN THE FORM
In the Philippines let US remember
that the spirit and not the mere
form of government is the ~essentia.
matter. The Tagalogs have u hun
dredfold the freedom under us that
they would have had if we had aban
doned the islands. We are not try
ing TO subjugate a people we are
trying to develop them and make
them d law abiding, industrious and
educated people, and we hope ulti.
mately a self-governing people. In
Nshort, in the work we have done we
are but carrying out the true prin.
ciples of our democracy. We work
in a spirit of self respect tor our
selves and of good will toward others,
in a spirit of love for and of infinite
faith in mankind. We do not blindly
refuse to face the evils that exist OF
the shortcomings inherent in hu
manity, but across laundering anC
Sinking, across selfishness anC
meanness of motive, acrOs short
sightedness and oowardice, we gazt
steadfastly toward the far horizon O.
golden triumph.
Il you will study III past history
a. u nation, you will see we have
made many plumbers and have beer
guilty Of many shortcomings, anC
YET that we have always in the enc
c )me out victorious because we have
refused to be- daunted by blunder'
aud defeats-have recognized them
but have perse vered in spite of them
50 is must be in the future. W.
GRID up our loins as a nation, will
the stern purpose to play our par