The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-19

tho Far South and Southeast 10 govern
themselves, 10 form true republics, was not
in my opinion, n permanent conduoh-
Atavisuo cruelty would become manage
able trait when strong currents OF immigra
ton turned toward Central and South
America There would be among the new
Corners a small but controlling element OF
the Northern people who do inherit the
talent for self-govenment and the power
fully steadying effect Of prosperity won
through industrial pursuits would DO felt
by all Yes, industrial prosperity soon
enough would make that wonderful south
ern continent a tame affair, though never
quito spelling It's great mountains and In
comparable rivers.
My opinions, however, are completely
overshadowed by those OF the people VINO
confess their weakness. The most splen-
did Of possessions, the vivid part OF the
world. was theirs till now. But now they
say their hands are weak.
They say the sixty-odd millions OF Latin
Americans cannot hold Lain-America' We
say the great oolonlzing Powers OF Europe
must not gain Il, or any new part OF IT,
These are two big facts.
We shall err like the sophists II We talk
about anything else just at present. MY
opinions, long held and sometimes, fear,
rather forced upon public attention, are
rejected excluded. Tho readers most
intelligently held old opinions on Latin
American matters, also, the reader himself
should make an effort TO exclude, to dis
miss absolutely from his mind. The two
big facts are the beginning OF wisdom
They drive all the little opinions out OF our
heads. They do the work that Socrates
used to do by HE method.
We may read IN Grote's plato that
Socrates considered the negative procedure
TO be valuable by itself and separately.
His theory Of the natural state Of the human
mind among established communities was
one which we find indispensable at this
juncture In effect, that the natural or usual
state Of mind was not simply Ignorance,
but ignorance installing itself for lInowl-
edge. The only way Of dissipatlng such
false persuasion Of knowledge was the
effective stimulus Of the negative test,
whereby state Of non-belief, or painful
| consciousness Of ignorance, was substi-
Cuted in its place. Such second state ought
20 DO preliminary to n third, acquired by
the struggles Of the mind to escape and to
rise to defensible beliefs.
Now, since they who should know best
about the Far South say they cannot, and
we say no other Power shall the United
States must positively govern there.
Provided what they say is true, Their
confessions tally In all respects with de-
scriptions written by persons Of Northern
| birth who have travelled and lived long In
their republics. But old travellers tales
characterizations that have the sting and
smart caught from personal injury-do
| these not go into the rubbish heap, toor
| II our minds are clear OF all such things,
| prepared to rise to defensible beliefs, we
! shall require such brand new evidence as
is presented by and in the Latin-American
! regions themselves, and in no other way
| Is accessible, is to be found in no book or
great library full Of books.
Is there really a Latin-American char
| acter-therefore. a Latin-American des-
! tiny; one character a common destiny in
Argentina Mexico, Cuba, land-locked Bo-
| livia, openly scandalous Venezuela and
| Sapto Domingo? All the way from Texas
and Florida to the Straits Of Magellan are
| there about the same radical defects, never
to be cured, the republic being actually
! conventional, hybrid, in the case Of every
| separate nation, without a single exception
being a good imitation at best. where II
may seem good at all?
Then some OF our first national under
talings in any part-any small, near part
of Latin-Amerioa will seem strangely
large till we get used to them; problems
segregated for special observation and
treatment oddly settling back into the mass
soon after treatment is suspended, and a
multitude Of similar things 20 be done
presenting themselves.
Everything we'll begun by the most re-
sourceful Of nations may be done success
fully. If the negative procedure is applied,
and useful knowledge is produced; if pain
full consciousness Of ignorance shall be fol-
lowed by struggles Of the mind to rise to
defenible beliefs; then a good beginning
will be made, and this writing justified.
MARION WILCOX.