Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-11-24


We know that Spain, In her cruclties
toward Cubo and the Philippines, and
the United States government. In its
cruel treatment Of the North American
Indians. have done wrong But though
our modern governments In some OF
their dealings with the weaker nations
and with their own weaker subjects
may have been sinfully culpable the
present governments are as far ahead
Of the ancient governments in right
eousness and justice as the brightness
Of midnoon Is ahead Of the darkness Of
midnight
England's Ways Versas Rome's.
Compare the conQuests OF our day
with the conqucsts Of ancient times.
Like the eagles Of ancient Rome. the
British standard has been unfurled in
every cline. II waves over an empire
greater than Rome ever dominated.
What does England do when she con-
Quers a country study her treatment
OF India. She Immediately stamped out
In India the horrors Of infanticide and
suffice. She Immediately made the
spect the liberties Of man. She gives
to her subjects Of every land she rules
civil and religious liberty. She makes
II possible for every man to worship
God In his own way. What England
has done for India and her other colo
MES the United States government Is
doing for Alaska and the Philippines
and Porto Rico. What did ancient
Rome do when she conquered n coun-
try? Did she consider her conquered
colonies a sacred trust7 Did she care
for their rights as carefully as she
would care for her own peoples rights :?
Oh, no. In ancient times the law Of
conquest implied the right to enslave
and Cypress the conquered foe. When
Scipio IFmilianus returned from his
celebrated Carthaginian wars what
did he dof He brought back with him
10000 OF his late foes whom he had not
slain upon the field Of battle and sold
them In the common slave markets to
be the chattels Of the Romans. These
men who fought for their country's
liberties now had to moan and vince
masters lash. When Caius Marius
made his triumphal entry in Rome he
handed over 100000 Cimbri az spoils
for the slave markets. lEmilius Pau
lus' conquest over the Greeks glutted
the Roman slave markets with $1,000
captives OF war, while the conquests
OF Ponpeius and Caesar gave to Rome
~ M
you, are not our modern governments
in their treatment of fallen foes more
merciful and Just than were the an
cient governments7
Ancient Rulers and Their Tyranny.
Then compare the adminlstra ton of
our rulers to that of the ancient rulers
over their subjects. In ancient times
the rulers had absolute power of life
and death over the inhabitants OF their
Kingdoms. az Roman subject at Will
could Stay any one OF his slaves and be
held accountable to no law. We read
in history how Nero. the Roman en-
peror. used 10 revel in cruelty and out
rage. No lie was safe under the tyran.
ny OF that monster. Any excuse serv ed
for the qualification of his lust for
/ bloodshed. Even his own mother and
his most faithful adhereuts fell victims
to his Unsuitable brutality. But we do
not have to go clear back to the Roman
era to find the unlimited power over
life and death Of n subject vested in
the hand Of king or prince In 1870
only little over 400 years ago No
manned IL, the sultan OF Turkey,
summoned a famous Venetian artist
. Giovanni by name. to paint the picture
Of himself and his mother. While a
guest of the Turkish court Giovanni
painted picture for the sultan enu-
;,ed John the Baptists Head In a
Charger" Mohammed looked at the
I picture little while and then said
Artist | think your picture is wrong
When a mans head is decapitated the
cords and the muscles Of the neck
shrink and contract instead OF expand
Let me prove TO you that l am right
With that the sultan drew his Jeweled
sword out of its jeweied scabbard, and
with sweep Of his arm. he cut off tho
head OF a courtier who stood near him
AS the head fell Mt the feet OF the artist
the sultan said See, am right. The
cords OF the neck always contract
The Mortified artist said, Yes, your
majesty, | think you are right" Then
for fear Of losing his own head. Clio
vanni fled back to his home city o!
Venice and reported 10 the doge what
he had seen.
IL there any European country or
earth which would allow its ruler &c
do TO his subjects as Mohammed II
did to his? We have our governmental
injustices. but today we have not upor
any throne Of the civilized world &
Henry VIII. OF England, or a sinful. de
bauched Catherine Of Russia, or Nero
MohRmmed III. OF Turkey. The people
the common people OF every land. have
asserted themselves and demanded and
won their rights. Everywhere we trc
that governments are better than theil
predecessors Even modern Turkey Ii
an improvement over ancient Turkey.
The governments are better and con
unually growing better. The churche.
are also purer In thought. They have
higher ideals OF spirituality and moral
ity than they ever had before. 1t II
easy enough for men and women to 81
down and criticise the pew, and crit
iCise the pulpit, and critlcise the way
OF raising church money, and critcis
the choir loft but l want to tell yo,