The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1906-01-25

ENNIS: Six Months 50 cents
among the long Fasti of her triumphs,
few can be found that, for their impor-
tance and ultimate benefit to mankind,
are comparable with this expiring
effort of her arms. 1t did not, indeed,
open to her any new career of con-
quest-it did not consolidate the relics
of her power-it did not turn the rapid
ebb of her fortunes. The mission Of
Imperial Rome was, in truth, already
accomplished. She had received and
transmitted thru her once ample
dominion the civilization of Greece.
She had broken up the barriers of mar
row nationalities> among the various
states and tribes that dwelt around the
coasts of the Mediterranean. She had
fnsed these and many other races into
one organized empire, bound together
by community of laws, Of govern
ment, and institutions. Under the
had arisen in the earth, and during the
to maturity, it had overspread all the
provinces that ever obeyed her sway.
For no beneficial purpose to mankind
could the dominion of the seven-hilled
city have been restored or prolonged.
But it was all important to mankind
what nations should divide among
them ROme's rich inheritance of
empire. Whether the Germanic and
Gothic warriors should form states and
Kingdoms out of the fragments of her
dominions, and become the free men,
bers of the commonwealth of Christ
ian Europe; or whether pagan savages,
from the wilds of Central Asia, should
crush the relics of classic civilization
and the early institutions of the Christ
ianiZed Germans in one hapless chaos
Of 5arbaric conquest. The Christian
Visigoths of King Theodore fought
and triumphed side by side with the
legions of Aetius. Their joint victory
over the Hunnish host not only res
cued for time from destruction the
old age of Rome, but preserved for
centuries of power and glory the Ger
manic element in the civilization of
modern Europe" sEss Z
And the respondent AYERS that war
has not been advantageous to civiliza-
ton! Now, while these events we're
transpiring in the West, new menace
to Christianity and civilization was
terminating in the far East, where the
followers of Mohammed, the Prophet,
assumed formidable proportions and,
after having by force of arms convert
ed the scattering tribes of Arabia,
entered upon career of conquest with
the result that in less than century
subsequent to the death of Moham-
med, (632) his followers, under the vari-
GUS caliphs, had subjugated half the
Roman empire, embracing Persia,
Syria, Egypt, Palestine, and all of the
Roman provinces situated along the
north coast of Africa.
Finally, in I'll, they crossed the
Strait of Gibraltar, invaded Spain
conquered it-and justified the found
ing of a western capitol at Cordova on
the ground that they intended to girdle
the Mediterranean. The Mohammed-
an leader declared that he would event.
ually expound the doctrine of the Koran
in the Vatican at Rome, and raze
Constantinople to the ground, and
then, having overthrown the seat of
civilization and Christianity, he would
return to Damascus and await the
pleasure of the caliph. But, thanks to
this thing called "war," against which
my opponent will inveigh here this
afternoon, our Islamitic friend was
unable to crafty his ambitions, for up
near the city of Tours, on the river
> Loire, in what is now French territory.
he encountered the Germans under
Charles Martel, who, after seven days
of fierce fighting, won victory (732)
which, as the historian says:
"Gave a decisive check to the ambi-
b tious Arab-rescued Western Europe
Q from the civil and religious yoke of
J. the Koran-preserved the relics of an
8 cient and the germs of modern civiliza-
. tion, and re-established the old
= superiority of the Indo-E European over
}, the Semitic family Of mankind"
Hallam says of this victory: "It may
. justly be reck oned among those few
battles of which a contrary event
!, would have essentially varied the
drama of the world in all its subse.
. quent events" Gibbon his we'll
known work says: "If tue Saracenit
> conquests had not beer checked per
:. haps the Interpretation of the Koran