Milford chronicle., 1904-11-25

Turkey, in her massacre OF IHe Afme-
mans, have been outrageously wicked.
We know that Spain, in her cruelties
toward Cuba 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 or
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.
EnRIand's Ways Versus ROme's.
Compare the cOnquests Of our day
with the cOnquests of ancient times.
Like the eagles of ancient Rome, the
British standard has been unfurled in
every cline. 1t waves over an empire
greater than Rome ever dominated.
What does England do when she con-
uuers a country? Study her treatment
of India. She Immediately stamped out
in India the horrors Of infanticide and
suttee She Immediately made the
home safe and compelled man to re-
spect the liberties of man. She gives
to her subjects of every land she rules
civil and religious liberty. She makes
it possible for every man to worship
God in his own way. What England
has done for India and her other colo
nies the United States government is
doing for Alaska and the Philippines
and Porto Rico. What did ancient
Rome do when she conquered a coun-
try? Did she consider her conquered
colonies a sacred trust? Did she care
for their rights as carefully as she
would care for her own peoples rlghtsF
Oh. no. In ancient times the law of
conquest implied the right to enslave
| and Oppress the conquered foe. When
Scipio HGmilianus returned from his
celebrated Carthaginian wars what
did he do? 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
and beg for mercy under the slave
masters lash. When Caius Marius
made his triumphal entry in Rome he
handed over 100000 Cimbri as spOils
for the slave markets. Emilius Pau
lus' conquest over the Greeks glutted
the Roman slave markets with 10000
captives of war, while the conquests
of Pompeius and Caesar gave to Rome
at least 100000 new slaves. l ask
you, are not our modern governments
in their treatment of fallen foes more
merciful and Just than were the an
cient governments?
Ancient Rulers and Their Tyranny
Then compare the administration 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 theil
kingdoms, as a Roman subject at will
= could slay any one of his slaves and b'
a held accountable to no law. We reaC
in history how Nero, the Roman EN-
peror, used to revel in cruelty and out
I rage. No life was safe under the tyran
( ny of that monster. Any excuse served
for the qualification of his lust fo
bloodshed. Even his own mother anC
G his most faithful adherents fell victims
o to his Unsuitable brutality. But we d.
z not have to go clear back to the ROmal
era to find the unlimited power owe
= life and death of a subject vested il
i the hand of king or a prince. In 141C
+ only a little over 400 years ago, Nc
!. hammed H., the sultan Of Turkey
n summoned a famous Venetian artist
q Giovanni by name, to paint the pictur
o of himself and his mother. While
a guest of the Turkish court GiOvan1
+ painted a picture for the sultan emit
o tied John the Baptists Head In
: Charger" Mohammed looked at tn
, picture a little while and then said
Y ARTIST, think your picture is wrong
3 When a mans head is decapitated tn
II cords and the muscles Of the nee
l. shrink and contract instead of expand
e Let me prove to you that am right.
With that the sultan drew his jewele
Is sworn out VI It's jew oNobDeAN NAi "Ai'
Al with a sweep of his arm, he cut on tn
4: head of cOurtier who stood near hin
Z. AS the head fell at the feet Of the artis
v the sultan said: See, am right. III
"a cords of the neck always contract
L The Mortified artist said, Eyes, yor
II majesty, think you are right" Thei
4. for fear Of losing his own head, Gil
o vanni fed back to his home city
IS Venice and reported to the doge whi
N he had seen.
~ Is there any European country
IL earth which would allow its ruler
y do to his subjects as Mohammed I
d did to his2 We have our government
10 injustices, but today we have not upC
a. any throne Of the civilized world
/. Henry VIII. of England, or sinful, d
a bauched Catherine of Russia, or Ne
% of Rome, or a Cleopatra Of Africa, or
n Mohammed II. of Turkey. The peopl
is the common people Of every land, ha'
a asserted themselves and demanded al
d won their rights. Everywhere we fl
i that governments are better than the
q predecessors. Even modern Turkey