Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-02-10
A Great Prophet of Expansion.


In one Of his speeches championIng the
cause of the American colonists. Edmund
Burke said:
A vision has passed before my eyes; the
spirit of prophecy is upon me- Listen now
to a revelation of the consequences which
shall follow your maddened decision.
Though in the gristle, and not yet hardened
into the bone of manhood. America Will
within the short period of sixteen months
cast off your dominion and defy your ut
most persecution. She will establish re-
public, the first confederate representative
conlrnonwe wealth. which shall In time become
the admiration and envy of the world.
And the three millions whom you now de-
spise, gathering to themselves increase
from every European nation and Island,
will within sventy-five years spread them
selves over field and forest, prairie and
mountain, until in your way to your prov
iEces in the Bahamas they shall meet you
the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. and on
your return from the Eastern Indies they
will salute you from the eastern coast of
the Pacific ocean. Look toward
Africai There you see American colonies
lifting her up from her long night Of bar
barism into the broad light of liberty and
civilization Look to the east! You see
American missionaries bringing the people
of the Sandwich Islands into the family of
nations and American ornaments peace
fully seeking yet firmly demanding the
rights of humanity to Japan
Did any Hebrew prophet ever forecast an
event with a surer vision than did this
superb Irishman on that occasion? Was
the spirit of prophecy not indeed upon him?
DID not the colonists throw off the English
yoke establish a republic. and has not that
republic realized all that was then outlined
for It? Burke saw us expanded to the Pa
ciffc while we were fighting for control of
a territory that paid tribute exclusively to
the Atlantic He saw us in Hawaii when
the average colOnists had probably never
given a thought to what was then a seat of
cannibalisrn. He saw US establishing a
strong friendship with Japan when the de-
tails of the program which was to accom-
plish that work were as yet years and
years in the future.
This was prophecy, but it had a logical
foundation. Burke simply took the full
measure of the colonists and their leaders.
He had the only complete appreciation of
the day of what such men as Washington,
Hamilton. jefferson. Adams. Franklin.
Madison. Monroe, Jay. and others We're
capable. and would accomplish with their
spirit and unexampled opportunity. He
had seen them as colonists build up great
empire and he found no difficulty with his
genius and prescience in forecasting what
they and their fnheritOrs would do with 1t
IN the day of complete control.
Burke. history recites. spoke to empty
benches at that time. He was considered
tiresome by the old fox-hunting sGuires,
who had no more imagination than the
hounds they hallooed to on the hunt. 1t got
TO be the fashion to consider him as only
a skilful word painter. who loved TO hear
himself talk. His name will live forever
more. while their names are forgotten.
The American of today, therefore, who,
though without the learning or the genius
of Edmund Burke. builds as Burke did with
the same material and draws a large and
aluring picture of what is before his
cOuntrymen and their leaders in the solv-
ing Of the worlds great problems, need not
be seriously disturbed by the dist-ust
ridicule Of pessinists. Neither should he
change the colors on his palette to suit
their dull tastes. The race is not decadent.
What the fathers so glOriously began, the
sons can as gloriously carry forward.