The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-03-10
BOASTFUL GREATNESS.


Students of history are familiar with
the vainelorious boastiugs Of the rul-
eTs of old times. The great epic OF
Pentaur, describing as in the first per,
son from the Pharaoh supposed to bc
Ramescs r., his great battle with
the khatta on the bank Of the
OronteS, narratcs as Pharaoh saying,
that his strokes and darts at one fling
slew 10000 men. and the foe fled terri.
lied before his personal prowess. whole
armies OF them, From this up TO the
great sculptures Of the Egyptian tenn.
pies, there runs through all vein Of
great Boosting The Babyloniau kings
were not quite so bad as the Egyp
tiaus in this matter, while the Assyriau
kings were more on the later models.
more matter offact. and their state
ments are more exact and trust
worthy. But boasting was the rule of
the kings of old and not only of the
kings. but of the men of prominence
whose names have come down to us,
save only in the case of some of the
Greeks and Of good many of the
Romans. The vanity of Alexander was
tickled at the idea suggested in Egypt
that he was really q son of the god
Ammon and not Of his father Philip,
4 notion at which his mother jeered
In modern times, however, the most
conspicuous instance of self.Iaudation
that we have seen is the case of a
flIlpino on the Island OF Pauay, near
little village called Tilagou Near
that village stands cast iron statue,
erected TO commemorate the ability
and virtue Of Juan Kabipan.D - The
monument itself is rather contempti-
bic as work of art. but it lacks moth.
ing IN The eulogy passed upon Kabi-
gan. He is declared TO be ''an incom-
parable poet, a genius whose brilliaucv
rivals the sun, a Filipino patriot
brave and noble man, These asser-
tlons are amplIfied, elaborated, and
reiterated both in Spanish and in Taga-
log, and arc, Of course, designed to
perpctuatc the name, fame, virtues, and
accomplishments Of Senior Juan Kabi-
gan.
One would suppose from this cIab-
crate eulogy, that Juan Kabigan has
been long dead, that his statue was
erected by admiring friends. and that
his memory is a cherished possession
of his neIghbors in Tilagon But Senior
kabigan is, in fact, very much alive,
and he lives as a grinding, rack.rent-
ing proprietor. His tenants know him
as graspiug landlord. He is mot
held in high regard by his ncighbors.
and Americans in Panay altogether
lack respect for him one OF the Off
GERS said eontemptuously; Poet! The
old blowhard couldn t write two lines
of poetry to save his neck. - And
continuing. the same officer SAYS
" Brave and noble patriot. huh The
rascal was an insurrecto tax collector
With money that stuck to his fingers
he paid for the statue that he set up
to olorify himself - Which is putting
it TO Scnor Kabigan very hard in
deed.
But Kabigan admits the praisefuI
culogY. He says: ''Ycs. | paid for
the statue and supcrintcnded its cree
ton on my own land. 1t Is true that
| have never published or written any
poetry; nevertheless, | am great poet.
because at times | have thoughts that
arc gloriouslv poetic. | think well OF
myself9 Sure! my statue shows what
/ think Of myself.
II is a far cry from ancient times
to modern, and long way from the
Island of Panay 10 America. And vet
human nature is much alike i'm all ages
and in every part Of the world: and
we do not lack in these United States
men who have quite as exalted an
opinion Of themselves as Scnor Kabl-
gan has Of himself Iust now we are
are enjoying the spectacle of n Great
and Good Man who considers that he
is the Only Salvation and Refuge for
his countrymen. and that without him
the great Republic would 90 TO smash
Senor Kabigan has simply snid OF him
self those things which a Noble One
Of our own citizenship actually thinks
of himself, and would gladly pass that
sort of eulogy upon himself were moi
that sort of thing grotesqucly out of