The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1915-12-02

est way station on the ocean high
way TO the far east.
In the Caribbean sea, toward the
land OF the sunrise, lies Porto Rico,
rich, prosperous, and smiling in
tropical verdure, inhabited by a mil
lion and a quarter souls, mainly OF
an alien race, who became our wards
by the fortunes Of war and by no act
Of their own, and whose only safety
is in the protection OF the American
flag.
On the other side of the earth, out
in the distant ocean, but under the
folds Of our flag, lie the Philippine
Islands, $4,000 miles in area, inhab-
tied by 100000 strange and simple
souls, who are just learning from us
the primary lessons Of self-govern-
ment, and looking TO us to protect
them from the greed and plumber Of
their threatening foes.
Foreign Policies
In addition to these, we have our
great historic foreign policies,
namely, the Monroe doctrine, by
which we have, for nearly a hun
dred years, guaranteed and kept
alive republican government in the
twenty Central and South American
republics on the western continent;
the maintenance and defense OF the
Panama canal, and the guarantee OF
its neutrality to all the nations OF
the earth: the exclusion OF undesira-
bic Asiatic citizens in order that the
integrity Of the AnglO-Saxon race
may be preserved and that our free
institutions be not undermined: and
lastly the preservation Of the open
door of trade in the Orient that our
commerce may float upon every sea
and penetrate every land
These are the people, the institu-
tions. the traditions, the policies and
the possessions OF which God has
made us his chosen keepers, and
who will say that it is not a trust
worthy Of the noblest and most he
roic defense possible to a race OF
men who. though they love peace
and seek Righteousness, are yet men
Of blood and iron in the defense OF
home and liberty and native land!
Let us now, in a word, inquire
whether we shall probably still have
wars in the future, and. particularly,
whether our own country is in dan
ger OF attack by any one or more OF
the powerful nations of the earth.
Yes. in spite Of the coming Of the
Christ, and Of all the myriad forces
for good, man is still a fighting ami
NAL. Notwithstanding our advanced
he yet kills and mains
and robs and plumbers. This has
been his nature from the beginning,
and this it is likely TO be for long,
long ages TO come. In the prim-
Drdial forests he wrestled with his
savage brother, hand TO hand, for
self and family; little later he gave
heroic battle for his clan; and now
he fights collectively for his nation.
And the nation is only an elabora-
ion Of individuals. II has the same
passions, noble and isnoble, as the
Individuals Of which il is composed.
N our efforts to determine what we
iced, we should accept the teachings
" history as they are and not as we
would have them. True, mans ma
ure does change. and il changes for
he better, but it is only by slow.
PAINFUL and imperceptible degrees,
UGH as the psalmist had in mind I
when ne said, "a thousand years in
he sight OF the Lord are but as yes
erday when it is past and as a
watch in the night" We may get a
amt, though imperfect. idea OF how ,
low is mans change for the bet
er il we will but reflect that our {
odles are no larger, no taller, no
more comely than they were when
'hidias first chiseled the human {
orm in stone twenty-three hundred {
ears ago; that, although we are 6
lore efficient and more variously S
cultivated, nevertheless, the human {
hind is probably no keener, no more {
rofound, than il was when Aristo- {
e taught the Greeks twenty-four J
undred years ago; and even more, I
re cannot tell how much better we |
re than were the men OF Israel q
'hen David sang and Solomon wrote =
lree thousand years ago. This ,
arking back TO the misty past may 7
e only speculative and useless, the
exclusions unsound, but we do v
now that man still savagely i'm :
rues his hands in human blood and
'ickedly Stays his fellow-man. Why r
g does il. we do not know, but L
nat he does il, we do know. Then, Il
nee we know that man will war d
pom man, and nation prey upon o
alton, is il not the mart of wise n