OCR Text |
Show A CHRISTIAN DUTY. The prospect of war between Russia au'i Japan Ja-pan is still more or less the anxiety of the world, for, should it come, no seer could foretell the consequences. con-sequences. And what would it all be for? Nothing Noth-ing except to minister to the land-stealing appetite appe-tite of Russia, and to feed her ambition to own the earth. She took Manchuria under a false pretense; pre-tense; she took it from Japan after that country had fairly conquered it. The only justification she can plead, before the world, is that a winter terminal, on a port free from ice, was a necessity for her great continental railroad, and the almost limitless area which she owns, that is tributary to that road. But the justification ceases when she turns her coveteous eyes upon Korea Some of her newspapers hold out that Korea in other hands would always be a menace to her. If that is good reasoning, then with that once In her possession, Japan itself, would become a still greater menace. Another justification pleaded for the taking of Manchuria, is that the inertia of four thousand years is upon her; that there is no progress there. But that story could never apply to Japan, for Japan, is more progressive than Russia, and moreover, she has solved one problem, prob-lem, that none of the Western nations have as yet been able to demonstrate. She has caught the art of feeding and keeping comfortable, millions mill-ions of people on a small area of land; of so caring for all of her people, that very few are abjectly poor, and of all nations, not one is so universally patriotic as the Japanese. Then, as yet, her capabilities cannot be measured. It is but fifty-two years since Japan was a closed book to the world. She knew nothing of the art of war, of the handling of armies, her finest ocean craft was a junk. Now she has as fine an army, as ever rallied behind a throne, as fine an 'army and as well equipped, with officers and weapons, and she has a superb navy. More, it was Japan that gave the j B first striking exibition of how a modern mailed I , B fleet could be handled in battle. If this has been fl accomplished in fifty years, what may she not do i B in fifty more years? B Uur nation is located on another continent. B One ocean rolls between us and Western Europe, H and another between us and Eastern Asia, and it jH has always been the wise policy of our country, to avoid interferrlng with Old World affairs, beyond H protecting American interests and Amerjcan citi- I H zens abroad. But our country did do up the Bar- B bary pirates that were harassing our merchant B ships, and Captain Ingram did clear his decks for I H action, and, drawing his ship between two Aus- ! H trian frigates, gave them notice what he proposed f H to do if they continued to be unreasonable, H Since then ours has become a world power. H With Russia our country has always been on the H most friendly terms. She has distrusted Ger- H many and France at times, between her and H Great Britain there has been one war, and a cen- j H tury of armed truce, but Russia knows that we j B covet nothing that she has,, save her good will, B hence she would listen to any suggestions from I B our Government with patience. We think it B would be right, and wise for the administration i B to instruct our minister to Russia to remind the 1 l B Russian Government that it was the Czar who j ! B suggested The Hague tribunal, that the news that : t B Russia had engaged Japan in war, would bo re- B ceived with infinite sorrow in our country To that B might be added the thought of the possible fu- B ture danger of causing the great Mongolian hive j B to begin to swarm; the danger to both the ter- B ritory and commerce of all Europe. Such a com- ' fl munication might have an effect; it might cans B the question of peace or war to gravitate to the B side of peace. It surely is worth .trying. It B would be in the lino of Christian duty. . M |