The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-07-02
EVER A FRIEND
Rev. Father Clearly Speaks Be.
for a Duluth Audience.
Tells Why Russia Should Have
American Sympathy.

in opinions of several score of Du,
luthians regarding the Russia Japanese
war. Rev. J. NJ. Cleary, of Mime,
apolis, Wednesday evening. June 10Th,
lectured at the .Armory in Duluth ull-
der the auspices of the knights of Col
umblls. for the benefit of the orphan
age. He took as his subject Tile War
in the Far East; With Whom Should
Americans Sympathize:"
Before the eloquent Flour City man
had completed his remarks good por-
ton of his audience, who had up to
that time sympnthiZed with the laps
without giving the matter mucn
thought agreed With him in the state
ment that Americans should extend
their sympathy to Russia in her time
Of need. He claimed that, in spite Of
first appearances, Russia was the un-
der dog. making the reasons for favor
ing her in the present war doubly
strong.
Rev. Father Cleary is Il man of
commanding appearance. His power
of speech is we'll known in Duluth. for
he has been heard here before, says
the Duluth Herald. His earnest ad-
dress and very presence before an
audience gives one the impression that
such a man would not arrive at any
conclusive convictions without some
good reasons for doing So and that
therefore those reasons are we'll worth
listening to. So he is given close at
tentiOn at the start. After that the
powerful interest aroused in the sub
ject is more than sufficient to hold the
attention until the lecture is completed.
America is greatly interested in the
Eastern war; said Father Cleary
1.-THE conflict has attracted the most
interested attention of not only .Ameri-
ca alone, but of the whole world as
well. 1t is no more than natural that
our sympatlicS should he extended to
one or the other of the warning ma
tons. IL little or no thought is given
to the matter it is also no more than
natural that these sympathies should
go to Japan, for ut first glance, di-
minutive Japan, with her 10000. 900
population, as compared to Russia S
14OWO.OOO, seems to DC the under dog.
and we Americans are prone to always
give our sympathy to what is popularity
called the under dog in any struggle,
either between individuals or nations.
why is not japan the under dog?
This extract from an article in the
May Metropolitan magazine will make
my meaning as clear as words of my
own could do:
On the one hand we have Russia
tile most formidable military power
in the wUrld-with her huge army of
picked young men, case hardened by
their early life; Injured to prvation;
blindly courageous; simple, honest and
piOus, somewhat lacking in initiative
perhaps, and apt to be at loss if
there officers are killed, yet withal Il
splendid type Of soldier. She is fight
ing G,OOO miles away from her base,
and these 5000 miles for many months
of the year lie across Il vast waste Of
snow and ice where the temperature
is mostly below zero.
lon the other hand we have the
apaneSc-liShcrnpn in stormy seas,
pirates. mariners. born lighters active,
aggressive, full of initiative; bold re-
solute and cunning warriors. and fight
ing practically on their own ground.
They have an army known to be one
of the best drilled machines in the
world Il navy superby drilled and alb
solutely up-to-date in navy practice.
Under these circumstances it is
difficult to understand why Japan
should challenge our sympathy as the
under dog in the fight 1t is Russia
who is the under dog. The New York
Sun compares the situation to that of a
householder gigantic. but barefooted
and llnArncd, going down stairs to
tackle Il lurglar-a dwarf-but armed
to the teeth. Under the circumstances
it is the householder who is the undo.
dog
''IIow do our Sympathics lie. with
Russia or Japan? Ask almost amy
man you meet on the street this ullcs-
ton and lie will say that they lie with
Japan. Ask him why and he will be
unable to respond. He thinks so be-
cause someone else. no better posted.
has thought so for him. His opinions
are merely the reflection of others.
equally grOundlcSs. He is too busy
too lazy to 30 into the ma tier, investi-
gate and form his own conclusions in
regard to it.
"Fhe majority Of the newspapers of
America favor Japan There is much
in this of the sentimental. We opened
the eyes of the Japanese to the world.
introduced him into civilization. edu-
Gated many of his officers and public
men. He is. as another has said. our
little yellow adopted son. our ward, SO
to speak. and hence we have a certain
national pride in him. But what has
Japan done for us? Nothing! On the
other hand. what has Russia done for
us? She has done great deal.
PRUSSIA has always been the most