The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-08-19
WESTWARD THE STAR OF EMPIRE
TAKES ITS COURSE.

Through all the e as far back as
history or tradition reaches the trend
Of immigration has been toward the
setting of the sun. Learning, civiliza-
ton and refinement had it's birth in the
far Isl and has gradually worked Its
way TO the westward, through western
Asia and along northern Africa in he
inhabitable strip between the Mediter-
ranean and the great desert and east
ern Europe and through that continent
to its western confines, where it was
checked for a long period by the unex-
plored Atlantic
Then came the daring mariners who
braved the dangers Of the unknown to
push the power Of civilization further
to the west. First the Norsemen made
the daring plunge across the waste of
turers until finally the western hemis-
phere was discovered" by Columbus,
and a new impetus was given to the
western movement of the empire of
civilization. The new world" sprang
into existence.
AAO OAN ia A@NAOPN fASN
with each other in acquiring territory
in this unknown land. England, Spain,
Holland and France were the pioneers
in settling and developing this new
country. They planted settlements
along this vast stretch of ocean front
from Quebec TO st. Augustine n
throughout the West India islands.
These pioneers were not content to
confine themselves to the narrow strip
of Ian along the ~seacoast. The settlers
soon began to feel hat they were too
confined in the coast settlements and
began to push westward through the
forests of the great American continent.
The great Father OF Waters was
reached and De Soto discovered the
Ian beyond the Mississippi.
Still there was no cessation in the
restless advance tOward the west.
Across the vast continent, up the Mis-
sissippi to the Canada line and through
the western prairies and over the noun
taius, the Englishman, the Frenchman
and the Spaniard moved, to discover
new lands, until the broad Pacific stop
ped the march.
Here the westward progress of civili-
zatiOn stopped for a while, only to be
taken up again in the last days of the
Nineteenth century, when that great
American republic stretched its arm
half across the Pacific ocean and by
the raising of the Stars and Stripes on
Tia. Hawaiian islands again put in
motion, still to the westward, the in
vinvible forces of civilization. Here,
islands which a few years before were
inhabited by cannibaI savages are now
the homes of civilized and educated
American citizens.
The malt Iere of the westward march
of the empire of civilization and Chris
tianity was of short duration. That
same power which annexed the Haw-
allan islands soon advanced across the
remaining waste of the Pacific and
planted its standard upon the Philip
pines, at the very threshold of the
nation which ages and ages ago "a
gUated this empire of civilization and
learning and started it On its west
word course of conflict against ignor-
ance and barbarism; and now we, the
Caucasian race, have broken down
the barriers and forcibly entered the
domains of the people who put in mo-
tion this mighty power and undertake
to teach them civilization according to
our ideas of the meaning Of that word.
Westward the course of empire has
taken its way, n in this westward
movement it has circumscribed the
world. In a short period, compared
with the time occupied in the march
from the far east the Hawaiians, the
Philippines and the other islands of
the pacific will nave become civilized
and Christianized and the empire of
these forces will have made the circuit
of the globe in it's westward march
What then?